• How to re-stream video from an IP camera (RTSP/RTP re-streaming)

    Published on 10-02-2010 12:39 PM      Number of Views: 129495  
    126 Comments Comments
    This tutorial provides the basic steps for re-streaming an IP camera that supports H.264 video and AAC or MP3 audio through Wowza Media Server®. Use this tutorial to set up an application named live to stream live content to Adobe® Flash® Player, Microsoft® Silverlight® player, Apple® iOS devices, and RTSP/RTP-based players.

    Contents


    Tutorial


    Troubleshooting


    Related Articles


    Tutorial


    Configuration


    This section provides the basic steps for setting up an application for live streaming and configuring Application.xml.

    1. Create application folder [install-dir]/applications/live.

    2. Create configuration folder [install-dir]/conf/live and copy [install-dir]/conf/Application.xml to this new folder.

    3. Edit the newly copied Application.xml file and make the following changes (some of these settings may already be present):

      Note: Right-click HERE to download a pre-configured version of Application.xml.

      1. Set the Streams/StreamType property to:
        Code:
        <StreamType>live</StreamType>
      2. Set the HTTPStreamers property to:
        Code:
        <HTTPStreamers>cupertinostreaming,smoothstreaming,sanjosestreaming</HTTPStreamers>
      3. Set the Streams/LiveStreamPacketizers property to:
        Code:
        <LiveStreamPacketizers>cupertinostreamingpacketizer,smoothstreamingpacketizer,sanjosestreamingpacketizer</LiveStreamPacketizers>
      4. Set the RTP/Authentication/PlayMethod property to:
        Code:
        <PlayMethod>none</PlayMethod>
      5. If you are using a Wowza Media Server version earlier than 3.0.4, add the following property to the MediaCaster/Properties container (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
        Code:
        <Property>
    <Name>forceInterleaved</Name>
    <Value>true</Value>
    <Type>Boolean</Type>
</Property>
        Starting with Wowza Media Server 3.0.4, the forceInterleaved property isn't needed as the built-in default configuration comes with the settings below. This will work for most cameras.

        Note: If your camera doesn't support RTSP/RTP interleaved (RTP over TCP), then you must change the RTPTransportMode value from interleave to udp:
        Code:
        <MediaCaster>
     <RTP>
          <RTSP>
               <!-- udp, interleave -->
     		<RTPTransportMode>interleave</RTPTransportMode>
          </RTSP>
     </RTP>
     <!-- Properties defined here will override any properties defined in conf/MediaCasters.xml for any MediaCasters loaded by this application -->
     <Properties>
     </Properties>
</MediaCaster>

    Publishing the stream


    This section provides the basic steps for creating a .stream file to publish your live stream to Wowza Media Server.

    1. Use a text editor to create the file [install-dir]/content/camera.stream and set the contents of this file to the full RTSP/RTP URL of the camera. The file must have a .stream filename extension. For this tutorial, the file used is camera.stream.

      Note: SoleraTec has a reference of IP cameras and RTSP URLs.

    2. Using a text editor, edit the [install-dir]/conf/admin.password file and add a username and password that will be used to start and stop the publishing of the camera (below is an example of the file with the username myuser and password mypassword):
      Code:
      # Admin password file (format [username][space][password])
# username password
myuser mypassword
    3. Start Wowza Media Server.

    4. Use Stream Manager to start the stream:

      1. Enter the following URL in a web browser:
        URL: http://[wowza-ip-address]:8086/streammanager

      2. In the Security dialog box, enter your admin username and password from above.

      3. In the Stream Manager webpage, click the [start-receiving-stream] link just below the live application folder.

      4. In the Start Receiving Stream dialog box, select the following MediaCaster Type option: rtp

      5. In the Stream Name field, enter camera.stream.

      6. Click OK.


    Playback


    Note: In the following examples, [wowza-ip-address] is the IP address or domain name of the server running Wowza Media Server.

    Adobe Flash Player (RTMP)


    In Wowza Media Server 3.5, double-click [install-dir]/examples/LiveVideoStreaming/FlashRTMPPlayer/player.html, enter the information below, and then click the Connect button.

    Server: rtmp://[wowza-ip-address]/live
    Stream: camera.stream

    To play the stream from a remote computer, copy the FlashRTMPPlayer folder to a web server, and then connect to: http://<webserver>/FlashRTMPPlayer/player.html.

    Note: In Wowza Media Server 3.1.2 and earlier, double-click [install-dir]/examples/LiveVideoStreaming/client/live.html, enter the information below, and then click the Play button.

    Server: rtmp://[wowza-ip-address]/live
    Stream: camera.stream

    To play the stream from a remote computer, copy the client folder to a web server, and then connect to: http://<webserver>/client/live.html.

    Note: If your application will only stream to Flash RTMP clients, see Flash RTMP clients only.

    Adobe Flash Player (San Jose/Adobe HDS)


    In Wowza Media Server 3.5, double-click [install-dir]/examples/LiveVideoStreaming/FlashHTTPPlayer/player.html, enter the information below, and then click the Connect button.

    Stream: http://[wowza-ip-address]:1935/live/camera.stream/manifest.f4m

    To play the stream from a remote computer, copy the FlashHTTPPlayer folder to a web server, and then connect to: http://<webserver>/FlashHTTPPlayer/player.html.

    Note: In Wowza Media Server 3.1.2 and earlier, double-click [install-dir]/examples/LiveVideoStreaming/clientOSMF/bin-release/LiveOSMFPlayer.html, enter the information below, and then click the Play button.

    Stream: http://[wowza-ip-address]:1935/live/camera.stream/manifest.f4m

    To play the stream from a remote computer, copy the clientOSMF/bin-release folder to a web server, and then connect to: http://<webserver>/bin-release/LiveOSMFPlayer.html.

    Note: The stream can only be played from an OSMF-based Flash player that's embedded in a webpage.

    Apple iOS device (Cupertino/Apple HLS)


    Enter the following URL into the Safari® web browser on the device:

    URL: http://[wowza-ip-address]:1935/live/camera.stream/playlist.m3u8

    Note: The Apple iPhone® 3GS (and older) and iPod touch® devices require that video be encoded using H.264 format (Baseline profile level 3 or lower) and AAC or MP3 stereo audio. iPhone 3GS and newer devices support Baseline profile. For encoding guidance for playback on Apple iOS devices, see How to find Apple iOS device supported profile and level information.

    Note: This stream can also be played using the Safari web browser or QuickTime 10.x on a computer running Mac OS® X Snow Leopard version 10.6 and later.

    Microsoft Silverlight (Smooth Streaming)


    In Wowza Media Server 3.5, double-click [install-dir]/examples/LiveVideoStreaming/SilverlightPlayer/player.html, enter the information below, and then click the Connect button.

    Stream: http://[wowza-ip-address]:1935/live/camera.stream/Manifest

    To play the stream from a remote computer, copy the SilverlightPlayer folder to a web server, and then connect to: http://<webserver>/SilverlightPlayer/player.html.

    Note: In Wowza Media Server 3.1.2 and earlier, double-click [install-dir]/examples/LiveVideoStreaming/clientSilverlight/Default.html, enter the information below, and then click the Play button.

    Stream: http://[wowza-ip-address]:1935/live/camera.stream/Manifest

    To play the stream from a remote computer, copy the clientSilverlight folder to a web server, and then connect to: http://<webserver>/clientSilverlight/Default.html

    Note: The Silverlight player requires that both audio and video be present for playback. For live streaming only, the key frame frequency (which can be set directly in some encoders or is gop/fps) must be between 1 and 4 seconds (2 seconds is recommended). Anything greater than 4 seconds may cause playback to freeze.

    RTSP/RTP player


    Enter the following URL into the RTSP/RTP player:

    URL: rtsp://[wowza-ip-address]:1935/live/camera.stream

    Flash RTMP clients only


    (Optional) If your application will only stream to Flash RTMP clients, in [install-dir]/conf/live/Application.xml, you can set the Streams/StreamType property to:
    Code:
    <StreamType>rtp-live</StreamType>
    If you do this, then you won't need to use StreamManager (see Publishing the stream). The first Flash client that plays the stream will trigger Wowza Media Server to start re-streaming.

    Also, in [install-dir]/conf/live/Application.xml, make sure that the Streams/LiveStreamPacketizers property is empty:
    Code:
    <LiveStreamPacketizers></LiveStreamPacketizers>

    Troubleshooting


    Check your IP camera source using VLC


    It's best to first make sure that your camera can send H.264, AAC, or MP3 content. You can do this using the VideoLAN VLC player:

    1. Open the VLC player.
    2. Select menu item Media > Open Network Stream, enter your camera's RTSP URL, and then click Play.
    3. After the stream starts playing, select menu item Tools > Codec Information and make sure that one or two of the following
      codecs are listed:
      • H.264 or AVC1 or MPEG4 Part10
      • AAC
      • MP3

    Note: If your camera doesn't support the proper formats, then the stream must be transcoded before it's sent to Wowza Media Server. See How to use VLC as a live stream encoder with Wowza Media Server (MPEG-TS) for an example using VLC.

    RTSP/RTP


    • RTSP/RTP streaming is used to stream to Android™ and BlackBerry® mobile devices. Newer Android-based phones also support Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and later, along with RTMP and Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming (Adobe HDS).
    • To stream to RTSP/RTP, be sure that UDP ports 0-65535 are open and properly mapped to the server running Wowza Media Server.
    • It's very important to carefully follow the instructions provided in How to troubleshoot RTSP/RTP playback to properly configure Wowza Media Server for RTSP/RTP streaming.


    Additional property configuration needed for some cameras


    • When streaming out using RTSP/RTP, you can force the output to MPEG-TS (which is required by many set-top boxes) by adding the following properties to the RTP/Properties container in [install-dir]/conf/[application]/Application.xml (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
      Code:
      <Property>
    <Name>forceMPEGTSOut</Name>
    <Value>true</Value>
    <Type>Boolean</Type>
</Property>
<Property>
    <Name>rtpWrapMPEGTS</Name>
    <Value>true</Value>
    <Type>Boolean</Type>
</Property>
    • Some IP cameras may fail when Wowza Media Server tries to periodically validate the RTSP/RTP connection. The camera will disconnect and then reconnect every 15-30 seconds. You can turn off RTSP/RTP validation by adding the following property to the MediaCaster/Properties container in [install-dir]/conf/[application]/Application.xml (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
      Code:
      <Property>
    <Name>rtspValidationFrequency</Name>
    <Value>0</Value>
    <Type>Integer</Type>
</Property>
    • Some IP cameras send additional application tracks that Wowza Media Server can't understand. You can filter out these tracks by adding the following property to the MediaCaster/Properties container in [install-dir]/conf/[application]/Application.xml (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
      Code:
      <Property>
    <Name>rtspFilterUnknownTracks</Name>
    <Value>true</Value>
    <Type>Boolean</Type>
</Property>


    How to turn on/off audio and video tracks


    Note: For use with Wowza Media Server 3.0.5 and later.

    You can turn off audio or video tracks by adding the following properties to the MediaCaster/Properties container in [install-dir]/conf/[application]/Application.xml (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
    Code:
    <Property>
	<Name>rtspStreamAudioTrack</Name>
	<Value>false</Value>
	<Type>Boolean</Type>
</Property>
<Property>
	<Name>rtspStreamVideoTrack</Name>
	<Value>false</Value>
	<Type>Boolean</Type>
</Property>
    To turn on audio or video tracks, set the above property values to true.

    How to add additional logging for RTSP debugging


    You can log extra debug information to the log file about the RTSP handshake between Wowza Media Server and the IP camera (RTSP/RTP source) by adding the following property to the MediaCaster/Properties container in [install-dir]/conf/[application]/Application.xml (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
    Code:
    <Property>
    <Name>debugRTSPSession</Name>
    <Value>true</Value>
    <Type>Boolean</Type>
</Property>

    Common problems with .stream files


    Many text editors will append a .txt filename extension to the camera.stream filename. This will result in an error message similar to the following:

    SDP file missing: c:/program files/wowzamediasystems/wowzamediaserver[version]/content/camera.stream

    To fix this, go to the [install-dir]/content folder and remove the .txt filename extension from the file.

    Property to change AAC packetization method


    Wowza Media Server can output AAC audio using the mpeg4-generic and mp4a-latm (3gpp) packetization methods. The default packetization method is mpeg4-generic. To switch to mp4a-latm (3gpp), add the following property to the RTP/Properties container in [install-dir]/[application]/Application.xml (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
    Code:
    <Property>
    <Name>audioPacketizerAAC</Name>
    <Value>com.wowza.wms.rtp.packetizer.RTPPacketizerMPEG4LATM</Value>
</Property>

    Flash playback


    Some IP cameras send proprietary data as part of the H.264 stream that may cause playback problems (pauses or glitches during playback) in Flash. You can filter out these extensions by adding the following property to the Streams/Properties container in [install-dir]/conf/[application]/Application.xml (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
    Code:
    <Property>
    <Name>nalUnitFilter</Name>
    <Value>13</Value>
    <Type>Integer</Type>
</Property>

    Problematic SDP files


    Many IP cameras incorrectly publish the H.264 profile-level-id value in the Session Description Protocol (SDP) message. This can cause the video to be either blank or corrupted. You can configure Wowza Media Server to ignore the profile-level-id value in the SDP data and instead derive this value from the sprop-parameter-sets value by adding the following property to the RTP/Properties container in [install-dir]/conf/[application]/Application.xml (be sure to get the correct <Properties> container, there are several in the Application.xml file):
    Code:
    <Property>
    <Name>rtpIgnoreProfileLevelId</Name>
    <Value>true</Value>
    <Type>Boolean</Type>
</Property>

    Updated: For Wowza Media Server 3.5.0 on 11-08-2012
    1. Categories:
    2. Adobe Flash,
    3. Apple iOS,
    4. IP Camera,
    5. Live,
    6. Microsoft Silverlight,
    7. Mobile,
    8. RTSP/RTP,
    9. Set-top Box
    Comments 126 Comments
    1. notreg - 11-16-2010, 02:26 AM
      Why I can't use rtp-live application for other out then rtmp?
    1. rrlanham - 11-16-2010, 04:29 AM
      StreamType "rtp-live" is for live rtsp/rtp streaming.

      Richard
    1. charlie - 11-16-2010, 05:05 AM
      The other streaming protocols (smooth streaming and Apple HTTP Live streaming) require packetization that requires a stream to be constantly running. The auto-startup nature of rtp-live does not make this possible.

      Charlie
    1. notreg - 11-26-2010, 12:28 AM
      What for forceInterleaved is true?
    1. charlie - 11-26-2010, 05:36 AM
      It does not matter. forceInterleaved controls RTSP/RTP interleaving.

      Charlie
    1. wormszer - 12-29-2010, 03:05 PM
      Does this preserve the original H264 encoding made by the RTP/RTSP source. Say an IP camera? And is just packaging it into a new container format?

      Thanks
    1. charlie - 12-29-2010, 03:15 PM
      We do not touch the encoding. We simply repackage.

      Charlie
    1. AndrewT - 02-17-2011, 10:05 AM
      how to start restreaming automatically, just after wowza started, w/o stream manager?
    1. rrlanham - 02-17-2011, 10:19 AM
      Use /conf/StartUpStreams.xml

      http://www.wowzamedia.com/forums/con...tupStreams.xml)

      Richard
    1. studioweb - 03-10-2011, 02:13 AM
      Hi,

      I was wondering if Wowza (and therefore the media server) is accepting incoming IP-camera feed when nobody is watching at that moment? So, can we expect 86400 seconds of data-streaming per camera each day?
    1. rrlanham - 03-10-2011, 05:37 AM
      It is if you start streams with StreamManager or StartupStreams.xml.

      You can avoid that if you only have Flash RTMP clients, you can use StreamType "rtp-live", then you do not have to use StreamManager or StartUpStreams to start the stream. The first Flash RTMP client that plays the stream will start it and it will stop 60 seconds after the last one stops.

      Richard
    1. qdlzheng - 05-09-2011, 10:29 AM
      Hey, Charlie or Richard:

      I have an IPCam that supports rtsp behind my home router. I wonder if Wowza supports a way to allow me push the stream from ipcam to wowza server (remotely in a datacenter). That way, I don't need to open the ports on my router.

      Thanks!
    1. rrlanham - 05-09-2011, 05:51 PM
      You have to pull from IP camera. There is no way around that.

      Richard
    1. digitalfin - 05-25-2011, 09:51 PM
      We're having a problem with an IP camera. The stream can be instantly viewed in both VLC and QuickTime but the Wowza player (using the example "live" application) doesn't show any video. No error comes up either. The xml file is set up exactly as per documentation. Any suggestions? We added the below RTP property too but no luck:

      <Name>rtpIgnoreProfileLevelId</Name>
      <Value>true</Value>
      <Type>Boolean</Type>
    1. rrlanham - 05-26-2011, 12:58 PM
      Follow this guide:

      http://www.wowzamedia.com/forums/con...P-re-streaming)

      And remove that Property. It is possible that is useful, but not likely. Remove for now.

      Richard
    1. lisa_w - 06-20-2011, 04:28 PM
      Added note with required parameters for playback with Microsoft Silverlight (Smooth Streaming). -Lisa
    1. Xantos - 07-03-2011, 12:12 PM
      Using an Axis M1114-camera and testing the Wowza-software.

      The rtsp-stream works ok, so does the iPhone stream. The only thing i can't get to work is the rtmp stream i'm trying to use in the JWPlayer. The JWPlayer screens stays black after pressing the play-button. Only twice i got it to work but that seems an exception. Can someone tell me what could be wrong?

      I'm using the latest developer Wowza-software on a v-server. Because of low memory on this server is set the "setenv.sh" to JAVA_OPTS="-Xmx500M".

      Rick
    1. charlie - 07-04-2011, 06:29 AM
      I would get it working first with our example player ([install-dir]/examples/LiveVideoStreaming/client).The JW Player instructions are here:

      http://www.wowzamedia.com/forums/con...h-Wowza-Server

      Charlie
    1. sysadminguy - 07-04-2011, 08:47 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by digitalfin View Post
      We're having a problem with an IP camera. The stream can be instantly viewed in both VLC and QuickTime but the Wowza player (using the example "live" application) doesn't show any video. No error comes up either. The xml file is set up exactly as per documentation. Any suggestions? We added the below RTP property too but no luck:

      <Name>rtpIgnoreProfileLevelId</Name>
      <Value>true</Value>
      <Type>Boolean</Type>
      I'm having what sounds like the exact same problem. The stream appears to be running successfully but viewing it with the example player or flowplayer shows a blank stream and no errors both in player or in the logs. Using WowzaMediaServer version 2.2.4 build27452 on Ubuntu Linux server 10.04. The camera is a Cisco 4500 series video surveillance IP camera. Using rtsp H.264. I've followed the instructions in this guide (http://www.wowzamedia.com/forums/con...P-re-streaming) and configured it for "live" StreamType.

      Any help would be appreciated.

      --Kevin
    1. randall - 07-04-2011, 02:36 PM
      Try playing it in VLC and checking that the codecs are supported by Wowza. Go to Tools->Codec Information.

      Some users have reported problems regarding proper keyframes. Let's try to figure this out.
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