Two removal events need separate clocks
A segment can leave the newest live playlist while a reader still holds a previously distributed version. RFC 8216 therefore separates removing its URI from deleting the media resource. A storage cleanup job should not infer immediate deletion permission from the latest manifest alone.
For an invented segment lasting six seconds, suppose the longest distributed playlist containing it covered 36 seconds. The RFC's retention relationship gives 42 seconds after URI removal for this example. This is a protocol example, not a recommended universal retention duration or a measured IPTV Europe window.
Keep the inputs to the decision
Track the segment's actual duration, removal time and the longest relevant playlist duration. An average window duration is insufficient if a larger window was distributed earlier. Use the same clock basis in the cleanup ledger and keep uncertainty explicit when a restart loses state.
Account for the complete delivery design as well. Extra margin for a particular deployment may be sensible, but label it as the operator's policy and explain the constraint. Do not confuse that margin with a different normative minimum invented from a convenient round number.
Review cleanup independently of encoding
A perfectly decodable segment can still fail playback if deleted too early. Inspect object-retention rules, lifecycle jobs and cache behaviour separately from codec settings. Preserve a pair of snapshots showing when the URI was last advertised and when the resource became unavailable.
A completed presentation and the removal of an entire presentation have their own requirements. Check those cases rather than applying a rolling-window calculation everywhere. This article addresses only an owned origin's publication and cleanup design.
Questions answered
Can cleanup delete every file absent from the newest playlist?
No. Earlier distributed playlists can still reference those files.
Is 42 seconds the correct policy for every service?
No. It is the result of the invented durations in this example, not a universal setting.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.