DATASTEAD SOFTWARE

RTSP/RTMP/HTTP/ONVIF Directshow Source Filter SDK

version 8.1.2.1 - December 23, 2021

www.datastead.com
[email protected]

Overview......................................................................................................................................................5
Features...................................................................................................................................................5
Change log...............................................................................................................................................5
Download.................................................................................................................................................6
License.....................................................................................................................................................6
Limitations of the evaluation version........................................................................................................6
Filter install/Uninstall.................................................................................................................................7
A) Invoking the filter from the TVideoGrabber SDK, without installer neither filter registration...............7
B) Installing the filter as a standard DirectShow filter in with the self installer
(DatasteadRTSPFilterInstall.exe) ...........................................................................................................7
* to install the package automatically from the command line:...........................................................7
* to uninstall the package automatically from the command line:......................................................7
* to install the package manually:.......................................................................................................8
* to uninstall the package manually:...................................................................................................8
C) registering the filter manually..............................................................................................................8
Demo projects............................................................................................................................................9
Using the filter through the TVideoGrabber SDK.....................................................................................9
Building the DirectShow graph.................................................................................................................9
Microsoft DirectShow SDK (C++)........................................................................................................9
C# with DirectShow .NET....................................................................................................................9
Youtube URLs...........................................................................................................................................10

ONVIF: RTSP streams..............................................................................................................................11

RTSP stream of the first Onvif media profile (default)...........................................................................11
RTSP stream selected by the index of the Onvif media profile.............................................................11
RTSP stream selected by the name of the Onvif media profile.............................................................11
RTSP, RTMP, HTTP, TCP, UDP, MSSH and other protocols..................................................................11

ONVIF: Getting camera information without starting the live stream................................................11

ONVIF PTZ.................................................................................................................................................13
Overview................................................................................................................................................13

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 1

 Min and max values...............................................................................................................................14
Retrieving the current position...............................................................................................................14
Continuous move...................................................................................................................................14
Absolute move.......................................................................................................................................14
Relative move........................................................................................................................................14
Managing presets...................................................................................................................................14
Manufacturer's specific commands........................................................................................................14
ONVIF: JPEG snapshot............................................................................................................................15

Recording..................................................................................................................................................17

File writer callback...................................................................................................................................17

Backtimed recording (pre-roll recording)..............................................................................................17

Quick start from the TVideoGrabber SDK.............................................................................................19

Preview or an ONVIF camera:...............................................................................................................19
Sending a PTZ "Pan" continuous move command to an ONVIF camera:............................................19
Recording of an ONVIF camera, without preview (saves CPU):...........................................................19
Preview or a RTSP URL:.......................................................................................................................19
Preview + audio rendering:....................................................................................................................20
Preview + MP4 recording (video only):..................................................................................................20
Preview + audio rendering + MP4 audio/video recording:.....................................................................20
Generating a new file name on the fly:..................................................................................................20
Pausing/resuming the recording:...........................................................................................................20
Quick start from GraphEdit.exe..............................................................................................................21

Auto reconnection....................................................................................................................................21
Auto reconnection disabled....................................................................................................................21
Auto reconnection enabled....................................................................................................................21
Retrying the initial connection................................................................................................................22

About RTSP transport, HTTP and latency.............................................................................................22

RTSP TRANSPORT MODE...................................................................................................................22
HTTP URLs in JPEG, MJPEG or MXPEG mode...................................................................................23
LATENCY...............................................................................................................................................24
FILTER CONFIGURATION........................................................................................................................24
A. Configuring the filter programmatically..............................................................................................24
B. Configuring the filter by passing parameters at the end of the URL.................................................24
DirectShow configuration.......................................................................................................................25
Overview................................................................................................................................................25

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 2

 Building and starting the DirectShow graph synchronously (the function blocks until the connection
completes):........................................................................................................................................25
Building and starting the DirectShow graph asynchronously without blocking the main thread:......25
Filter CLSID............................................................................................................................................26
Passing settings to the filter...................................................................................................................27

Filter configuration through IFileSourceFilter......................................................................................28

Filter configuration through IDatasteadRtspSourceConfig.................................................................29

Overview................................................................................................................................................29
Usage.....................................................................................................................................................29
Remarks.................................................................................................................................................30
a) the parameter identifier name reminds the the corresponding Get.../Set... function to invoke.....30
b) string returned by GetStr().............................................................................................................30
Actions that can be applied once the graph is running..........................................................................30
Generating a new recording file on the fly.........................................................................................30
Pausing the URL................................................................................................................................31
Resuming the URL............................................................................................................................31
Examples of processings applied to the video stream........................................................................32
Vertical flipping.......................................................................................................................................32
Horizontal flipping...................................................................................................................................32
Video rotation.........................................................................................................................................32
Hue / saturation......................................................................................................................................32
Negative video.......................................................................................................................................33
Draw a box or a grid...............................................................................................................................33
Unsharp..................................................................................................................................................33
Combining several processings.............................................................................................................34
Re-streaming............................................................................................................................................35
RTMP re-streaming to a media server (e.g. YouTube, Ant Media Server, etc...)..................................35
UDP re-streaming..................................................................................................................................35
RTSP Server..........................................................................................................................................35
Text Overlays............................................................................................................................................37

Brightness / Hue / Saturation..................................................................................................................38

Parameter identifiers................................................................................................................................39

TROUBLESHOOTING...............................................................................................................................54
The video is suttering.........................................................................................................................54
The MP4 recorded file is truncated....................................................................................................54
The RTSP URL fails to connect.........................................................................................................54
The filter fails to connect to the VMR9 (Video Mixing Renderer 9)...................................................54
FAQ............................................................................................................................................................55

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 3

 LICENSING........................................................................................................................................55
Should I buy one license for each one of my clients?.......................................................................55
INSTALL.............................................................................................................................................55
In the DatasteadRTSPSource.zip there are two folders, x64 and x86. Which one should I use
when?
For example,Windows 7 32 bit, Windows 7 64 bit?...........................................................................55
LIMITATIONS OF THE EVALUATION VERSION..............................................................................55
When testing the filter under GraphEdit the graphs stops and reports an error 0x200....................55
Our application creates periodically a new graph and re-load the filter, but after some time we can’t
add the RTSP filter to the graph........................................................................................................56
FILTER USAGE.................................................................................................................................56
When doing a Ctrl+Alt+Del the video stops.......................................................................................56
How to reduce the latency.................................................................................................................56
How can reduce the CPU load?........................................................................................................56
How can I specify the RTSP transport mode?...................................................................................56
Does the filter support UDP TS?.......................................................................................................57
Can I decode only key frames?.........................................................................................................57

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 4

Overview
The Datastead RTSP/RTMP/ONVIF DirectShow Source Filter SDK is able to record and/or decode
ONVIF, RTSP, RTMP, HTTP, HTTPS, UDP, TCP, MMS, RTP streams. It can:
- decompress the audio and video streams to render them,
- record the streams to various video formats,
- capture snapshots,
- re-stream the source to UDP or RTSP.

Features
The filter is able to:
- decode live audio/video sources received through the ONVIF, RTSP, RTSPS, RTMP, HTTP, HTTPS,
UDP, RTP, SDP, MMS/MMSH protocols,
- decode most of the streaming formats, including H264, H264+, H265 (HEVC), H265+,
- decode Youtube URLs
- perform callbacks to return the decompressed bitmaps or the raw video samples,
- record the live audio/video streams to a file (mov, mp4, mkv, avi, mpegts, h264, hevc, mpg, asf,
webm ),
- while recording is running, generate new files on the fly without loosing frames and without
pausing/stopping/restarting the graph.
- connect asynchronously to the URL without blocking the main thread (the filter graph receives a
notification when the connection completes),
- control the PTZ of ONVIF cameras,
- expose the uncompressed pins,
- capture snapshots to a memory bitmap or to a file in BMP, JPG, PNG or TIFF format,
- apply text overlays over the decoded frames,
- adjust the brightness, hue, saturation,
- capture snapshots to a memory bitmap or to a file in BMP, JPG, PNG or TIFF format,
- re-stream the URL to another destination in UDP unicast, UDP multicast or RTSP format
- act as a RTSP server to resteam the URL(s),
- use a DirectShow audio capture device as audio source (instead of the audio stream of the RTSP
source, if any),
- perform backtimed recording (pre-roll recording),
- return the streams and ONVIF information as strings or as XML text

Change log
https://www.datastead.com/rtsp-rtmp-http-onvif-directshow-source-filter-whats-new/

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 5

Download
The evaluation package can be downloaded here:

https://www.datastead.com/downloads/

License
Our license is a er-developer, royalty-free license.
Once the license purchased, the application developed can be distributed on as many PCs as needed,
without having to pay end-user fees.

The license can be purchased from our online store:

https://www.datastead.com/purchase/

Limitations of the evaluation version

The evaluation version of the filter overlays a logo over the video window.

The filter stops running after a variable time, from a few minutes to a few hours (when the filter stops
because of the evaluation it notifies the graph with a EC_ERRORABORT event, Param1 = 0x200)

- after the evaluation timed out occurred, the filter will NOT restart anymore until the application is
restarted.

- if several filters are running concurrently in the same application, when a filter stops upon evaluation
time out the other filters go on running independently independently until they time out by themselves.

- if several filters are used concurrently in the same application, once one filter has timed out, none of
the other filters can restart until the application is restarted.

These limitations are removed in the licensed version.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 6

Filter install/Uninstall

A) Invoking the filter from the TVideoGrabber SDK, without installer neither filter
registration

Although TVideoGrabber can use the filter registered in DirectShow with the B) and C) methods
described below, it can be more convenient to just copy the filter binaries to a folder, so TVideoGrabber
can invoke them without having to run the installer or registering the binaries with regsvr32.exe.

Case 1:
if the application targets only x86 or x64, it is possible to just copy the corresponding filter binaries (.dll
and .ax) into the folder where is located the application's executable (.exe)

Case 2:
if the application targets both x86 and x64 (e.g. C#, VB.NET, etc...), copy the x86 and x64 folders
containing the filter binaries under the folder where is located the application executable (.exe)
(so, under the application folder, we will find two "x86" and "x64" subfolders containing the respective
filter binaries)

Case 3:
it is possible to copy both the "x86" and "x64" folders containing the filter binaries to a any folder, and to
specify this folder to TVideoGrabber with the VideoGrabber.ExtraDLLPath property.
E.g. if the x86 and x64 folders have been copied under "c:\rtspfolder", set:
VideoGrabbber.ExtraDLLPath="c:\rtspfolder"

B) Installing the filter as a standard DirectShow filter in with the self installer
(DatasteadRTSPFilterInstall.exe)
The installer will install and register automatically the x86 filter on a 32bit OS, and both the x86 and x64
filters on a 64 bit OS.

* to install the package automatically from the command line:

The command line to run the installer is:

DatasteadRTSPFilterInstaller.exe /silent
or
DatasteadRTSPFilterInstaller.exe /verysilent

* to uninstall the package automatically from the command line:

The command line to run the uninstaller is:

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 7

"C:\Program Files\Datastead\Rtsp\unins000.exe"

* to install the package manually:

Double-click on DatasteadRTSPFilterInstaller.exe, accept each confirmation dialog.

* to uninstall the package manually:

Control panel → Add/Remove program → uninstall the Datastead RTSP/RTMP/HTTP/ONVIF
DirectShow source filter

C) registering the filter manually

To install the filter manually:
- run vcredist_86.exe and/or vcredist_64.exe
- copy the x86 and/or x64 folders to the target location
- register the DatasteadRtspSource_x86.ax or DatasteadRtspSource_x64.ax file with regsvr32.exe
(the DLLs must be located in the .ax folder)

E.g.:

regsvr32.exe c:\filtersfolder\x86\DatasteadRtspSource_x86.ax
regsvr32.exe c:\filtersfolder\x64\DatasteadRtspSource_x64.ax

To uninstall it, run regsvr32.exe /u, then delete the files. E.g.:

regsvr32.exe /u c:\filtersfolder\x86\DatasteadRtspSource_x86.ax
regsvr32.exe /u c:\filtersfolder\x64\DatasteadRtspSource_x64.ax

If you are using a third-party installer, it should include an option that let COM-register the .ax binaries.

Note 1:

- to run an application compiled for x86 only, register only the x86 filter, it can run on both 32bit and 64bit
OS without problem.

- to run an application compiled for both x86 and x64:

. on a 32bit PC, register only the x86 filter
. on a 64bit PC, register both the x86 and x64 filters

Note 2:

the x86 DLLs must be copied in the folder where is located DatasteadRtspSource_x86.ax folder, the and
x64 DLLs in the folder where is located DatasteadRtspSource_x64.ax.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 8

Demo projects

Using the filter through the TVideoGrabber SDK

The filter is natively supported by our TvideoGrabber SDK, that builds and handles the DirectShow
graphs automatically.
To use the filter from the TvideoGrabber SDK:
- install the filter as explained in the chapter 2.
- download and unzip the TvideoGrabber SDK,
- quick verify the filter installation by running the pre-compiled MainDemo.exe → "IP camera" tab, enter
a RTSP URL and click "start preview", if you see the preview the filter is correctly installed, exit
MainDemo.exe
- locate the MainDemo project corresponding to your development language
- open the MainDemo project and compile it
- run it and go to the "IP Camera" tab, enter the RTSP URL and click "Start preview" to verify all it
working correctly.
The TvideoGrabber sample code to start the preview and MP4 recording of RTSP URLs is explained in
the chapter 4. of this manual.

Building the DirectShow graph

This package includes several demo projects that are provided as sample code and can be reused:

Microsoft DirectShow SDK (C++)

- a simple C++ demo project derived from PlayCap, with synchronous connection

C# with DirectShow .NET

- the package includes C# demo project based on DirectShow.NET and derived from PlayCap, with
asynchonous connection (he filter does not block the main thread while connecting, for more information
see "DirectShow configuration" and "RTSP_OpenURLAsync").

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 9

Youtube URLs

The filter is able to decode Youtube URLs (those containing the the syntax "/watch=?v=")

E.g.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPRjCeoBqrI

For the Youtube decoding the package includes youtube-dl.exe, that is copied to the respective x86 and
x64 folders of the filter by the auto-installer.

If the Youtube decoding is not desired, just do not copy youtube-dl.exe.

By default the auto-installer asks whether it must be installed or not.

This can be selected automatically by invoking:
DatasteadRTSPFilterInstaller.exe /WITH_YOUTUBE
or
DatasteadRTSPFilterInstaller.exe /WITHOUT_YOUTUBE

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 10

ONVIF: RTSP streams

RTSP stream of the first Onvif media profile (default)

onvif://[onvifuser]:[onvifpassword]@[IP address or host name]:[onvif HTTP port]

e.g.:
onvif://user:[email protected]:8080

RTSP stream selected by the index of the Onvif media profile

The index of the media profile must be in the 0..n-1 range.

onvif://[onvifuser]:[onvifpassword]@[IP address or host name]:[onvif HTTP port]/[index of the onvif

profile]

e.g.:
onvif://user:[email protected]:8080/1

RTSP stream selected by the name of the Onvif media profile

This is the name of the media profile as it has been configured in the IP camera settings.

onvif://[onvifuser]:[onvifpassword]@[IP address or host name]:[onvif HTTP port]/[name of the onvif

media profile]
e.g. by supposing the name of the profile is "high quality":
onvif://user:[email protected]:8080/high quality

RTSP, RTMP, HTTP, TCP, UDP, MSSH and other protocols

e.g. rtsp://192.168.1.30/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264&audio=1
or
[protocol]://[user:password]@[IP address or host name]/[URL params]
e.g. rtsp://root:[email protected]/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264&audio=1

ONVIF: Getting camera information without starting the live stream

- create the filter instance

- query the filter interface and invoke (e.g. in C++):

hr = DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_GetONVIFInfo, "rtsp://...");

if (SUCCEEDED (hr)) {
WCHAR *OnvifInfo;
hr = DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.GetStr (RTSP_Action_GetONVIFInfo, &OnvifInfo);
if (SUCCEEDED (hr)) {
MessageBox (0, OnvifInfo, NULL, 0);
}
}

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 11

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 12
ONVIF PTZ

Overview
The filter supports ONVIF through the IDatasteadONVIFPTZ interface, declared in the following files:
C#
Include\C#\DatasteadRTSPSourceFilter.cs
VB.NET
Include\C#\DatasteadRTSPSourceFilter.vb
C++
Include\C++\DatasteadRTSPSourceFilter.h
Delphi
Include\Dephi\DatasteadRTSPSourceFilter.pas

IDatasteadONVIFPTZ exposes the following functions:

GetPosition
SetPosition
StartMove
StopMove
Preset
SendAuxiliaryCommand
GetLimits

The usage of these functions is implemented in the "DatasteadRTSPSource_CSharp_Demo" project

included in the package.

Absolute, relative and continuous Pan / Tilt / Zoom are supported, as well as Presets (predefined
positions).
Note that some camera support only partial OTZ features, e.g. only the continuous move.

All the values of the PTZ functions are expressed as "double" values.

Most of the positionning functions below include a SpeedRatio parameter, the SpeedRatio value is
usually in the 0 .. 1.0 range.
Before invoking any of the functions below, first start the preview of the IP camera by using an onvif://
URLONVIF - Connecting to IP cameras through the ONVIF protocol.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 13

Min and max values
To retrieve the min and max values of each PTZ axis, invoke GetLimits

Retrieving the current position

Invoke GetPosition to get the current pan, tilt, and zoom positions as double values

Continuous move
- to start a continuous invoke StartMove, e.g.:
StartMove ("Pan", true, 0.5, 100)
. the 1st parameter can be "Pan", "Tilt" or "Zoom",
. the 2nd parameter specifies the direction or its opposite,
. the 3rd parameter specifies the speed,
. the 4th parameter specifies the duration of the continuous move. Note that some cameras do not
implement it and go on moving until StopMove is invoked.

- to stop it, invoke StopMove, e.g.:

StopMove ("Pan")

Absolute move
Invoke SetPosition (pan position, tilt position, zoom position, speed, true)

Relative move
Invoke SetPosition (relative pan position, relative tilt position, relative zoom position, speed, false)

Managing presets
To manage a preset, invoke Preset (PresetAction, PresetName)
- PresetAction can be "CREATE", "REMOVE" or "GOTO"
- PresetName can be any name (hovewer some camera support only their own predefined preset
names)

Note: to create a preset, first position the PTZ at the desired location with the positioning functions
above, then invoke Preset ("CREATE", presetname) to create it.
Then, when needed, invoke Preset ("GOTO", presetname) to move the camera to the desired location.

Manufacturer's specific commands

To send a such command, invoke SendAuxiliaryCommand (Command)

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 14

The supported commands are described in the manufacturer's user guide of the IP camera

ONVIF: JPEG snapshot

It is possible to get a JPEG snaphot synchronously or asynchronously, by just adding the filter to the
graph and loading the URL (without running the graph).
The snapshot can be returned as a JPEG file and/or as a pointer to a memory buffer containing the
JPEG image.
Configuration steps to capture a JPEG snapshot of the IP camera 192.168.5.22:
(sample code in the CSharp "DatasteadRTSPSource_ONVIF_Shapshot" demo project)
1. add the filter to the graph
2. set the user name and password
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr(RTSP_Source_AuthUser_str, "username")
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr(RTSP_Source_AuthPassword_str, "password")

3. set a non-default connection timeout if needed, e.g. for 5 seconds:

DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetInt (RTSP_Source_ConnectionTimeOut_int, 5000)

4. if a JPEG file is needed, set also the recording file name:

DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr(RTSP_Source_RecordingFileName_str,"c:\folder\shot.jpg")

A) to capture the snapshot synchronously, invoke:

int hr = DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_GetONVIFSnapshot,
"onvif://192.168.1.22")
if (hr == 0) {
byte *pJPEGBuffer
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig2.GetIntPtr (RTSP_ONVIF_LastJPEGSnapshotBuffer_intptr,
&pJPEGBuffer)
int JpegSize;
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.GetInt (RTSP_ONVIF_LastJPEGSnapshotSize_int, &pJPEGSize)
}

B) to capture the snapshot asynchronously, invoke:

DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_GetONVIFSnapshotAsync, "onvif://192.168.5.22");
The connection and download will run in a separate thread, then IMediaEvent will return one of the
following event:
- upon failure:
EC_RTSPNOTIFY with Param1 = EC_RTSP_PARAM1_ONVIF_SNAPSHOT_FAILED

- upon success:
EC_RTSPNOTIFY with Param1 = EC_RTSP_PARAM1_ONVIF_SNAPSHOT_SUCCEEDED

Upon success, if needed, access the memory JPEG buffer as follows:

byte *pJPEGBuffer
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig2.GetIntPtr (RTSP_ONVIF_LastJPEGSnapshotBuffer_intptr,
&pJPEGBuffer)
int JpegSize;

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 15

 DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.GetInt (RTSP_ONVIF_LastJPEGSnapshotSize_int, &pJPEGSize)

Note: NO NEED TO RUN THE GRAPH FOR THE SNAPSHOT CAPTURE.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 16

Recording

Invoke e.g.:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr(RTSP_Source_RecordingFileName_str,
"c:\folder\filename.mp4")
before opening the URL.
The extension of the file name determines the format of the video clip.

File writer callback

A callback mechanism lets receive the bytes being written to the recording file.

This can be useful:

1. to re-stream the video data being recorded

In this case it is necessary to record to a a streamable video format: .ts file for video or audio/video, or
.h264 for H264 video only),
2. to write file being recorded to a 2nd path at the same time.

The sample code is included in the "OpenURLForm.cs" of the demo project, search for "set to true to
enable the file writer callback".

Backtimed recording (pre-roll recording)

It is possible to specify a number of seconds that must be included at the beginning of the recording,
BEFORE the "start recording" action was invoked.
This is designed to additionally include in the video clip the few seconds of video just before the user
decided to start the recording.

To use this feature the filter must be configured with the recording in a "paused" mode by invoking:
(e.g. for an additional pre-roll duration of 5 seconds)
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr(RTSP_Source_RecordingFileName_str,
"c:\folder\filename.mp4")
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_PauseRecording, "")
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetInt (RTSP_Source_RecordingBacktimedStartSeconds_int, 5)

Then run the graph, so the filter is for now previewing and ready to record.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 17

While the graph is running, when it's time to start the recording, you can invoke:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_ResumeRecording, "")
to start writing to the file previously specified by RTSP_Source_RecordingFileName_str

When the graph is stopped, the clip will contain the duration of the recording more -at the beginning- the
specified number of seconds before RTSP_Action_RecordToNewFileNow was invoked.

Note:
To pause the recording in order to resume later to a different file name, invoke:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_RecordToNewFileNow, "nul.mp4")
(nul.mp4 is a reserved keyword that tells the filter to close the current recording and prepare the next
one)
then to resume the recording to the different file name, invoke:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_RecordToNewFileNow,
"c:\folder\thenewfilename.mp4")

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 18

Quick start from the TVideoGrabber SDK
To use the filter with the Datastead TVideoGrabber SDK just ignore all the other chapters in this
documentation, you just need to install the filter and then use the following TVideoGrabber sample code,
in the examples below for an Axis IP Camera.

Note:
The TvideoGrabber SDK starts by default the RTSP filter asynchronously, so invoking StartPreview() or
StartRecording() returns true if the URL syntax is connect and exits immediately without waiting for the
connection to complete, a notification occurs later when the preview or recording starts by the
OnPreviewStarted or OnRecordingStarted events (a connection that fails is reported by the OnLog
event)

(to make the connection to be sychrone and wait when invoking StartPreview, disable the
VideoGrabber.OpenURLAsync property)

Preview or an ONVIF camera:

VideoGrabber.VideoSource = vs_IPCamera
VideoGrabber.IPCameraURL = "onvif://192.168.0.25"
VideoGrabber.SetAuthentication (at_IPCamera, "onvifuser", "onvifpassword");
VideoGrabber.StartPreview()

Sending a PTZ "Pan" continuous move command to an ONVIF camera:

Assuming the camera is previewing: (sample code above):

VideoGrabber.ONVIFPTZStartMove ("Pan", true, 0.5, 300)

Recording of an ONVIF camera, without preview (saves CPU):

VideoGrabber.VideoSource = vs_IPCamera
VideoGrabber.IPCameraURL = "onvif://192.168.0.25"
VideoGrabber.SetAuthentication (at_IPCamera, "onvifuser", "onvifpassword");
VideoGrabber.VideoRenderer = vr_None;
VideoGrabber.FrameGrabber = fg_Disabled;
VideoGrabber.RecordingMethod = rm_MP4;
VideoGrabber.StartRecording()

Preview or a RTSP URL:

VideoGrabber.VideoSource = vs_IPCamera
VideoGrabber.IPCameraURL = "rtsp://192.168.0.25/axis-media/media.amp?
videocodec=h264"
VideoGrabber.SetAuthentication (at_IPCamera, "root", "admin");
VideoGrabber.StartPreview()

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 19

Preview + audio rendering:
VideoGrabber.VideoSource = vs_IPCamera
VideoGrabber.IPCameraURL = "rtsp://192.168.0.25/axis-media/media.amp?
videocodec=h264&audio=1"
VideoGrabber.SetAuthentication (at_IPCamera, "root", "admin");
VideoGrabber.AudioDeviceRendering = true
VideoGrabber.StartPreview()

Preview + MP4 recording (video only):

VideoGrabber.VideoSource = vs_IPCamera
VideoGrabber.IPCameraURL = "rtsp://192.168.0.25/axis-media/media.amp?
videocodec=h264"
VideoGrabber.SetAuthentication (at_IPCamera, "root", "admin");
VideoGrabber.RecordingMethod = rm_MP4
VideoGrabber.RecordingFileName = "c:\thefolder\thefilename.MP4" (*)
VideoGrabber.StartRecording()

Preview + audio rendering + MP4 audio/video recording:

VideoGrabber.VideoSource = vs_IPCamera
VideoGrabber.IPCameraURL = "rtsp://192.168.0.25/axis-media/media.amp?
videocodec=h264&audio=1"
VideoGrabber.SetAuthentication (at_IPCamera, "root", "admin");
VideoGrabber.AudioDeviceRendering = true
VideoGrabber.RecordingMethod = rm_MP4
VideoGrabber.AudioRecording = true
VideoGrabber.RecordingFileName = "c:\thefolder\thefilename.MP4" (*)
VideoGrabber.StartRecording()

Generating a new file name on the fly:

(we suppose the recording is currently running)

VideoGrabber.RecordToNewFileNow("c:\thefolder\thenewfilename.mp4", true)

To let TvideoGrabber generate the file names automatically pass an empty string as file name.

To pause the recording, pass a "nul" file name with the same extension and without file path, e.g:

VideoGrabber.RecordToNewFileNow("nul.mp4", true)

Pausing/resuming the recording:

(we suppose the recording is currently running)

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 20

To pause the recording, invoke:

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_PauseRecording, "");

To resume the recording, invoke:

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_ResumeRecording, "");

Quick start from GraphEdit.exe

- run GraphEdit -> Graph -> Insert Filters -> DirectShow Filters
- locate "Datastead RTSP/RTMP DirectShow Source" filter, double-click on it to insert it,
- when the popup dialog appears to select a file, press the "Esc" key, or click "Cancel",
- right-click on the filter properties, enter the RTSP URL (followed by the optional parameters, if any, see the "in-URL optional parameters"
chapter below), e.g. to record a .MP4 clip with an Axis camera:

rtsp://root:[email protected]/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264&audio=1>buffer=500>recordingfilename=c:\test.mp4
- wait a few seconds for the filter to connect(*), then render the desired pin(s) and run the graph.

Auto reconnection

When no frames are received after a "device lost" time out, the filters tries to reconnect automatically or
notifies the graph that the device has been lost.

By default the filter tries to reconnect automatically. The auto reconnection can be disabled:
- either by specifying >autoreconnect=0 at the end of the RTSP URL,
- either by invoking
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetBool(RTSP_Source_AutoReconnect_bool, false)
when configuring the filter.

Auto reconnection disabled

When the device lost timeout occurs, an EC_DEVICE_LOST notification event is notified to the filter
graph, that stops.

Auto reconnection enabled

When the device lost timeout occurs:
- an EC_RTSPNOTIFY (EC_RTSP_PARAM1_DEVICELOST_RECONNECTING, 0) notification event is
sent to the filter graph,
- the filter graph is paused,
- the auto reconnection process begins

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 21

When the reconnection completes:
- the filter graph is run again,
- a custom EC_RTSPNOTIFY (EC_RTSP_PARAM1_DEVICELOST_RECONNECTED, 0) notification is
sent to the filter graph.

If the reconnection fails again after the device lost timeout, the reconnection cycle is repeated until it
succeeds or the graph stops.

Retrying the initial connection

If the URL is being opened asynchonously and it is not available, it is possible to specify an indefinite
reconnection (after initial connection timeout occur) with the following setting:
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetInt(RTSP_Source_RetryInitialConnect_int, -1)
(or adding ">retryinitialconnect=-1" at the end of the URL)

It is also possible to specify a retry count (depending on the RTSP_Source_ConnectionTimeOut_int

duration):
E.g. to retry 4 times:

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetInt(RTSP_Source_RetryInitialConnect_int, 4)
will retry 4 times. If the connection timeout is set to 10 seconds, this will try to reconnect during 10x4 =
40 seconds.

About RTSP transport, HTTP and latency

RTSP TRANSPORT MODE

When connecting to RTSP URLs, if the connection fails or take too long, the origin of the problem can be
default transport mode, retry after specifying the tcp, udp or http transport as follows:

- at the end of the RTSP URL

by adding >rtsp_transport=value as follows, e.g.:

tcp:
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=tcp
udp:

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 22

rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=udp
http:
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=http
https:
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=https
multicast:
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=udp_multicast

- or programmatically
by invoking IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetInt (RTSP_Source_RTSPTransport_int, Value).

The possible values are:

0: automatic (default, UDP is tried first)

1: tcp
2: udp
3: http
4: udp_multicast
5: https

HTTP URLs in JPEG, MJPEG or MXPEG mode

If the connection to an HTTP URL in JPEG or MJPEG mode fails, specify the MJPEG mode:

- at the end of the RTSP URL, e.g.:

http://192.168.0.24>srcformat=mjpeg

- or programmatically
by invoking IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_Source_Format_str, "mjpeg").

(If the URL is a MXPEG URL, specify "mxg" instead of "mjepg")

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 23

LATENCY

To minimize the latency, specify a zero buffering:

- at the end of the RTSP URL, e.g.:

rtsp://192.168.0.24>buffer=0

- or programmatically
IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetInt (RTSP_Source_BufferDuration_int, 0);

FILTER CONFIGURATION
The optional Datastead's parameters (see Parameter Identifiers) can be:
- either set programmatically
- either passed at the end of the URL, if possible (so the filter can be configured without writing code)

A. Configuring the filter programmatically

The parameters can be set the classic programmatical way through the IDaConfigtasteadRtspSource
interface exposed by the IBaseFilter interface of the filter. This is described later in this manual.

B. Configuring the filter by passing parameters at the end of the URL

Rather than configuring the filter programmatically, most of the configuration parameter Identifiers can
be passed as extra parameters at the end of the URL, prefixed by a ">" or "!" character.
e.g.:
onvif://user:[email protected]:8080>timeout=3000
onvif://user:[email protected]:8080>buffer=50
onvif://user:[email protected]:8080>buffer=50>timeout=3000
or
rtsp://root:[email protected]/axis-media/media.amp!timeout=3000
rtsp://root:[email protected]/axis-media/media.amp!buffer=50
rtsp://root:[email protected]/axis-media/media.amp!buffer=50!timeout=3000

The settings that can be passed at the end of the URL are listed as "url param" below the name of each
setting in the Parameter Identifiers section.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 24

DirectShow configuration

Overview

Building and starting the DirectShow graph synchronously (the function blocks until the
connection completes):

- create the filter graph instace,

- create the instance with CoCreateInstance,
- add the filter to the graph
- query the filter instance for the IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig interface
- invoke Hresult hr = DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetAction (RTSP_Action_OpenURL, "rtsp://...") to
open the URL
- if hr == S_OK, render the video and/or audio pins and run the graph

If a recording file name has been specified the file writing starts along with the video/audio rendering.

Building and starting the DirectShow graph asynchronously without blocking the main
thread:

sample code in the C# demo project included

A) create an initialization function that starts the connection and exits immediately
- create the filter graph instace,
- create the instance with CoCreateInstance,
- add the filter to the graph
- query the ImediaEventEx and invoke mediaEventEx.SetNotifyWindow (AppHandle) to receive the
graph events
- query the filter instance for the IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig interface
- invoke Hresult hr = DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetAction (RTSP_Action_OpenURLAsync,
"rtsp://...") to open the URL
- the function exits immediately and returns S_OK if the URL syntax is correct
(so at this point the app remains responsive while the filter is connecting in the background)

B)
when the connection completes, the graph event callback occurs with a EC_RTSPNOTIFY (param1,
param2):
param1 returns EC_RTSP_PARAM1_OPENURLASYNC_CONNECTION_RESULT as param1
Param2 returns 0 if the connection failed, and 1 if the connection succeeded
From this event:
- if the connection failed, release the graph
- if the connection succeeded, render the video and/or audio pins and run the graph

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 25

Note: if a recording file name has been specified the filter starts writing to the file as soon as the
connection succeeds.

Filter CLSID

Filter CLSID: {55D1139D-5E0D-4123-9AED-575D7B039569}

C#
public static readonly Guid DatasteadRtspRtmpSource = new Guid ("55D1139D-5E0D-4123-9AED-575D7B039569");

C++:
// {55D1139D-5E0D-4123-9AED-575D7B039569}
static const GUID CLSID_DatasteadRtspRtmpSource =
{ 0x55D1139D, 0x5E0D, 0x4123, { 0x9A, 0xED, 0x57, 0x5D, 0x7B, 0x03, 0x95, 0x69 } };

Delphi:
const
CLSID_DatasteadRtspRtmpSource: TGUID = '{55D1139D-5E0D-4123-9AED-575D7B039569}';

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 26

Passing settings to the filter

Most of the initialization parameters can be passed to the filter in 2 ways:

1. either programmatically through the IdatasteadRtspSourceConfig interface (described later in this

documentation)

2. either as string parameter at the end of the RTSP URL, by adding a ">" character followed by the
parameter identifier, a "=", and the value.

The parameter indentifiers are not case-sensitive.

E.g.:

>buffer=0

>Buffer=0

>lowdelay=1

>Buffer=0>LowDelay=1

Example with a full RTSP URL (in blue) with filter settings added at the end of the RTSP URL (in black):

rtsp://root:[email protected]/axis-media/media.amp?
videocodec=h264>Buffer=0>DestIPAddress=192.168.0.231>DestIPPort=30000>DestBitRate=1500>
DestKeyFrameInterval=15

For readability it is also possible to pass to URL with parameters as a multi-line string, each line being
separated by CR/LF characters, e.g.:

rtsp://root:[email protected]/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264
>Buffer=0
>DestIPAddress=192.168.0.231
>DestIPPort=30000
>DestBitRate=1500
>DestKeyFrameInterval=15

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 27

Filter configuration through IFileSourceFilter

This method is provided for easier testing from GraphEdit or GraphStudio and quick test, however for
the development we recommend to use the IDatasteadRtspSourceConfig interface instead.

To configure the filter through the common IfilterSourceFilter interface and pass the optional parameters,
if any, at the end of the URL:

- add the "Datastead RTSP/RTMP DirectShow Source" filter to the graph,

- query the IFileSourceFilter interface,

- invoke FileSourceFilter.Load to pass the RTSP URL (can be followed by the in-URL optional
parameters, if any), e.g.:
FileSourceFilter.Load ("rtsp://root:[email protected]/axis-media/media.amp?
videocodec=h264&audio=1>rtsp_transport=udp_multicast>recordingfilename=c:\folder\recfile.mp4", NULL);

- render the desired pin(s),

- run the graph.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 28

Filter configuration through IDatasteadRtspSourceConfig

Overview

The IDatasteadRtspSourceConfig interface declarations are located in the package under the following
folders:

C#
Include\C#\DatasteadRTSPSourceFilter.cs
VB.NET
Include\C#\DatasteadRTSPSourceFilter.vb
C++
Include\C++\DatasteadRTSPSourceFilter.h
Delphi
Include\Dephi\DatasteadRTSPSourceFilter.pas

The IDatasteadRtspSourceConfig interface lets configure the filter at initialization time, as well as apply
realtime actions, like pausing the recording, resuming the recording, generating a new file name on the
fly, etc...

The initalization settings:

- can be set by invoking SetStr(), SetInt(), SetBool(), SetDouble()
- can be retrieved by invoking GetStr(), getInt(), GetBool(), GetDouble()

The actions can be applied by invoking Action()

The supported parameter identifiers are listed in the Parameter Identifiers section.

Usage

- add the "Datastead RTSP/RTMP DirectShow Source" filter to the graph,

- query the IDatasteadRtspSourceConfig interface,

- configure the optional parameters, if needed, and then at last invoke .Action(RTSP_Action_OpenURL,
"rtsp://...") to load the URL according to the parameters previously set, e.g.:

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_Source_AuthUser_str, "root");

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_Source_AuthPassword_str, "admin");
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetInt (RTSP_Source_RTSPTransport_int, 4); // 4 =
UDP multicast, see next page
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetBool(RTSP_Source_AutoReconnect_bool, false);
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_Source_RecordingFileName_str,
"c:\\folder\\camerarec.mp4");
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_OpenURL,
"rtsp://192.168.0.25/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264&audio=1");

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 29

Then, once the graph is started, e.g. to pause the recording after a few minutes:

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_PauseRecording, "");

and then later, e.g.:

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_ResumeRecording, "");

Remarks

a) the parameter identifier name reminds the the corresponding Get.../Set... function to
invoke

Note: the type of the parameter is included at the end of the name as a reminder. The function invoked
must match the parameter type, otherwise the function will return E_INVALIDARG. E.g.:
int BufferDuration;
if (DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.GetInt (RTSP_Source_BufferDuration_int,
&BufferDuration) == S_OK) {
// got the BufferDuration value
}

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_Source_AuthUser_str, "admin");

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_Source_AuthPassword_str, "pass");
wchar_t *RtspUrl = L"rtsp://192.168.1.32/axis-media/media.amp?
videocodec=h264";
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_OpenURL, RtspUrl);

b) string returned by GetStr()

Although the string pointer returned by GetStr() is valid as long as the filter exists, we recommend to
make copy of the string returned immediately after invoking GetStr(), to prevent any use of this string
pointer after the filter has been released.

Actions that can be applied once the graph is running

Generating a new recording file on the fly

To generate a new file name during the recording, invoke, e.g.:

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_RecordToNewFileNow,
"c:\folder\newfilename3.mp4");

To pause the recording, pass a "nul" file name with the same extenstion:

DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_RecordToNewFileNow, "nul.mp4");

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 30

Pausing the URL

Invoke:
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_Pause_URL, "");

Resuming the URL

Invoke:
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.Action(RTSP_Action_Resume_URL, "");

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 31

Examples of processings applied to the video stream

The RTSP filter supports some of the video filters available in FFmpeg, if they are compatible.

The FFmpeg filters are listed here.

If a given FFmpeg filter is not supported, the RTSP filter may fail to start.

To activate a given filter, invoke:

IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, filter setting(s))

or pass the filter setting at the end of the RTSP URL as follows, e.g.:

rtsp://192.168.0.24/live.sdp>videofilter=setting(s)

Vertical flipping
IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, "vflip")

Horizontal flipping
IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, "hflip")

Video rotation
Orthogonal:

transpose=dir=clock
transpose=dir=clock_flip
transpose=dir=cclock
transpose=dir=cclock_flip

E.g:

IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, "transpose=dir=cclock_flip")

or as URL parameter:

rtsp://192.168.0.24/live.sdp>videofilter=transpose=dir=clock

Any angle:

E.g. for 45°: rotate=45*PI/180

IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, "rotate=45*PI/180")

Hue / saturation
E.g.:

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 32

hue=h=90:s=1

where h = hue angle in degrees and s = saturation in the -10..10 range

IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, "hue=h=90:s=1")

or as URL parameter:

rtsp://192.168.0.24/live.sdp>videofilter=hue=h=90:s=1

Negative video

negate

E.g.:

IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, "negate")

or as URL parameter:

rtsp://192.168.0.24/live.sdp>videofilter=negate

Draw a box or a grid

E.g.:

drawbox=10:20:200:60:[email protected]

drawgrid=width=100:height=100:thickness=2:[email protected]

IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, "10:20:200:60:[email protected]")

or as URL parameter:
rtsp://192.168.0.24/live.sdp>videofilter=10:20:200:60:[email protected]

Unsharp
E.g.:

unsharp=luma_msize_x=7:luma_msize_y=7:luma_amount=2.5

unsharp=7:7:-2:7:7:-2

IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str,
"unsharp=luma_msize_x=7:luma_msize_y=7:luma_amount=2.5")

or as URL parameter:

rtsp://192.168.0.24/live.sdp>videofilter=unsharp=7:7:-2:7:7:-2

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 33

Combining several processings
After the 1st processing, add " -vf " between each processing, e.g. to combine negate and vflip:

IDatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr (RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str, "negate,vflip")

or as URL parameter:

rtsp://192.168.0.24/live.sdp>videofilter='negate,vflip'

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 34

Re-streaming

The re-streaming can be activated by specifying a destination URL:

- either programmatically:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr ("RTSP_Dest_URL_str", "destinationURL")

- either as "desturl" parameter at the end of the source URL by adding:

>desturl=destinationURL

RTMP re-streaming to a media server (e.g. YouTube, Ant Media Server, etc...)
- e.g. programmatically:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr ("RTSP_Dest_URL_str",
"rtmp://myantmediaserver.com/LiveApp/123456901234569012345690")

- e.g. as parameter at the end of the RTSP URL:

>desturl=rtmp://myantmediaserver.com/LiveApp/123456901234569012345690

UDP re-streaming
Just specify the destination IP (unicast or multicast and port, e.g.:
- e.g. programmtically:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr ("RTSP_Dest_URL_str", "udp://192.168.0.200:5000")

- e.g. by adding at the end of the URL:

>desturl=udp://192.168.0.200:5000

RTSP Server
The filter can act as a RTSP server that re-streams the streams received.

Example:

- the PC that will act as a RTSP "re-streamer", on which the application having RTSP filter instances
running, has the IP 192.168.1.100
- the URL of the IP camera to re-stream is:
rtsp://192.168.1.25/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 35

- we want to re-stream this URL so the RTSP "clients" can connect to this PC to on the port 10000 with
the URL path "live1":
rtsp://192.168.1.100:10000/live1

- e.g. programmatically:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr ("RTSP_Dest_URL_str", "rtspsrv://192.168.1.100:10000/live1")

- e.g. either as parameter at the end of the RTSP URL:

>desturl=rtspsrv://192.168.1.100:10000/live1
rtsp://192.168.1.25/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264>desturl=rtspsrv://192.168.1.100:10000/live1

From the same application it is possible that several RTSP filter instances re-stream several IP cameras
on different RTSP ports, e.g.:
rtsp://192.168.1.25/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264>desturl=rtspsrv://192.168.1.100:10000/live1
rtsp://192.168.1.26/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264>desturl=rtspsrv://192.168.1.100:10000/live2
rtsp://192.168.1.27/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264>desturl=rtspsrv://192.168.1.100:12345/live1
rtsp://192.168.1.28/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264>desturl=rtspsrv://192.168.1.100:12345/live2

The only constraint is that 2 applications (2 different executables) must not re-stream on the same
RTSP port, otherwise the second executable may crash.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 36

Text Overlays

A text overlay is configured by passing a text overlay string containing the text and the overlay settings
(width, height, font, etc...) as follows:
DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureTextOverlay_str, OVERLAYSTRING);

E.g.: DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureTextOverlay_str, "|overlayid=1|

text=Hello World!|fontsize=40|x=20|y=20|fontcolor=white");

- the 1st character of the string is used as separator for all the parameters. In this example it is "|" (ASCII
124), but any other character that is not a letter or number can be used.

- "overlayid" can specify any short string that is used to identify this text overlay. This identified will be
used by the filter to retrieve the overlay when updating it in real time while the filter is running.

- THE OVERLAYS MUST BE SET BEFORE OPENING THE URL. If an overlay must not be displayed
immediately, configure it with an empty string, then invoke the function again
while the filter is running and pass the string to display.

- passing an incorrect string syntax may crash the filter (e.g. wrong color name)

In the example below 2 overlays are defined at startup, and the 2 nd is not displayed (empty string), then
they are updated in real time while the filter is running.

– before running the filter, invoke:

DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureTextOverlay_str, "| overlayid=first |
text=this is the first text displayed at startup | fontsize=40 | x=20 | y=20 | fontcolor=white");
DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureTextOverlay_str, "|
overlayid=second | text= | fontsize=40 | x=60 | y=60 | fontcolor=white");

– then, later, while the filter is running, invoke:

DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureTextOverlay_str, "| overlayid=first |
text=now the 1st text is updated | fontsize=40 | x=20 | y=20 | fontcolor=white");
DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureTextOverlay_str, "|
overlayid=second | text=now the 2nd text appears | fontsize=40 | x=60 | y=60 |
fontcolor=white");

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 37

Brightness / Hue / Saturation
These settings can be enabled as follows, e.g.:

DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureHueBrightSat_str, "|b=1.4|s=1.5|h=180");

The 1st character of the string is used as separator for all the parameters. In this example it is "|" (ASCII
124), but any other character that is not a letter or number can be used.

Brightness (b): in the -10..10 range (default 0)

hue (h): in degrees (default 0)
saturation (s): in the -10..10 range (default 1)

Note that the brightness/hue/saturation setting must be set BEFORE LOADING the URL to be activated.

To prevent it to be applied immediately, set the default value(s) (b=0,h=0,s=1), then update them when
needed while the filter is running, e.g.:

- before loading the URL:

DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureHueBrightSat_str, "|b=0");

- while the filter is running:

DatasteadRTSPConfig.SetStr(RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureHueBrightSat_str, "|b=1.4");

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 38

Parameter identifiers
The parameter identifiers are constant strings declared in the include files.

- the 1st column is the name of the identifier that can be passed as parameter from the
IdatasteadRtspSourceConfig interface
- the 2nd column is the name of the IdatasteadRtspSourceConfig's function that accepts this parameter
- the 3rd column is the name of this parameter. If it exist it can be passed alternatively at the end of the
URL (instead of using IdatasteadRtspSourceConfig)
E.g. rtsp://192.168.0.25/axis-media/media.amp?
videocodec=h264&audio=1>recordingfilename=c:\folder\test.mp4

ACTIONS

RTSP_Action_OpenURL Set the URL and connects the filter synchronously

This function must be invoked while configuring the filter, at last, after setting
all the optional parameters, if needed.
Returns S_OK upon success

RTSP_Action_OpenURLAsync Set the URL and initiates the connection, but returns immediately without
waiting for the connection to complete.
The filter is connecting in the background and will notify when the connection
complete through the ImediaEventEx notification or a callback function (see
below).
Note that invoking OpenURLAsync EXITS IMMEDIATELY without waiting for
the connection to complete. So you must wait for callback before trying to
render the pins, because the pin formats are not available until the filter
connection is completed.

This function must be invoked while configuring the filter, at last, after setting
all the optional parameters, if needed.

The function initiates the connection and returns S_OK if the URL syntax is
correct.

Then, when the filter completes the connection, the application can get
notified in 2 ways:

1) the EC_RTSPNOTIFY (param1, param2) graph event occurs with:

param1 =
EC_RTSP_PARAM1_OPENURLASYNC_CONNECTION_RESULT
param2 = 1 if the connection succeeds, 0 if the connection fails.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 39

 For sample code search for "HandleGraphEvent()" in Form1.cs of the C#
demo project

2) if OpenURLAsyncCompletionCB has been configured with

SetAsyncOpenURLCallback, the callback occurs and the Result parameter
returns S_OK upon success, or an error code upon failure

RTSP_Action_IsURLResponding Tests if the source is live, without starting the URL decoding. return S_OK
upon success.

RTSP_Action_GetONVIFSnapshot captures synchronously a snapshot from an ONVIF URL

RTSP_Action_GetONVIFSnapshotAsync captures asynchronously a snapshot from an ONVIF URL

RTSP_Action_GetONVIFInfo opens the ONVIF URL and get the ONVIF settings, without starting the live
stream.

You can then invoke the GetStr (RTSP_ONVIF_Info...) functions to read the
ONVIF settings.

RTSP_Action_RecordToNewFileNow Close the current file being written and starts writing to a new file specified as
parameter. The new file must have the same extension than the previous
one.

- if no file name is specified as parameter, the current file is closed, reopened

and overwritten.

- to temporarily suspend the recording without sopping the graph, pass a file
name having the same extension and "nul" as name, e.g. if recording in MP4,
pass nul.mp4 as parameter (as is, without file path). The recording remains
suspended until you pass a new valid file name to resume the recording.

Note: this action applies only while the graph is running and recording.
To start a new recording graph:
- first set the recording file name with SetStr
(RTSP_Source_RecordingFileName_str, filename)
- then invoke Action (RTSP_Action_OpenURL, URL) or Action
(RTSP_Action_OpenURLAsync, URL)

RTSP_Action_CancelPendingConnection Cancels a pending URL connection, previously initiated by

RTSP_Action_OpenURLAsync
It can be invoked e.g. when exiting the application, just before clearing the
graph, to ensure any pending connection is cancelled immediately.

RTSP_Action_PauseURL

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 40

 Pauses the video stream

RTSP_Action_ResumeURL Resumes the video stream

RTSP_Action_PauseRecording Pauses the recording of the current file, while the preview keeps running.

RTSP_Action_ResumeRecording Resumes the recording of the current file, if previously paused

RTSP_Action_CaptureFrame Captures a frame as snapshot. The format of the captured frame depends on
the Option parameter:

- file name:
the next frame is captured in the format specified by the extension. The
supported formats are: BMP, TIFF, PNG, JPG
E.g. to capture a JPEG image:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_CaptureFrame,
"c:\folder\nextimage.jpg")

- HBITMAP (keyword):
the next frame is captured to a bitmap handle, and this bitmap handle is
returned by an EC_RTSPNOTIFY
(EC_RTSP_PARAM1_FRAME_CAPTURE_SUCCEEDED, BitmapHandle)
notification event sent to the filter graph.
E.g.:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.Action (RTSP_Action_CaptureFrame,
"HBITMAP")

note: do not delete the bitmap handle, it may be reused for the next capture
and will be released by the filter

RTSP_Action_UpdateDuration Reserved

SOURCE URL
RTSP_Source_FastConnect_bool Enables the fast connection mode.
url param: fastconnect 0: disabled
1: enabled
default: 0
May increase the memory consumption is increased.

RTSP_Source_RecordingFileName_str Sets the recording file name. Setting this property enables the recording of
url param: recordingfilename the RTSP stream to a file. The extension determines the format of the

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 41

 recording.

The formats supported by the current version are:

mp4, flv, mov, avi, mkv

Examples:
c:\folder\recfile.mp4
c:\folder\recfile.flv
c:\folder\recfile.mov
c:\folder\recfile.avi
c:\folder\recfile.mkv

To configure the filter in recording mode without starting immediately the

recording, set a nul file name without path with the desired extension, e.g.:
nul.mp4
Then, once the filter is running, when you want to really start the recording,
just invoke:
Action (RTSP_Action_RecordToNewFileNow, c:\folder\realfilename.mp4)
to start writing to the file.

Remarks:
- the filter does not include an H264 encoder, it just saves the native H264
samples to the recording file.

- if the audio recording is enabled, it encodes the audio stream to PCM, MP3
or AAC depending on the recording format selected.
- if the recording file name is set while the filter is running, this closes the
current file being recorded and starts saving to a new file on the fly.

RTSP_Source_RecordingBacktimedStartS see the "Backtimed Recording" chapter of the manual

econds_int
url param: backtimedstart

RTSP_Source_Recording_Title_str Sets a title for the video clip (for containers that support this feature, like
url param: title MP4)

RTSP_Source_PlayableWhileRecording_in 0: the clip is not playable while recording (default)

t 1: the clip is playable while recording if the container supports this possibility
url param: playablewhilerecording (like MP4 or ASF)
2 : idem, different mode

RTSP_Source_ContinuousRecording_bool When enabled, the recording does not stop when the graph is stopped /
url param: continuousrecording restarted.The recording stops only when the graph is destroyed(default:
disabled)

RTSP_Source_MaxAnalyzeDuration_int Maximum duration of the anaysis of the stream during the initial connection,
url param: maxanalyzeduration expressed in milliseconds, e.g. ">maxanalyzeduration = 1000"

Enables the fast connection mode. This mode ignore the audio streams

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 42

RTSP_Source_FastConnect_bool included in the source stream, if any.
url param: fastconnect
In this mode the frame rate detection may be inaccurate, so it is
recommended to specify also exact frame rate of the URL source with
RTSP_Source_FrameRate_double

E.g.:
>fastconnect=1>srcframerate=30

Defaut: disabled

RTSP_Source_AutoReconnect_bool Enables/disables the automatic reconnection of the filter.

url param: autoreconnect Default: enabled

RTSP_Source_RetryInitialConnect_int When connecting asynchro and the URL is not available, the filter retries to
url param: retryinitialconnect connect to the URL.
0: disabled (default)
-1: retries indefinitely
1..n: retries the specified number of times.

The duration of each retry depends on the

RTSP_Source_ConnectionTimeOut_int parameter expressed in milliseconds.

RTSP_Source_CopyTimestamps_bool When enabled, the timestamps of the source are copied "as is":
url param: copyts - from the input stream to the outputs pin (when decoding)
- from the input stream to the output stream of the file being recorded (when
recording)

Note: in this mode it is not possible to record to a new file "on the fly" without
stopping/restarting the filter.

RTSP_Source_NoTranscoding_bool Records the audio stream "as is", instead of recompressing it to AAC.
url param: notranscoding Default: false

RTSP_Source_DeviceLostTimeOut_int If no frame is received after this timeout (expressed in milliseconds, default =

url param: devicelosttimeout 10000) the auto reconnection (if autoreonnect=1) or device lost event (if
autoreconnect=0) occurs (see the Auto reconnection chapter). Default: 10
sec. (10000)

RTSP_Source_BufferDuration_int Specifies the buffering duration in milliseconds. Default: 0 if no audio, 1000

url param: buffer milliseconds if audio

RTSP_Source_SampleDeliveryMode_int Reserved
url param: sampledeliverymode

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 43

RTSP_Source_TimestampDelayMs_int Adds (or remove if negative) the specified latency to the sample timestamps
url param: timestampdelayms of the output pins

RTSP_Source_ConnectionTimeOut_int Connection timeout in milliseconds

url param: timeout Default: 20000 (20 seconds)

RTSP_Source_RTSPTransport_int RTSP transport mode:

url param: rtsptransport 0 : automatic
1 : tcp
2 : udp
3 : http
4 : udp_multicast
5 : https

RTSP_Source_RTSPRange_str Optional Rtsp range specification (e.g. to start playing a clip stored on the
url param: rtsprange RTSP source at the specified date/time). E.g.:
">rtsprange=clock=20150217T153000Z-"

RTSP_Source_UDP_LocalAddr_str Local IP address of a network interface used for sending packets or joining
url param: localaddr multicast groups.

RTSP_Source_UDP_LocalPort_int Overrides the local UDP port to bind with.

url param: localport

RTSP_Source_HTTPProxy_str Specifies the http proxy to use, if needed, for the http/https URLs
url param: httpproxy Syntax without authentication: http://IP:port
Syntax with authentication: http://user:passwd@IP:port
E.g. as url parameter:
>httpproxy=http://proxyuser:[email protected]:9000

RTSP_Source_MpegTS_Program_str in a MPEG-TS stream with several programs, specifies the name of the
url param: program program to use (by default the 1st program found is used)

RTSP_Source_Format_str Used to specify the input format for some HTTP URLs if the filter does not
url param: srcformat detect them properly.
The possible values are:
"mjpeg": IP camera, HTTP in JPG or MJPEG mode
"mxg": IP camera, HTTP in MXPEG mode
"jpeg:WidthxHeight": specifies the image dimensions when the RTSP stream
is a MJPEG stream and the size is not properly detected by the filter

RTSP_Source_FrameRate_double Used to specify the native frame rate of the video stream in the case it would
url param: srcframerate not be properly detected (this has been reported with some video streams

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 44

 configured in Variable Bit Rate mode (VBR))

RTSP_Source_Playback_Speed_Ratio_dou For the URLs having a fixed duration, specify the playback speed.
ble
url param: playspeedratio E.g. to play the clip at half speed:
>playspeedratio=0.5

RTSP_Source_Axis_IrCutFilter_str sets or retrieve the state of the IR Cut Filter of Axis cameras.
The supported values are: "enabled" / "disabled" / "auto"

RTSP_Source_AverageTimePerFrame100n Retrieves the average time per video frame, expressed in 100ns units
s_int

RTSP_Source_DurationMs_int Retrieves the duration of the clip or URL, if any (if the source is not a live
source), expressed in milliseconds

RTSP_Source_Duration100ns_int64 Retrieves the duration of the clip or URL, if any (if the source is not a live
source), expressed in 100 ns units

RTSP_Source_AuthUser_str authentication user name, if required

RTSP_Source_AuthPassword_str authentication password, if required

RTSP_Source_StreamInfo_str Retrieves information about the streams as XML text

RTSP_Source_StreamInfo_as_XML_str Retrieves information about the streams

Note: this is a "displayable" multi-line string, each line is separated CR/LF
characters.

RTSP_Source_Metadata_str Retrives the metadata as a string made of values separated by cr/lf

characters

RTSP_Source_StartTime_int If the source URL supports seeking, you can specify the start time expressed
url param: starttime in milliseconds.
E.g. if the start time should be 2 min 30 sec -> 2x60 + 30 = 150 seconds =
150000 milliseconds, invoke SetInt ("Source_StartTime_int", 150000)

RTSP_Source_Threads_int Number of threads assigned to the decoding (and eventually encoding) of the
url param: threads source.
Default: 1

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 45

 0: auto

RTSP_Source_ThreadPriority_int sets the priority of the decoding threads:

url param: threadpriority 0: THREAD_PRIORITY_NORMAL (default)
1: THREAD_PRIORITY_ABOVE_NORMAL
2: THREAD_PRIORITY_HIGHEST
3: THREAD_PRIORITY_TIME_CRITICAL

RTSP_Source_IsURLConnected_bool Returns true if the URL is connected.

It returns false if:
- the URL is not yet connected
- the URL is reconnecting when AutoReconnect is enabled

RTSP_Source_GetAudioDevices_str Retrieves the list of the DirectShow audio capture devices (microphone, line
input, webcam mic., etc...) currently available on the PC.
It is returned as a "displayable" string that contains the devices separated by
a "\n" (line feed or chr(10) character), e.g.:
Microphone (Realtek High Definition Audio)\nMicrophone (HD Webcam
C525\nDecklink Audio Capture

RTSP_Source_SetAudioDevice_str Sets the name of the audio capture device to use. The name must be one of
the names returned by GetStr (RTSP_Source_GetAudioDevices_str,...)
Setting this property invalidates the audio of the RTSP source or IP camera
(if any), and selects the use of the specified audio capture device instead.

RTSP_Source_GetURL_str retrives the current URL

RTSP_Source_GetState_int returns the current source state. Possible values include:

state_disconnected, state_connecting_async, state_connecting_sync,
state_reconnecting, state_connected, state_previewing,
state_recording_paused, state_recording_active

ONVIF RELATED requires to be connected with an onvif://... URL syntax

RTSP_ONVIF_LastJPEGSnapshotBuffer_in returns a pointer to the memory buffer containing the last ONVIF JPEG
tptr snapshot

RTSP_ONVIF_LastJPEGSnapshotSize_int returns the size of the memory buffer containing the last ONVIF JPEG
snapshot

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_As_XML_str returns all the ONVIF information (below) as XML text

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 46

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_Manufacturer_str retrieves the name of the manufacturer of the IP camera or DVR (requires to
be connected with an onvif://... URL syntax)

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_Model_str retrieves the model of the IP camera or DVR (requires to be connected with
an onvif://... URL syntax)

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_HardwareId_str retrieves the hardware identifier of the IP camera or DVR (requires to be

connected with an onvif://... URL syntax)

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_SerialNumber_str retrieves the serial number of the IP camera or DVR (requires to be

connected with an onvif://... URL syntax)

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_FirmwareVersion_str retrieves the firmware version of the IP camera or DVR (requires to be

connected with an onvif://... URL syntax)

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_PTZInfo_str retrieves the PTZ information model of the IP camera or DVR, as a string of
values separated by cr/lf characters (requires to be connected with an
onvif://... URL syntax)

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_PTZLimits_str retrieves the min/max values of Pan, Tilt or Zoom of the IP camera, as a
string of values separated by cr/lf characters (requires to be connected with
an onvif://... URL syntax)

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_PTZPresets_str retrieves the list of the presets of the IP camera, as a string of values
separated by cr/lf characters (requires to be connected with an onvif://... URL
syntax)

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_MacAddress_str retrieves the MAC address of the network interface of the camera

RTSP_ONVIF_Info_AuxiliaryCommands_st retrieves the list of the auxiliary commands available for this camera, as a
r string made of words separated by "\r\n" characters

VIDEO ENCODING If specified, reencodes with a different video codec than the
native codec of the video source - Requires more CPU

RTSP_VideoEncoder_Codec_str Specifies a video codec, to record in a different format, video size or bitrate
url param: vcodec (instead of the native codec format), e.g. "h264"

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 47

RTSP_VideoEncoder_BitRateKbps_int Specifies the bitrate expressed in Kbps, if the a video codec has been
url param: vbitrate specified for the recording (see RTSP_VideoEncoder_Codec_str)

RTSP_VideoEncoder_Quality_int If specified and greater than 0, enables the VBR mode and specifies a quality
url param: vquality value that depends on the codec (e.g. try values in the 1..100 range)

RTSP_VideoEncoder_GopSize_int Specifies the key frame spacing (e.g. a Gop of 30 at 30fps creates a key
url param: vgopsize frame every 30 frames).

RTSP_VideoEncoder_Profile_str Specifies a profile name for the encoder (e.g. "baseline" for H264)
url param: vprofile

RTSP_VideoEncoder_Cabac_bool Enables the cabac mode for the encoder (context-adaptative coding)
url param: vcabac

RTSP_VideoEncoder_Width_int Specifies the video width for the encoder

url param: vwidth

RTSP_VideoEncoder_Height_int Specifies the video height for the encoder

url param: vheight

AUDIO ENCODING

RTSP_AudioEncoder_Codec_str Specifies a codec name for the audio encoding, e.g. "aac", "mp3", ...
url param: acodec

RTSP_AudioEncoder_BitRateKbps_int Specifies a bitrate in Kpbs for the audio encoding

url param: abitrate

RTSP_AudioEncoder_SampleRate_int Specifies a sample rate for the audio encoding (e.g. 44100, 22050, etc...)
url param: asamplerate

VIDEO OUTPUT PIN

RTSP_VideoStream_Enabled_bool Enables/disables the video decompression and the rendering of the video
url param: videostreamenabled pin. Default: true

RTSP_VideoStream_Synchronized_bool If disabled, the filter removes the sample times, so the samples are rendered
url param: vidsync as fast as possible (the samples are not scheduled for rendering). Default:
true

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 48

RTSP_VideoStream_Recorded_bool If the recording is enabled (by setting Source_RecordingFileName_str) and
url param: videostreamrecorded the RTSP URL outputs audio and video, allows record audio only by
disabling the recording of the video stream. Default: true

RTSP_VideoStream_Decode_KeyFrames_ If set to true, only I-Frames are decoded. Can be enabled/disabled on the fly
Only_bool without stopping/restarting the graph. Saves decoding CPU by previewing at
url param: keyframesonly 1 fps or so, depending on the GOP size (key frame spacing). Default: false

Can be enabled through the URL by adding at the end of the URL:
>maxframerate=-1

RTSP_VideoStream_Index_int If the RTSP URL outputs more than 1 video stream, you can specify the
url param: videostreamindex index of the video stream to use (in the 0..n-1 range). Default: 0

RTSP_VideoStream_MpegTS_pid_str in a MPEG-TS stream with several video streams, specifies the PID of the
url param: vpid video stream to use (by default the 1st video stream found is used)

RTSP_VideoStream_PinFormat_str By default the video pin can connect in RGB32 or RGB24 format.
url param: videopinformat This property allows to force one of the following pin formats(not case-
sensitive) RGB32, RGB24, RGB565, RGB555, NV12, UYVY, I420

RTSP_VideoStream_Width_int Used to specify a non-default frame width for the video pin
url param: width note: when the URL is connected, GetInt(RTSP_VideoStream_Width_int,
Value) returns the video width of the decoded video stream

RTSP_VideoStream_Height_int Used to specify a non-default frame height for the video pin
url param: height note: when the URL is connected, GetInt(RTSP_VideoStream_Height_int,
Value) returns the video height of the decoded video stream

RTSP_VideoStream_AspectRatio_double Specifies how the aspect ratio of the video output pin is handled:
url param: aspectratio 0.0 -> applies the aspect ratio of the stream format, if specified
1.0 -> use the width and height of the native video frame, "as is"
other values -> applies the aspect ratio specified

RTSP_VideoStream_TopDown_bool Makes the image of the video output pin "top down"

RTSP_VideoStream_MaxFrameRate_doubl Used to specify the frame rate of the video pin. If this parameter is not
e specified the output frame rate is the native frame rate of the video stream
url param: maxframerate Note: passing -1 as value let enable the keyframe-only decoding mode, only
the key frames are decoded. In this case the frame rate depend on the key
frame spacing of the IP camera or RTSP / RTMP source.

RTSP_VideoStream_Filter_str Specifies a Ffmpeg video filter to use, e.g.hflip for an horizontal flipping, vflip
url param: videofilter for a top - down image
Note : depending on the context, some filters may not be useable

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 49

RTSP_VideoStream_HWAcceleration_int Enables the GPU-accelerated decoding:
url param: hwaccel 0: software decoding
1: dxva2 acceleration
2: Intel GPU (QuickSync) // lowest memory consumption
3: NVidia GPU (CUVID)
4: AMD AMF
5: auto (whatever available: QuickSync, NVidia or AMD)

RTSP_VideoStream_Deinterlacing_int Enables the deinterlacing:

url param: deint 0: no deinterlacing (default)
1: yadif deinterlacing
2: w3fdif deinterlacing (consumes more CPU)

RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureTextOverlay Enables a text overlay

_str To enable more than one overlay, invoke the function more than one time
url param: textoverlay with a different overlay ID.
Note: the overlay(s) must be enabled before loading the URL. If they must
not be displayed immediately, set an empty string, then update it while the
filter is running.
The syntax is explained in the Text Overlay chapter of the PDF manual

RTSP_VideoStream_ConfigureHueBrightS Enables the brightness/hue/saturation adjustment.

at_str Note: must be enabled before loading the URL. If they must not be applied
url param: brighthuesat immediately, set the default values (b=0,h=0,s=1), then update them while
the filter is running.
The syntax is explained in the Brightness/Hue/Saturation chapter of the PDF
manual

RTSP_VideoStream_DelayMs_int Adds the specified latency (in milliseconds) to the video stream, relatively to
url param: videodelay the audio stream. Designed to have "manual" control over the audio/video
sync.

AUDIO OUTPUT PIN

RTSP_AudioStream_Enabled_bool Enables/disables the audio decompression and the rendering of the audio
url param: audiostreamenabled pin. Default: true

RTSP_AudioStream_Recorded_bool If the recording is enabled (by setting Source_RecordingFileName_str) and

url param: audiostreamrecorded the RTSP URL outputs audio and video, allows record video only by
disabling the recording of the audio stream. Default: true

RTSP_AudioStream_Index_int If the RTSP URL outputs more than 1 audio stream, you can specify the
url param: audiostreamindex index of the audio stream to use (in the 0..n-1 range). Default: 0

RTSP_AudioStream_SamplesPerSec_int Specifies the number of audio samples per second of the output pin.
url param: audiosamplespersec Values supported: 8000, 11025, 22050, 32000, 44100, 48000

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 50

 Default: 44100

RTSP_AudioStream_MpegTS_pid_str in a MPEG-TS stream with several audio streams, specifies the PID of the
url param: apid audio stream to use (by default the 1st audio stream found is used)

RTSP_AudioStream_Filter_str Specifies a Ffmpeg audio filter to use. Note: depending on the context, some
url param: audiofilter filters may not be useable

RTSP_AudioStream_Volume_int specifies a non-default audio volume, in the 0..65535 range (0 = muted)

url param: audiovolume

RTSP_AudioStream_DelayMs_int Adds the specified latency (in milliseconds) to the audio stream, relatively to
url param: audiodelay the video stream. Designed to have "manual" control over the audio/video
sync.

FRAME CAPTURE

RTSP_FrameCapture_Width_int Specifies a non-default width for the next captured frame (by default the
url param: framecapturewidth native width of the video frame is used)

RTSP_FrameCapture_Height_int Specifies a non-default height for the next captured frame (by default the
url param: framecaptureheight native height of the video frame is used)

RTSP_FrameCapture_Time_int Schedules the sream time the next frame will be captured, expressed in
url param: framecapturetime milliseconds

RTSP_FrameCapture_FileName_str Specifies the full path and file name of the next frame to capture.
url param: framecapturefilename The extension specifies the format, the supported formats are: BMP, JPG,
PNG, TIFF, e.g. "c:\folder\nextframe.png"

RTSP_CurrentRecording_FileSizeKb_int Returns the file size progress (in Kb) of the current recording

RTSP_CurrentRecording_ClipDurationMs_i Returns the duration In milliseconds of the current recording

nt

RTSP_CurrentRecording_VideoFrameCoun Returns the video frame count of the current recording

t_int

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 51

RTSP_CurrentRecording_FileName_str Returns the file name of the current recording

RTSP_LastRecorded_FileSizeKb_int Returns the file size in Kb of the last file recorded

RTSP_LastRecorded_ClipDurationMs_int Returns the duration In milliseconds of the last file recorded

RTSP_LastRecorded_VideoFrameCount_in Returns the video frame count of the last file recorded
t

RTSP_LastRecorded_FileName_str Returns the name of the last file recorded

RE-STREAMING destination URL, encoding format of the destination URL

RTSP_Dest_URL_str Sets the re-streaming URL.

url param: desturl
Examples (at the end of the RTSP URL)

RTSP server on port 6000 (the IP address is the address of a network card
on the PC running the filter)
>desturl=rtspsrv://192.168.0.25:6000

UDP unicast on port 5000 (the IP address is the IP address of the client PC
>desturl=udp://192.168.0.200:5000

UDP multicast on port 4000

>desturl=udp://239.255.0.10:4000

Programmatical example:
DatasteadRTSPSourceConfig.SetStr ("RTSP_Dest_URL_str",
"rtspsrv://192.168.0.25:6000")

RTSP_Dest_Video_BitRate_int Sets the re-streaming video bit rate expressed in kb/s

url param: destvideobitrate

RTSP_Dest_Video_Quality_int Sets the re-streaming video quality in the 0..31 range

url param: destvideoquality (-1 = disabled, 0 = best quality, other values decrease the quality)
Note: setting a value enables the VBR encoding mode

RTSP_Dest_Video_KeyFrameInterval_int

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 52

url param: destvideokeyframeinterval Sets the key frame spacing (default 30)

MISC.

RTSP_Recording_MP4TagTimeUTC_bool - if enabled, the tag time of the MP4 file is set as UTC to be Quicktime-
url param: mp4tagutc compliant
- if disabled, the tag time of the MP4 file is aet as local time, to be EXIF-
compliant
default: disabled

RTSP_Filter_Version_int Retuns the filter version number

RTSP_Filter_Version_str Retuns the filter version as string

RTSP_Filter_Build_int Retuns the filter build number

RTSP_Filter_LicenseKey_str Sets the license key

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 53

TROUBLESHOOTING

The video is suttering

Retry after disabling the "low delay" setting:
- either as parameter at the end of the RTSP URL:
>lowdelay=0
E.g.:
rtsp://192.168.100.20/cam0_0>lowdelay=0>vidsync=0>audiostreamenabled=0
- or programmatically before loading the URL by invoking:
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetInt ("RTSP_Source_LowDelay_int", 0)

The MP4 recorded file is truncated

The evaluation timeout occurred, in evaluation mode the recording stops by itself after a few minutes.

The RTSP URL fails to connect

Try to force a non-default transport mode by adding one of the following settings at the end of the RTSP
URL:
>rtsp_transport=udp
>rtsp_transport=tcp
>rtsp_transport=http
>rtsp_transport=https
>rtsp_transport=udp_multicast
E.g.:
rtsp://192.168.0.25/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264>rtsp_transport=udp
Or programmatically: TCP=1, UDP=2, HTTP=3, Udp_Multicast=4, HTTPS=5
E.g. for HTTP:
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetInt ("RTSP_Source_RTSPTransport_int", 3)

The filter fails to connect to the VMR9 (Video Mixing Renderer 9)

Retry after adding:
>videopinformat=NV12
at the end of the URL, or configure the filter as follows:
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetStr ("RTSP_VideoStream_PinFormat_str", "nv12");

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 54

FAQ

LICENSING

Should I buy one license for each one of my clients?

No, it's a per-developer, royalty-free license. After purchasing the developer license you can distribute
the filter along with your end-user application on as many PCs as needed, without having to pay
anything else.

INSTALL

In the DatasteadRTSPSource.zip there are two folders, x64 and x86. Which one should I
use when?
For example,Windows 7 32 bit, Windows 7 64 bit?
Note:; if the filter is used through our TvideoGrabber SDK, you can just copy the filter binaries (.dll
and .ax) in your .EXE's application folder, in this case it is not necessary to register the filter or run the
filter installer.

The simpler is to run the DatasteadRTSPFilter_Installer.exe from the command line, it installs
automatically the x86 version on 32 bit PCs, and both the x86 and x64 versions on 64 bits PC.
You can install silently from the command line with:
DatasteadRTSPFilter_Licensed_Installer.exe /silent
or
DatasteadRTSPFilter_Licensed_Installer.exe /verysilent

The important point is to determine how the app is compiled: only as x86, or both x86 and x64:
1) if the app is compiled only as x86, or if you set "x86" as target platform in VS.NET, you just need to
distribute the x86 filter, it will run without problem on both 32bit and 64bit OS.
2) if the app is compiled for both x86 and x64, or if "Any" is set as target platform in VS.NET, install:
- the x86 filter only on 32 bit PCs
- the x86 filter AND x64 filter only on 64 bit PCs

LIMITATIONS OF THE EVALUATION VERSION

When testing the filter under GraphEdit the graphs stops and reports an error 0x200
The timeout of the evaluation filter has occurred and has stopped the graph .This is a normal behavior of
the evaluation version. This limitation is removed with the licensed version.

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 55

Our application creates periodically a new graph and re-load the filter, but after some time
we can’t add the RTSP filter to the graph.
This is a limitation of the evaluation version of the filter. Once one of the filters used in the application
has reached his evaluation timeout, no other new instance of the filter can be instantiated until the
application is restarted.

FILTER USAGE

When doing a Ctrl+Alt+Del the video stops

This is a problem of the standard DirectShow renderers.
Render instead the video pin to our Datastead Video Renderer (CLSID C7CC1A23-8B8A-4BFD-A96C-
B5E735E055BA), that in included in the filter package, this video renderer is compatible with the lock
screen

How to reduce the latency

Retry with one or more of the following settings at the end of the RTSP URL:
>buffer=0
>lowdelay=1
>vidsync=0

E.g.:

rtsp://192.168.0.25/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264>buffer=0>lowdelay=1
Note: with vidsync=0 the video samples are rendered as soon as received
Programmatically, the involved settings are:
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetInt (RTSP_Source_BufferDuration_int, 0)
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetInt (RTSP_Source_LowDelay_int, 1)
DatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetBool (RTSP_Source_VidSync_Bool, 0)

How can reduce the CPU load?

If the video display frame rate is not critical, it is possible to decode only the H264 key-frames to
minimize the CPU consumption.
To enable the keyframe-only decoding, pass maxframerate=-1 as parameter, e.g.:

rtsp://239.192.1.1:59001>maxframerate=-1

How can I specify the RTSP transport mode?

The tranport mode can be specified in 2 ways:
A) At the end of the RTSP URL by adding >rtsp_transport=value as follows, e.g.:
tcp :
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=tcp

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 56

udp :
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=udp
http :
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=http
https :
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=https
multicast :
rtsp://admin:[email protected]>rtsp_transport=udp_multicast

B) programmatically by invoking:
IDatasteadRtspSourceConfig.SetInt (RTSP_Source_RTSPTransport_int, Value).

The possible values are:

0: automatic (default, UDP is tried first)
1: tcp
2: udp
3: http
4: udp_multicast
5: https

Does the filter support UDP TS?

Yes, the UDP URL and port, unicast and multicast are supported, e.g.:
udp://239.255.0.10:10124

Can I decode only key frames?

Yes, to decode only H264 key-frames, pass maxframerate=-1 as parameter, e.g.:
rtsp://239.192.1.1:59001>maxframerate=-1

Copyright ©2019 Datastead. All rights reserved 57