STREAMARCHIVERU
History of streaming
Events found: 5
October 9, 1996

Netscape and Progressive Networks submit the first RTSP Internet-Draft

Netscape and Progressive Networks proposed the Real Time Streaming Protocol, or RTSP, as a standardized control protocol for networked real-time media.

Historical context

RTP provided a standardized way to transport real-time media packets, but streaming systems still needed a common method to control media servers. Commercial products were developing incompatible approaches just as streaming was moving rapidly into browsers and corporate networks.

What happened

The initial RTSP Internet-Draft, submitted by Anup Rao of Netscape and Rob Lanphier of Progressive Networks, described a protocol for controlling real-time media sources. Its functions included starting, stopping and pausing playback, random access within media and negotiating delivery mechanisms. The 1996 document was an Internet-Draft rather than an approved Internet standard.

Consequences

The proposal began the standards process that eventually produced RTSP as RFC 2326 in 1998. RTSP became a major control protocol for streaming servers, surveillance systems, media players and other real-time audio/video applications.

Related people

ARAnup RaoRTSP Internet-Draft co-author at NetscapeRLRob LanphierRTSP Internet-Draft co-author at Progressive Networks

Sources

  1. Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) — draft-rao-rtsp-00Internet Engineering Task Force
  2. RTMW '96World Wide Web Consortium