Playback Engineer

Job Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain playback services and client player integrations powering Sony Pictures' streaming applications
• Build and enhance playback functionality using Shaka Player, Media3 Player (ExoPlayer), Video.js, hls.js and other open source video players across web, mobile, and connected TV platforms
• Improve startup time, buffering performance, bitrate adaptation, and playback reliability
• Optimize playback pipelines for HLS and DASH streaming, including DRM, adaptive bitrate (ABR), and CDN interaction
• Analyze playback telemetry and QoE metrics to identify performance bottlenecks and drive improvements at scale
• Conduct deep technical investigations into playback failures, device compatibility issues, and streaming edge cases
• Implement advanced features such as:
  • Low latency streaming
  • DRM integrations (Widevine, PlayReady, FairPlay)
  • Ad insertion (SSAI / CSAI)
  • Offline playback
• Collaborate with device partners and platform teams to resolve platform-specific playback issues across browsers, mobile OS, and smart TVs
• Contribute to technical strategy and best practices for streaming media playback
• Implement playback monitoring, telemetry, and analytics instrumentation to measure and improve video QoE
• Develop tools and dashboards to monitor playback health and diagnose issues in production environments

Job Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience in video streaming, media playback, or related areas
• Strong experience with video player frameworks, including at least one of: Shaka Player, Media3 Player, Video.js, hls.js
• Deep understanding of adaptive streaming protocols: HLS, MPEG-DASH, CMAF
• Familiarity with DRM technologies including Widevine, PlayReady, or FairPlay
• Strong proficiency in JavaScript / TypeScript and at least one backend or systems language (e.g., Java, Kotlin, Go, or C++)
• Experience analyzing video QoE metrics (startup time, rebuffering, bitrate adaptation, playback errors)
• Experience debugging cross-platform playback issues across browsers and devices

Preferred Qualification

• Experience building or contributing to player SDKs or playback frameworks
• Familiarity with Media3 Player (ExoPlayer) internals and Android media pipeline
• Experience with ad-supported streaming and FAST channel delivery
• Experience working with CDNs, edge delivery, and media packaging pipelines
• Understanding of modern codecs
• Experience contributing to or working with open source player ecosystems