A small list of hints for using VLC. The things that go quick in Llv are difficult to find in VLC as it is so packed with features.
Play from a camera
This is very simple:
- Media -> Open Networkstream
Now you need to know the URL to use. These are brand specific. A lot of them seem collected here, but the quality of this database isn't too high and most is MJPEG. Maybe you can find a better source of information. You will not easily find valuable details like being able to do things like:
rtsp://a.b.c.d/axis-media/media.amp?resolution=800x450&fps=25/3&compression=40
To get a small, stronger compressed and evenly spaced 8.33 low fps stream (in 50Hz configuration) on an Axis camera. Other brands may have similar features.
Select transport
By default VLC requests a UDP stream, you can change it as follows:
- Tools -> Preferences
- In bottom-left at Show Settings: choose 'All'
- Goto Input/Codecs
- Goto Demuxers
- Goto RTP/RTSP
- The first three options provide what you need
These settings will make VLC request a specific transport during the RTSP negotiation. Don't forget to reset it when you want to back to normal. Now you can open the network stream.
Low latency
This isn't really possible using VLC. You can tune it down a bit though:
- Media -> Open networkstream
- Click: Show more options
- At caching change the default value of 1000 (milliseconds) to 300
Why 300? Lower values don't help. It will never get fast and back in the days when I used it more heavily (version 0.x and 1.x) low values affected stability (crash). It didn't crash when I tried with 3.0.8 but it is still not low latency