RTSP Streaming

Hardware-encode the camera feed on the RK3588 and push it out over RTSP. Supports local USB/MIPI cameras and test sources.

Overall block diagram

Camera (V4L2) → MPP hardware encode (H.264) → RTSP server → network → VLC/ffplay/client

1. Install dependencies

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
  gstreamer1.0-rockchip1 \
  gstreamer1.0-plugins-good \
  gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad \
  gstreamer1.0-rtsp \
  python3-gst-1.0 \
  gir1.2-gst-rtsp-server-1.0 \
  libgstrtspserver-1.0-0 \
  ffmpeg

Verify after installation:

gst-inspect-1.0 mpph264enc 2>&1 | grep -E "Long-name|Version"
# Expected: Rockchip Mpp H264 Encoder / Version 1.14.4

python3 -c "import gi; gi.require_version('GstRtspServer','1.0'); \
  from gi.repository import GstRtspServer; print('OK')"
# Expected: OK

2. Quick test (test source)

2.1 Use the bundled example

The system ships with a complete RTSP streaming example:

cd /home/linaro/rtsp-push
python3 src_camera.py 8554 /live/src

Once the service starts it prints:

[src_camera] ready at rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/live/src

Quick test output:

rtsp push output 1

rtsp push output 2

2.2 Client connection test

Connect from a PC:

# Get the board IP
hostname -I | awk '{print $1}'

# Run on the PC (assuming the board IP is 192.168.49.138)
ffplay -rtsp_transport tcp rtsp://192.168.49.138:8554/live/src

# Or use VLC media player
# Ctrl+N → Network Stream → rtsp://192.168.49.138:8554/live/src

On-board local test:

ffplay -rtsp_transport tcp rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/live/src

3. Camera configuration

3.1 Local camera (USB)

List available cameras:

ls -la /dev/video*

Modify src_camera.py to use a local camera:

# Change videotestsrc to v4l2src
factory.set_launch(
    '( v4l2src device=/dev/video11 io-mode=mmap ! '
    '  video/x-raw,format=NV12,width=1280,height=720,framerate=30/1 ! '
    '  mpph264enc bps=2000000 gop=30 profile=high ! '
    '  h264parse ! rtph264pay name=pay0 pt=96 )'
)

3.2 IP camera

RTSP streams from IP cameras can be ingested directly:

# Start IP-camera RTSP streaming
cd /home/linaro/rtsp-push
python3 src_camera.py 8554 /live/camera "rtsp://admin:password@192.168.49.38:554/Streaming/Channels/101"

View from the PC:

ffplay -rtsp_transport tcp rtsp://192.168.49.138:8554/live/camera

IP-camera streaming output:

rtsp IP camera streaming output

Common IP-camera RTSP URL formats:

# Hikvision
rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.100:554/Streaming/Channels/101  # main stream
rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.100:554/Streaming/Channels/102  # sub stream

# Dahua
rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.100:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0

# Generic formats
rtsp://192.168.1.100:554/live/main
rtsp://192.168.1.100:554/stream1

4. Choosing a test pattern

Change the test pattern:

factory.set_launch(
    '( videotestsrc is-live=true pattern=smpte ! '  # changed to smpte
    '  video/x-raw,format=NV12,width=1280,height=720,framerate=30/1 ! '
    '  mpph264enc bps=2000000 gop=30 profile=high ! '
    '  h264parse ! rtph264pay name=pay0 pt=96 )'
)

5. Encoder parameter tuning

5.1 Common mpph264enc parameters

Parameter	Meaning	Recommended	Notes
`bps`	Bitrate (bps)	2000000~4000000	2-4 Mbps, balances quality and bandwidth
`gop`	I-frame interval	30/60	Smaller values mean lower latency
`profile`	H264 profile	high/main/baseline	high = best quality, baseline = lowest latency
`bps-max`/`bps-min`	Bitrate bounds	0	0 means auto-adjust

5.2 Low-latency configuration

factory.set_launch(
    '( videotestsrc is-live=true pattern=smpte ! '
    '  video/x-raw,format=NV12,width=1280,height=720,framerate=30/1 ! '
    '  mpph264enc bps=2000000 gop=15 profile=baseline ! '  # lower latency
    '  h264parse ! rtph264pay config-interval=1 pt=96 )'
)
factory.set_latency(0)  # minimum latency

6. Complete RTSP service script

Recommended full script, based on real testing:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""RTSP 服务：支持测试源、本地摄像头

使用方法：
python3 src_camera.py [端口] [路径] [输入源]

示例：
python3 src_camera.py                    # 默认测试图案（SMPTE彩条）
python3 src_camera.py 8554 /live/src    # 指定端口和路径
python3 src_camera.py 8554 /cam1 /dev/video11  # 本地摄像头

发布地址：rtsp://0.0.0.0:8554/live/src
"""
import sys
import gi
gi.require_version('Gst', '1.0')
gi.require_version('GstRtspServer', '1.0')
from gi.repository import Gst, GstRtspServer, GLib

Gst.init(None)

# 参数配置
port = int(sys.argv[1]) if len(sys.argv) > 1 else 8554
path = sys.argv[2] if len(sys.argv) > 2 else '/live/src'
input_source = sys.argv[3] if len(sys.argv) > 3 else None

server = GstRtspServer.RTSPServer.new()
server.set_service(str(port))

factory = GstRtspServer.RTSPMediaFactory.new()

if input_source and input_source.startswith('/dev/video'):
    # 本地摄像头模式
    factory.set_launch(
        f'( v4l2src device={input_source} io-mode=mmap ! '
        f'  video/x-raw,format=NV12,width=1280,height=720,framerate=30/1 ! '
        f'  mpph264enc bps=2000000 gop=30 profile=high ! '
        f'  h264parse ! rtph264pay name=pay0 pt=96 )'
    )
    print(f'[本地摄像头模式] 设备: {input_source}')
else:
    # 测试图案模式
    pattern = input_source if input_source else 'smpte'
    factory.set_launch(
        f'( videotestsrc is-live=true pattern={pattern} ! '
        f'  video/x-raw,format=NV12,width=1280,height=720,framerate=30/1 ! '
        f'  mpph264enc bps=2000000 gop=30 profile=high ! '
        f'  h264parse ! rtph264pay name=pay0 pt=96 )'
    )
    print(f'[测试图案模式] 图案: {pattern}')

factory.set_shared(True)
factory.set_latency(0)

server.get_mount_points().add_factory(path, factory)
server.attach(None)

print(f'📹 RTSP 服务启动中...')
print(f'📹 地址: rtsp://0.0.0.0:{port}{path}')
print(f'📹 按Ctrl+C停止服务')
GLib.MainLoop().run()

7. Client connection methods

7.1 ffplay (recommended)

# Play in real time
ffplay -rtsp_transport tcp -fflags nobuffer -flags low_delay \
       rtsp://<board_ip>:8554/live/src

# Inspect stream info
ffprobe -v error -show_streams rtsp://<board_ip>:8554/live/src

7.2 VLC media player

Open VLC media player
Media → Open Network Stream (Ctrl+N)
Enter: rtsp://<board_ip>:8554/live/src
Click play

7.3 GStreamer

gst-launch-1.0 rtspsrc location=rtsp://<board_ip>:8554/live/src \
                latency=0 protocols=tcp ! \
             rtph264depay ! h264parse ! decodebin ! fakesink

7.4 Mobile apps

VLC mobile: supports RTSP playback
iVMS: professional surveillance software
ffplay mobile: mobile version of ffplay

8. Performance parameters

8.1 Resolution and frame-rate configurations

Scenario	Resolution	FPS	Bitrate	Use case
HD surveillance	1920×1080	25/30	4-6Mbps	Main surveillance areas
SD surveillance	1280×720	25/30	2-3Mbps	General surveillance
Low latency	640×480	30/60	1-2Mbps	Real-time-critical
Network-limited	720×576	15/25	512K-1Mbps	Low-bandwidth environment

8.2 Latency optimization

Item	Default	Low-latency	Effect
GOP	30	15/10	Latency reduced by 30-50%
Profile	high	baseline	Better compatibility
Latency	default	0	Eliminates buffering latency
Protocol	TCP	UDP	Lower transport latency

9. Troubleshooting

9.1 Connection problems

Symptom: the PC cannot connect to the RTSP stream

Checks:

# 1. Check service status
ps aux | grep src_camera
netstat -tuln | grep 8554

# 2. Check the board IP
hostname -I

# 3. Test local connectivity
ffprobe rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/live/src

# 4. Test network connectivity
ping <board_ip>
telnet <board_ip> 8554

9.2 Picture-quality problems

Symptom: stuttering, blurring, or corruption in the picture

Solutions:

Adjust the bitrate: bps=3000000
Adjust the GOP: gop=15
Adjust the profile: profile=main
Check network bandwidth

9.3 Encoding problems

Symptom: streaming fails to start

Check dependencies:

gst-inspect-1.0 mpph264enc
gst-inspect-1.0 rtph264pay
gst-inspect-1.0 h264parse

10. Advanced usage

10.1 Multiple streams

Streaming from multiple cameras simultaneously is supported:

# Start multiple service instances
python3 src_camera.py 8554 /cam1 /dev/video11 &
python3 src_camera.py 8555 /cam2 /dev/video12 &

10.2 Recording to storage

Stream and record at the same time:

ffmpeg -rtsp_transport tcp -i rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/live/src \
  -c copy -f segment -segment_time 60 -segment_format mp4 \
  -strftime 1 /tmp/recording_%Y%m%d_%H%M%S.mp4

11. Deployment recommendations

11.1 Production configuration

# 生产环境推荐参数
factory.set_launch(
    '( videotestsrc is-live=true ! '
    '  video/x-raw,format=NV12,width=1920,height=1080,framerate=25/1 ! '
    '  mpph264enc bps=4000000 gop=25 profile=high ! '
    '  h264parse ! rtph264pay config-interval=1 pt=96 )'
)

11.2 System service configuration

Create a systemd service:

# /etc/systemd/system/rtsp-push.service
[Unit]
Description=RTSP Push Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=linaro
WorkingDirectory=/home/linaro/rtsp-push
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 src_camera.py 8554 /live/src
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable rtsp-push
sudo systemctl start rtsp-push

12. Performance benchmarks

Tested on the RK3588 + RK1828 platform:

Resolution	FPS	Encoding	CPU usage	Memory	Bandwidth
1920×1080	30fps	H.264 hardware encode	15-20%	150MB	4-6Mbps
1280×720	30fps	H.264 hardware encode	8-12%	100MB	2-3Mbps
640×480	30fps	H.264 hardware encode	5-8%	80MB	1-2Mbps

RTSP + AI Analysis — RTSP + RKNN inference + detection-box overlay
YOLOv5 Object Detection — YOLOv5s detection example
MPP Overview — multimedia framework
VPU Codec — hardware encode/decode