Streaming Media over network cameras?

Question

So I have the pleasure of learning how to stream media content from RTSP (Or RTP) cameras.

I know the basics of the streaming but as for the software / hardware required, I'm a bit over my head.

The server would be Linux (ubuntu or cent, doesn't matter)

Few simple questions: 1. What software would you use to connect to the camera (over a network) and retrieve the stream. 2. Once the stream is fetched, what would you use to broadcast the stream, and to multiple client types. Our customer is adamant about it being streamed to the iPhone (or equivalent iOS devices). 3. I know that the iPhone supports HTTP Live Streaming but does it support anything else?

The software used can be either open source or paid, Just looking for the solution.

We've also juggled the idea of using a QTSS server on a Xserv from Apple.

Thoughts are incredibly and 100% welcomed and appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

To the best of my knowledge with RTP... you still require some sort of signaling protocol to initiate the stream. With VoIP... there's SIP... which negotiates the RTP stream for the audio... etc...

I'm not 100% sure... but there should be something else to initiate the stream.

Answer 2

A couple of suggestions:

1. You can try Zoneminder for a video camera server with a streaming web interface.
2. VLC Player can play RTSP streams as well. This would be the easiest way to go in my opinion. I saw something about VLC likely getting pulled from Apple's App Store though since they won't support a GPL license.