RTSPRTP

RTSPRTP refers to the common pairing of the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) for control signaling with the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) for media transport in streaming applications. It is not a single protocol, but a combination in which RTSP manages session control and RTP carries the actual audio and video data.

In typical operation, a client retrieves a description of the available media using RTSP DESCRIBE, which returns an SDP document detailing the streams. The client then issues RTSP SETUP for each media track to establish transport, choosing between UDP-based RTP transport on negotiated ports or interleaved RTP/RTCP over the RTSP TCP connection. After successful setup, the client issues PLAY to start delivery; PAUSE and TEARDOWN control playback and session termination.

RTP is responsible for the delivery of media fragments with timestamps and payload formats described in SDP, while RTCP provides quality feedback and control information. Media can be transported over separate UDP ports or, in RTSP over TCP mode, over the same connection as RTSP using interleaved channels.

Standards and security: RTSP is defined in RFC 7826 (and its predecessor RFC 2326), RTP and RTCP in RFC 3550. Security can be provided by RTSP over TLS (RTSPS) for signaling and by SRTP for encrypted media transport, though encryption support depends on implementation.

Applications and considerations: RTSPRTP is widely used in IP cameras, media servers, and live streaming systems. It can face NAT and firewall traversal issues, and UDP-based transport may require network configuration to ensure low latency and reliability.