accessing Axis IP camera in RTP mode with VLC

[lefebvre]

Hi,
I am trying to get access to my Axis camera using VLC (0.9.9). I have tried two modes, RTSP and RTP.
My cameras port configuration is the following:
- 50020: HTTP
- 50021: RTSP
- 50022-50029: RTP

I am confused with the results!

When using RTSP I get the following:
- I type "rtsp://192.168.1.45:50021/mpeg4/media.amp"
- Video of the camera is displayed
- ports use is the following:
50021 : outgoing
50024 and 50028 : incoming opened by server
50025 and 50029 : two ways opened by client
So RTSP does use UDP? I am getting confused, I thought RTSP was over TCP

When using RTP:
- I do not know what to type in!
- any try with "rtp://192.168.1.45:50021/mpeg4/media.amp" or "udp://192.168.1.45:50021/mpeg4/media.amp", replacing 50021 by 50020, etc., does nothing...
- I get this idea from a post in Axis forum: "http://192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp"
- It does something, but nothing is played!The ports opened are:
50020 : outgoing
50023 and 50027 : two ways opened by server
Console message is:
main debug: starting new item
main debug: processing request item http://192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp node Liste de lecture skip 0
main debug: resyncing on http://192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp
main debug: http://192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp is at 7
main debug: creating new input thread
main debug: Creating an input for 'http://192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp'
main debug: thread started
main debug: waiting for thread initialization
main debug: `http://192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp' gives access `http' demux `' path `192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp'
main debug: creating demux: access='http' demux='' path='192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp'
main debug: thread 5584 (input) created at priority 1 (../../src/input/input.c:370)
qt4 debug: Updating the stream status: 3
main debug: looking for access_demux module: 0 candidates
main warning: no access_demux module matched "http"
main debug: TIMER module_Need() : 0.000 ms - Total 0.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 0.000 ms)
main debug: creating access 'http' path='192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp'
main debug: looking for access module: 2 candidates
access_http debug: http: server='192.168.1.45' port=50020 file='/mpeg4/video.sdp
main debug: net: connecting to 192.168.1.45 port 50020
main debug: connection: Resource temporarily unavailable
main debug: connection succeeded (socket = 6196)
access_http debug: protocol 'HTTP' answer code 206
access_http debug: Connection: close
access_http debug: this frame size=913
access_http debug: Content-Type: application/sdp
access_http debug: stream size=913,pos=0,remaining=913
main debug: using access module "access_http"
main debug: TIMER module_Need() : 25.000 ms - Total 25.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 25.000 ms)
qt4 debug: New Event: type 1103
qt4 debug: Updating the stream status: 2
main debug: Using AStream*Stream
main debug: pre-buffering...
main debug: received first data for our buffer
main debug: creating demux: access='http' demux='' path='192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp'
main debug: looking for demux module: 52 candidates
sap debug: Multiple media ports not supported -> live555
live555 debug: RTP subsession 'video/MP4V-ES'
main debug: selecting program id=0
qt4 debug: New Event: type 1108
live555 debug: RTP subsession 'audio/G726-24'
live555 debug: setup start: 0 stop:0
live555 debug: play start: 0 stop:0
main debug: using demux module "live555"
main debug: TIMER module_Need() : 10.000 ms - Total 10.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 10.000 ms)
main debug: looking for a subtitle file in C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\
main debug: looking for decoder module: 34 candidates
avcodec debug: libavcodec already initialized
avcodec debug: using direct rendering
avcodec debug: ffmpeg codec (MPEG-4 Video) started
main debug: using decoder module "avcodec"
main debug: TIMER module_Need() : 2.000 ms - Total 2.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 2.000 ms)
main debug: thread 6216 (decoder) created at priority 0 (../../src/input/decoder.c:217)
main debug: looking for decoder module: 34 candidates
avcodec debug: libavcodec already initialized
main debug: thread started
avcodec warning: Physical channel configuration not set : guessing
avcodec debug: ffmpeg codec (G.726 ADPCM Audio) started
main debug: using decoder module "avcodec"
main debug: TIMER module_Need() : 1.000 ms - Total 1.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 1.000 ms)
main debug: thread 6072 (decoder) created at priority 2 (../../src/input/decoder.c:217)
main debug: thread started
main debug: `http://192.168.1.45:50020/mpeg4/video.sdp' successfully opened
qt4 debug: New Event: type 1103
qt4 debug: Updating the stream status: 3
main debug: control type=1

For information, when accessing the camera using the Axis Media Control software in Internet Explorer with the so-called Unicast-RTP (UDP), I get the following ports use:
50024 and 50028 : incoming opened by server
50025 and 50029 : two ways opened by server

My questions are then:
1. Does RTSP with VLC use UDP and is it normal?
2. How to play my camera using RTP with VLC?
3. Given this "ports-confusion", do you think there is something wrong with AXis implementation of these protocols that makes it difficult for players to get access to the MPEG4 video stream in UDP?

Thanks in advace for your answers

[LaBay]

Hi,
what is your AXIS camera type?
If it is an "old" camera f/w version 4.xx then in order to access to multicast RTP you have to switch on "always multicast" mode in WEB interface of your camera(System opton - Advanced - Plane config - Network - Always multicast). Access to to multicast RTP: http://IPcam/mpeg4/media.sdp. Russian Howto find here.
For the new AXIS cams this way doesn't work. But RTSP access to H264 and MPEG4 streams works well (VLC 0.9.9).
AFAIK, you can access to AXIS unicast RTP stream only with axrtpu://<ip>/mpeg4/media.amp, but VLC does not support such a protocol. You can do it with AXIS AMC, WMP or VH Multi Camera Studio

[lefebvre]

Thank you for your answer.

The camera I have tried with are Axis 207 and Axis 214PTZ. Firmware is 4.40.
But your answer explains how VLC gets the thing : RTSP works fine.

I have now another problem: when accessing the camera through the Internet in UDP thus, the video is terrible, full of green squares. Indeed, when I have a look at the incoming traffic, it is much lower than the expected traffic (100Kbits set on the camera, less than 50Kbits received).
However, when I try to get access to it using TCP, then the video is fine, and the incoming traffic is also fine (100Kbits), showing I have no bandwidth issue...

Any idea or previous experience with these green screen and lost traffic... I have been wandering in forums and have not found a similar issue.