Ryan Garcia vs Mario Barrios
During the highly anticipated main event between Ryan Garcia and Mario Barrios, which concluded with a victory for Garcia, some users experienced temporary streaming disruptions. We would like to clearly explain what happened.
1. The Issue Was NOT Caused by High Traffic
Contrary to speculation, our infrastructure is fully capable of handling significant traffic spikes. There were no bandwidth limitations, server overloads, or capacity failures during the event. The disruption was not caused by user volume or peak traffic.
2. What Actually Happened
The live feed we were receiving was initially encoded using H.264 (AVC), which is fully compatible with our streaming pipeline.
However, after several hours of broadcasting:
- The incoming source feed temporarily disconnected.
- When it resumed a few minutes later, the encoder format had changed.
- The stream switched from H.264 to HEVC (H.265) without prior notice.
- This codec change was not immediately compatible with our existing live distribution system.
As a result, playback issues occurred for a portion of users.
3. Why a Permanent Fix Was Not Immediate
At the time of the change:
- The audience volume was extremely high.
- The codec change happened unexpectedly and mid-event.
- There was insufficient time to re-engineer the full pipeline permanently during the live broadcast.
Our immediate priority was restoring service as quickly as possible for the majority of viewers.
4. The Temporary Solution Implemented
To restore playback rapidly:
- The pixel format was converted from 10-bit to 8-bit.
- The stream was transcoded back to H.264.
- Compatibility was re-established for most browsers and devices.
This solution resolved the issue for the vast majority of users. However, due to device-level decoding differences and hardware limitations, a small number of mobile devices continued to experience playback issues.
5. Why This Can Happen in Live Broadcasting
In large-scale international live events, unexpected technical changes can occur, including:
- Sudden codec changes
- Encoder profile adjustments
- Feed source switching
- Bitrate or color space modifications
These changes may happen without advance notice and can temporarily affect compatibility during peak live broadcasts.
6. Preventative Measures Moving Forward
To reduce the likelihood of similar issues in future events, we are implementing:
- Automated codec change detection
- Improved HEVC compatibility handling
- Faster failover and auto-transcoding mechanisms
- Expanded mobile device compatibility testing
Final Note
We fully understand how important major fight moments are for our viewers. The disruption was not caused by traffic overload, but by an unexpected upstream encoding change.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding. Live broadcasting at scale can involve complex technical variables, and we remain committed to improving reliability for future events.
