RTP is published as RFC 1889
approximate date
The Internet Engineering Task Force published the Real-time Transport Protocol as RFC 1889, establishing a common transport framework for real-time audio and video over IP networks.
Historical context
By the mid-1990s, Internet audio and video experiments were multiplying, but products and research systems frequently used incompatible mechanisms. The MBONE multicast research network, Internet telephony experiments and emerging commercial streaming products created increasing pressure for interoperable real-time media standards.
What happened
RFC 1889 defined the Real-time Transport Protocol, or RTP, together with the companion RTCP control protocol. RTP supplied timing, sequence numbering, payload identification and source-identification mechanisms required by applications carrying real-time media. It was designed to work over both unicast and multicast networks and was commonly used over UDP.
Consequences
RTP became one of the foundational protocols of Internet real-time media. Later streaming, conferencing, voice-over-IP and WebRTC-related systems built on the architectural model established by RTP and RTCP. RFC 1889 was eventually replaced by the revised RTP specification RFC 3550.
Related people
Sources
- RFC 1889: RTP: A Transport Protocol for Real-Time ApplicationsRFC Editor
- DDay: Real TimeWorld Wide Web Consortium