CMCD v2 demo explained
Common Media Client Data version 2 (CMCD v2) is just around the corner, with great progress in the standardization process at CTA WAVE.
It’s a major step forward: Not only does it add new metrics for deeper playback insight, it also enables sending them directly to third-party endpoints (like EINBLIQ.IO), not just back to the CDN.
This opens the door for broader analytics, automation and real-time quality control for your streaming service.
At EINBLIQ.IO, we’re convinced that CMCD is one of the most important building blocks for analytics and automation in streaming.
Why? Because CMCD provides client-side observability without the need for heavy SDK integrations. This means:
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- Faster roll-out across multiple platforms
- Independence from app development cycles, i.e., no waiting for updates to roll out to end-users
- Lower integration overhead compared to traditional analytics SDKs
CMCD in its current version v1 is already helping the industry monitor what’s really happening during playback.
Now, with CMCD v2, we’re entering the next stage. And we’re excited to showcase one of the very first live implementations.
Multiple showases
Our live demo offers a choice of streams you can select from. Each one highlights different aspects of CMCD v2 in practice:
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Showcase 1: Live latency analysis (dw.com)Demonstrates CMCD v2 live latency measurement on real-world content. Thanks to Deutsche Welle for partnering with us on this showcase.
- Showcase 2: Media startup delay
A sample stream showing how CMCD v2 reports media startup delay.
- Showcase 3: Player Error Messages
Shows how CMCD v2 surfaces error details, enabling the detection and resolution of playback issues.
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This way, you can experience both: real-world compatibility and dedicated problem scenarios.
Extending dash.js for CMCD v2
For this demo, we built an extension of the open-source dash.js framework to support CMCD v2. The player now sends CMCD v2 data to a third-party endpoint, including the first new metric types introduced.
We’d also like to acknowledge Qualabs, who collaborated around the dash.js CMCD extension. Together with them we will bring the CMCD v2 extension for dash.js into the open-source community.
Integration with EINBLIQ.IO
Our own analytics and automation platform now natively supports CMCD v2 – both:
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- As a direct endpoint receiving client-side metrics
- Through CDN/CMCD log forwarding, just as with CMCD v1
On top of that, we continue to provide our one-line integration adapters. These ensure that services can roll out EINBLIQ.IO platform by platform, even in environments where CMCD (v2) is not yet supported or will not be supported (such as HbbTV 1.x OIPF players).
The result: observability without dependency on app updates, and analytics coverage across heterogeneous device landscapes.
EINBLIQ.IO CMCD v2 demo
Analytics dashboard
Access dashboard to show current sessions in real time, with CMCD v2 metrics visualized.
Live CMCD v2 telemetry
Why This Matters
The step from CMCD v1 to v2 isn’t just incremental, it unlocks richer, more actionable client data without
needing to touch apps or ship new SDKs. For OTT services, this means:
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- Faster adoption across devices
- Independent rollout timelines
- A clear path towards automation-ready quality control
At EINBLIQ.IO, we ensure that CMCD data (whether from v1 or v2) flows seamlessly into our analytics and
automation pipeline, turning raw metrics into real results using our ML-supported pattern detection and
AI-driven invesitation and root-casue analysis.
This is just the beginning: Stay tuned for more real-world showcases as CMCD v2 adoption grows.