[vlc] Re: vlc streaming howto?

Thu Dec 30 01:44:24 CET 2004

Awesome, thanks!

In the scenario below, "PC2" will actually be a linux server. So I can have 
vlc running permanently listening to a particular port, that it should work? 
I guess I need some sort of daemon or periodic check to re-launch vlc in 
case it drops out for some reason.

Ricardo

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Moriarty" <mfmbusiness at earthlink.net>
To: <vlc at videolan.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 4:25 PM
Subject: [vlc] Re: vlc streaming howto?

> Correct.
> 1)
> You initially launch VLC, or some other application that is the initial
> source of the camera video.  For instance, if I have a Windows PC, with a
> framegrabber card, connected to the camera, I might have a command line
> (batch file, script):
>
> vlc dshow:// :dshow-vdev="Osprey-210 Video Device 1" :dshow-adev="none"
> :no-dshow-config :dshow-size="640x480"
> :sout=#transcode{vcodec=mp4v,vb=1024,scale=1}:duplicate{dst=std{access=udp,m
> ux=ts,url=239.240.30.40:4567}}
>
> The above is making a 1 megabit per second video stream available on a
> multicast IP address, via UDP.  ANY number of PCs can "tune in" to this
> stream -- it doesn't take any more network bandwidth or CPU power from the
> original VLC PC -- a multicast address is like a radio broadcast -- anyone
> can tune in, as long as they have the right channel (IP address and port
> number) selected.
>
> 2)
> OK, the first PC has sent the stream out.  Turns out that Windows Media
> Player doesn't handle classic multicast worth a darn.  You then, perhaps,
> want a second server, set up to rebroadcast (1), but make it a format that
> can be watched by Windows Media Player clients.  Therefore, on PC 2 you 
> run
> another batch file (or you can set it up through the wxwindows VLC 
> graphical
> user interface:
> Vlc udp://@239.240.20.30:4567
> :sout=#transcode{vcodec=DIV3,vb=512,scale=1}:duplicate{dst=std{access=mmsh,m
> ux=asfh,url=:1234}}
>
> In the above, I'm only working with video (no acodec, no audio bitrate).
> PC2 has connected to the multicast stream from PC1, and taken the video,
> turned it into a 512 kbps DIV3, ASF encapsulation, mmsh transport 
> mechanism.
>
> 3)  I launch a copy of VLC on PC3.  To tell the truth, personally I would
> normally just connect to the original multicast stream, use vlc
> udp://@239.240.20.30:4567 to hook to it, open a local display window.  If
> you feel like connecting to the PC2 stream, however, you just use:
> Vlc mmsh://pc2_IP_address:1234
>
> 3a)  If someone else has Windows Media Player, they can connect to PC2 by
> doing an Open URL, entering:
> Mms://pc2_IP_address:1234
>
> Multiple clients can indeed connect to PC2.  It costs next to nothing in
> additional processing power, though each additional client will use a 
> chunk
> of bandwidth, since in this case I am using mmsh, a connection-oriented 
> TCP
> method.  Each PC connecting to PC2 will use 500 - 800 K of PC2 bandwidth
> (allowing for packetiuzation overhead); there's variability -- the 512K is
> not a strict limit.  Three clients connecting to PC2 would therefore use
> about 1.5 - 1.8 megabits per second (plus the initial 1 megabit connection
> from PC2 to PC1).
>
> Another, perhaps more normal, case would be that (1) is an IP camera, say
> one of the Axis jobs.  It's serving an MJPEG stream, each client taking up
> one chunk of bandwidth.  Whoops -- the IP camera is at a remote location, 
> so
> you cannot afford multiple connections to it -- What you do is have (2)
> connect to it, then do a local rebroadcast.
>
> So the "trigger" is just that you set (2) up listening on the right IP
> address for (1).  If you have a choice in the configuration of the initial
> server, (1), use an ack-less UDP transmission, then you can leave (2)
> permanently "on"/active -- if there's data coming from (1) it'll be
> available for rebroadcast.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vlc-bounce at videolan.org [mailto:vlc-bounce at videolan.org] On Behalf 
> Of
> Ricardo Kleemann
> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 6:54 PM
> To: vlc at videolan.org
> Subject: [vlc] Re: vlc streaming howto?
>
> Thank you so much, Mark.
>
> I'm still not quite sure about something... Let me try to see if I
> understand how it works...
>
> 1. VLC runs as the broadcaster, say connected to a video camera. It sends 
> a
> network stream to the server.
> 2. The server receives the stream and re-transmits it on a local port 3. 
> VLC
> (or any other compatible player) run as clients for the retransmitted
> stream.
>
> I think that's how it's supposed to be, correct? The question is, how is 
> #2
> "triggered"? Since VLC doesn't run as a daemon, it needs to be started
> somehow in order to retransmit the stream...
>
> Also, once VLC is retransmitting, can it accept multiple connections on 
> the
> port?
>
> Thanks
> Ricardo
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mark Moriarty" <mfmbusiness at earthlink.net>
> To: <vlc at videolan.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 2:40 PM
> Subject: [vlc] Re: vlc streaming howto?
>
>
>> Yes, you can.
>>
>> Do you use the wxwindows graphical interface, or the command line?
>>
>> I put together a short step-by-step, with screenshots, precisely for
>> restreaming a network stream. It's based on the use of wxwindows.  A
>> command
>> line restream is pretty straight-forward:
>>
>> Vlc mmsh://192.168.2.90:4567
>> :sout=#duplicate{dst=std{access=udp,mux=ts,url=239.20.30.40:1234}}
>>
>> = take what's available as an mmsh stream from the device located at
>> 192.168.2.90, port 4567.  Multicast that incoming stream back out again,
>> MPEG TS encapsulation, on multicast addres 239.20.30.40, port 1234.
>>
>> Vlc udp://@:5678
>>
> :sout=#transcode{vcodec=DIV3,vb=512,scale=1,acodec=mp3,ab=192,channels=2}:du
>> plicate{dst=std{access=mmsh,mux=asfh,url=:1234}}
>>
>> = take something that is being sent to you via UDP on port 5678.
>> Transform
>> the incoming UDP stream, make it a 512 kbps DIV3 video, 192 kbps 
>> 2-channel
>> mp3 audio, ASF encapsulation, and make it available via mmsh on LocalHost
>> port 1234.  (Another VLC user would connect to you by using
>> mmsh://your_ip_address:1234, while a Windows Media Player user would
>> select
>> Open URL and enter mms://your_IP_address:1234)
>>
>> PM me on the VLC forum (markfm), and I'll send you the information to 
>> pull
>> the wxwindows guide off of my FTP site, if you want it.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: vlc-bounce at videolan.org [mailto:vlc-bounce at videolan.org] On Behalf
>> Of
>> Ricardo Kleemann
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 5:05 PM
>> To: vlc at videolan.org
>> Subject: [vlc] vlc streaming howto?
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I took a look at the vlc streaming howto, but I'm wondering if VLC is
>> capable of being used as a streaming server, more specifically for live
>> content?
>>
>> Can I stream (broadcast) content to a server running VLC and have it act
>> as
>> a streaming server?
>>
>> Can someone give me pointers for that?
>>
>> Thanks
>> Ricardo
>>
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>>
>
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