In the digital age, real-time video streaming technology has become an important bridge connecting the real and virtual worlds. Whether it is online education, remote meetings, or live entertainment, real-time video streaming technology plays an indispensable role. Today, we will delve into the importance of this technology and how the RK3588 chip showcases its immense potential in this field.

Real-Time Video Streaming Technology: Importance and Applications

Real-time video streaming technology allows video data to be captured, encoded, and compressed, then transmitted over the network to a server, which distributes it to users. This process requires not only efficient data processing capabilities but also stable network transmission support to ensure smooth playback and low-latency experience.

RK3588 Chip: The New Engine for Real-Time Streaming

The RK3588 chip, with its exceptional CPU and GPU architecture, powerful memory and storage capabilities, and advanced multimedia processing capabilities, has become a rising star in the field of real-time streaming. Its network connectivity capabilities provide a solid foundation for the stable transmission of video streams.

Basic Steps of Video Streaming

Video streaming involves five key steps: video capture, encoding, media transmission, decoding, and playback. Each step directly impacts the final video quality and user experience.

• Video Capture: Capturing video signals through devices like cameras.

• Video Encoding: Compressing video data using standards such as H.264 and H.265.

• Media Transmission: Choosing appropriate streaming protocols (such as RTMP, RTSP, HLS, SRT) for data transmission.

• Video Decoding: Decoding compressed video data on the user end.

• Video Playback: Playing back the decoded video data through a player.

Diversity of Streaming Protocols

Different streaming protocols are suitable for different scenarios. For example, RTMP is suitable for live streaming, HLS for video on demand, while SRT provides stable video transmission in complex network environments.

RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol)

• Low Latency: Suitable for fast transmission, such as live streaming.

• High Compatibility: Widely supported by various streaming servers and players.

• Based on TCP: Transmits data through persistent connections, reducing connection overhead.

RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol)

• Low Latency: Suitable for applications requiring real-time interaction.

• Control Mechanism: Supports control commands such as play, pause, and fast forward.

• Works with RTP/RTCP: Provides streaming transmission, control, and monitoring.

• Supports bi-directional streaming sessions, allowing users to interact with the media stream.

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)

• Based on HTTP: Easy to deploy without special server support.

• High Compatibility: Widely supported across various devices and platforms, including iOS and Android.

• Chunked Transmission: Achieves streaming transmission through chunked video content.

SRT (Secure Reliable Transport)

• Low Latency: Designed to provide stable video transmission in unstable network environments.

• High Throughput: Suitable for transmitting high-bandwidth video streams.

• Open Source Protocol: Community participation in development and improvement.

Application of RK3588 in Real-Time Streaming

The hardware acceleration capabilities and efficient video encoding and decoding performance of RK3588 make it excel in real-time streaming. Combined with network transmission optimization, RK3588 can provide a low-latency, high-definition video streaming experience.

Real-Time Streaming Solutions

The streaming solution based on RK3588, combined with software frameworks such as FFmpeg and GStreamer, can achieve performance optimization and functional expansion. In practical cases, we built a real-time video streaming verification platform using RK3588, capturing camera video through the MIPI interface, achieving a transmission delay of about 100ms, proving the practical application potential of RK3588 in real-time streaming.

Common Streaming Media Servers

Streaming media servers such as Nginx-RTMP, Wowza, ZLMediaKit, and Monibuca provide strong support for receiving, processing, and distributing video streams. The functionality and performance of these servers directly affect the stability and scalability of streaming services.

Nginx-RTMP

• Overview: An open-source module based on the popular Nginx server, specifically designed for handling RTMP streaming.

• Advantages: Lightweight, high concurrency processing capability, simple configuration, and active community support.

• Applicable Scenarios: Suitable for scenarios requiring large-scale concurrent live streaming and video on demand services.

Wowza

• Overview: A comprehensive commercial streaming media server software that supports various streaming protocols.

• Advantages: Provides features like recording, transcoding, and encryption, high reliability, and professional commercial support.

• Applicable Scenarios: Suitable for enterprise-level applications, large live events, online education, and video conferencing requiring professional features and commercial support.

ZLMediaKit

• Overview: A high-performance, enterprise-level streaming media service framework based on C++11, supporting multiple protocols.

• Advantages: High performance, multi-protocol support, cross-platform compatibility, and comprehensive C API.

• Applicable Scenarios: Suitable for video surveillance, live streaming, video conferencing, and other scenarios requiring high performance and multi-protocol support.

Monibuca

• Overview: An open-source streaming media server framework based on Go language, supporting RTMP, RTSP, WebSocket, etc.

• Advantages: High concurrency processing, powerful plugin system, cross-platform support, and active community.

• Applicable Scenarios: Suitable for live platforms and video on demand services requiring high concurrency processing and customizable features.

Simple setup of a streaming media service: https://docs.zlmediakit.com/zh/

User Guide

To better utilize the RK3588 chip for real-time video streaming, here are some practical streaming commands and guidelines.

1. Setting up a Streaming Media Server:

• You can use Monibuca (m7s), which is an open-source streaming media server development framework based on Go language, supporting various streaming protocols. Due to network reasons, we cannot directly access its GitHub page, but you can visit the Monibuca GitHub for more details.

• Push local video file to RTMP server:

  ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i /path/to/your/video.mp4 -c copy -f flv "rtmp://example.com/live/test"

• Push real-time data from camera to RTMP server:

  ffmpeg -f v4l2 -i /dev/video0 -c:v libx264 -f flv "rtmp://example.com/live/test"

• Push local video file to RTMP server:

  gst-launch-1.0 filesrc location=/path/to/your/video.mp4 ! qtdemux ! h264parse ! flvmux ! rtmpsink location='rtmp://example.com/live/test'

• ffmpeg and gst-launch-1.0 are two commonly used command-line tools for capturing, converting, and pushing video and audio data.

• The -re option indicates reading the input at the original frame rate.

• The -stream_loop -1 option indicates looping the stream indefinitely.

• -i specifies the input file or device.

• -c:v libx264 specifies the video encoder as H.264.

• -f flv or -f rtsp specifies the output format, FLV for RTMP, RTSP for RTSP.

• rtmp://example.com/live/test is the address of the RTMP server for pushing the video stream.

• Use video playback software to pull the stream for testing to ensure successful streaming.

The RK3588 chip, with its exceptional performance and wide application prospects, is becoming the new engine for real-time streaming technology. Through practical case validations, we have seen the practical application potential of RK3588 in this field. With continuous technological advancements, we have reason to believe that RK3588 will play a greater role in the future of video streaming. Real-time streaming will become faster and more stable. The integration of AI will make video content analysis and processing smarter. The development of cloud-edge collaborative streaming technology will further optimize the transmission efficiency and cost-effectiveness of video streams.