[Live-devel] patch for Amino STB - JMACX

[Ross Finlayson]

Thanks for the note.

However, I won't be adding these changes to the supplied "LIVE555 Streaming Media" code, unless I am contacted *directly* by 'Amino Corporation' (not just by some intermediary), explaining why they continue to violate established Internet standards, and why (in spite of this) I should continue to spend time modifying our code to conform to their hacked, standards-ignorant hardware.

In particular:
- There should be no reason for servers to return their custom "a=X-duration:" header, when the standard "a=range:" header does the same job.
- There is a standard way for a server to convey the stream's 'normal play time' to the client - namely, via RTP timestamps, combined with RTCP "SR" packets, and the RTSP "RTP-Info:" header.  But wait - Amino had earlier decided not to use RTP/RTCP at all, but instead to transmit their streams via raw-UDP.  So, they are now 'reaping what they have sown', because - without RTP/RTCP - their new, nonstandard "GET_PARAMETER position:" hack is the only way for them to get the stream's NPT from the server.  (I also note that - without RTP/RTCP - they have no way to handle network packet reordering (whereas this comes for free with RTP).)

I would be thrilled if 'Amino' were to upgrade their products to be more standards-compliant (and I would be happy to help them do so, should they desire).

Failing this, however, I recommend that, instead of using 'Amino' set-top box clients, people use other, more standards-compliant products instead.

(Note that if anyone does choose to make these (or any other) modifications to the LIVE55 code, then they are bound by the terms of the LGPL; see <http://www.live555.com/liveMedia/faq.html#copyright-and-license>.)


Ross Finlayson
Live Networks, Inc.
http://www.live555.com/

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