[Live-devel] long delay when connecting via proxy

[Ross Finlayson]

> The setup:
> 
> Hikvision and Vivitek IP cameras, feeding RTSP streams; proxied by live555ProxyServer; viewed with VLC.

Make sure you’re using an up-to-date version of VLC.


> When I connect directly the the cameras, the video comes up almost immediately (<1s). When I connect via the proxy, it takes between 15-30s before the video comes up, depending on the resolution of the proxied stream. Changing the I-frame rate on the cameras does not seem to affect this startup time.
> 
> (1) Is this normal? 

No.


> (2) If not, how do I go about debugging the problem? Any hints on what might be wrong? 

Unfortunately not.  (Increasing the I-frame rate is what I would have suggested.)

The first thing I’d try is using “openRTSP” <http://www.live555.com/openRTSP/> as a client (instead of VLC).  Try recording the stream, both directly from the camera, and via the proxy server.  In each case, rename the saved video file to have a “.h264” filename suffix, and try playing it with VLC.

Also, please run the proxy server with the -V option, and send us the diagnostic output, so we can see if there’s anything unusual in the RTSP “DESCRIBE” response from the camera.


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