add support for rtmp live stream

[taeuber]

Hi!

rtmpdump supports live streams through the live stream command line option »-v«.
Could this feature be added to ffplay/ffmpeg too?

example:
rtmpdump -v -r rtmp://live.daserste.de/ardfslive-live/H264_Live_Web_L -o 1.flv

Thanks
Lars

[compn]

please read the manual:
​http://ffmpeg.org/ffplay.html#SEC44

specifically:

For example, to stream a file in real-time to an RTMP server using `ffmpeg':
ffmpeg -re -i myfile -f flv rtmp://myserver/live/mystream

To play the same stream using `ffplay':
ffplay "rtmp://myserver/live/mystream live=1"

in your case:

ffplay "rtmp://live.daserste.de/ardfslive-live/H264_Live_Web_L live=1"

works for me.

[quandt]

ffmpeg log

[quandt]

Don't think it does work for live streams.

In testing against a red5 (specifically r4198, but also newer) server, rtmp support works great in ffmpeg and ffplay but on live streams with the parameter specified as mentioned above "live=1" simply creates an infinite loop.

Attached is a "-loglevel verbose", here's the verison of ffmpeg (ubuntu, but also tested and same results on winslow... same version)

quandt@lt001:~/Desktop$ ffmpeg
ffmpeg version N-35750-g16b771b, Copyright (c) 2000-2011 the FFmpeg developers

built on Dec 13 2011 14:22:55 with gcc 4.5.2
configuration: --enable-libfreetype --enable-libmp3lame --enable-librtmp --enable-frei0r --enable-libv4l2 --enable-libx264 --enable-gpl
libavutil 51. 32. 0 / 51. 32. 0
libavcodec 53. 43. 0 / 53. 43. 0
libavformat 53. 25. 0 / 53. 25. 0
libavdevice 53. 4. 0 / 53. 4. 0
libavfilter 2. 53. 0 / 2. 53. 0
libswscale 2. 1. 0 / 2. 1. 0
libpostproc 51. 2. 0 / 51. 2. 0

[quandt]

In further testing including on a new red5 server this is still a problem (ie r4305). Interestingly, it almost works. If you let ffplay sit for over a minute (sometime 10 minutes) eventually it starts to play a file (or save it), but not always. I was able to modify the librtmp to get rid of the error it reports (namely a FCPublish command which apparntly not support on RED5, nor apparantly needed), but this did not cure this problem. I've been digging in the ffmpeg code, back tracking from the RTMP setup commands and and they seem to do what they shoudl (minus the FCPublish thingy).

In any case, I do happen to have a RED5 server R4305 set up in a publicly available location for anyone who happens to have a dbg or something better to trace this thing. My email is brian dot quandt @ gmail dot com in which to cooridinate access to it.

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Is there any difference between this report and tickt #797?

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Please add command line and complete, uncut console output.

[quandt]

Yup, I think I know what is the problem, don't know the exact fix ... yet, but do know how to hack it to make it work.

libavformat/utils.c
approx line#2404
for(;;) infinite for loop, which keeps running until it knows it has figured things out.

hack was to put a break at the bottom of the for, under the assumption that it knew what it wanted to know, but just didn't know it knew...OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A HACK, it's late at night and why the probe functionality can't determine what the stream is to it's satisfaction I don't know (the decoder called knows how to figure it, so the probe functionality did at least a good enough job to get the right codec). More digging, then again, maybe those who actually know this code will have a real quick fix versus my hack of a fix (ie I think I'm pointing pretty close the real problem here, hopefully someone else will look).

In all these tests I was streaming to RED5 using ffmpeg (ie output) and streaming from RED5 into ffplay to test, ie
process 1) ffmpeg -re -i somesutiableflvfile.flv -vcodec copy -an "rtmp://localhost/oflaDemo/mylivestream live=1"

process 2) ffplay -i "rtmp://localhost/oflaDemo/mylivestream"

[quandt]

editororial correction to my tests....tests were

process 1) ffmpeg -re -i somesutiableflvfile.flv -vcodec copy -an "rtmp://localhost/oflaDemo/mylivestream live=1"

process 2) ffplay -i "rtmp://localhost/oflaDemo/mylivestream live=1"

More information:
I have removed the "break" and returned the code to it's default. The test served solely to help track things down.

In more testing, ie audio only flv's streaming work fine, ie
process 1) ffmpeg -re -i input.flv -vc -acodec copy "rtmp://localhost/oflaDemo/mylive live=1"
process 2) ffplay -i "rtmp://localhost/oflaDemo/mylive live=1"

When I do a audio and video input stream playback starts correctly (and immediately, but could be described as choppy).

Video by itself causes the problem, ie playback is delayed, and we are stuck in the "for(;;) {}" loop.

[compn]

ffmpeg now has its own rtmp implementation. with live support. did you try it yet?
​https://lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-cvslog/2012-May/050143.html

[taeuber]

No I haven't tried yet.

Next time I come around a live stream I'll try.

[Elon Musk]

Thanks, feel free to reopen ticket that if you found it still does not work with latest release/git.