Glossary

RTSP stands for Real-Time Streaming Protocol.

RTSP is an application-level protocol for controlling the delivery of real-time data, such as audio and video. The RTSP protocol is coupled with data transport protocols such as RTP; while real-time data is transported over RTP, the flow of
the data is controlled by RTSP.

As a client-server multimedia presentation protocol, RTSP enables controlled delivery of streamed multimedia data over IP networks. It provides VCR-style remote control functionality for audio and video streams, such as Pause, Fast Forward, Reverse, and Absolute Positioning. Sources of data include both live data feeds and stored clips.

RTSP was jointly developed by RealNetworks, Netscape Communications and Columbia University. It was developed from the streaming practice and experience of RealNetworks' RealAudio and Netscape's LiveMedia. The first draft of the RTSP protocol was submitted to the IETF in 1996 and was accepted as IETF RFC 2326. Since then, RTSP has gone through significant changes.