CMAF (Common Media Application Format) is the standard that lets HLS and DASH share a single set of media segments instead of storing two copies. It defines a fragmented-MP4 segment structure that both protocols can reference, so a service packages audio and video once and points both an HLS playlist and a DASH manifest at the same files — halving storage and CDN cache footprint and simplifying workflows. CMAF also underpins low-latency streaming through its chunked structure, which lets players start playing a segment before it is fully written. For audio engineers it mostly means the same encoded AAC, E-AC-3, or AC-4 tracks serve every player, regardless of which protocol that player speaks.
