Connect an RTSP source

You can connect an RTSP source (such as an IP camera or another Pearl device) to Pearl Mini over a network using the Admin panel.

For a list of tested cameras and their URL syntax, see Tested RTSP-based IP cameras .

RTSP video encoding is supported with H.264 video codec and MP3 or AAC audio formats. We recommend using the hardware acceleration option for improved performance (enabled by default).

Important considerations

  • If an RTSP source is connected but unused in any channel, only key frames are encoded to preserve CPU resources.
  • Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus - Two RTSP sources can be used with Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus.
  • Pearl Mini - Supports connection of a USB source or an RTSP source, but not both at the same time.
  • To synchronize timestamps between your RTSP source and Pearl Mini, the same time synchronization server should be used for both. We recommend that you configure an NTP server on your Pearl device and use it as a time synchronization server for your RTSP source. see Configure a time server.

The timestamps of an RTSP source and Pearl device tend to gradually go out of sync. If there's a 2500 –3000 ms difference between the timestamp of your RTSP source and the Pearl device, a "no signal" image displays and your RTSP source won't stream audio. Re-connect your RTSP source to reset any time synchronization issues.

Connect an RTSP source using the Admin panel

  1. Login to the Admin panel as admin, see Connect to the Admin panel.
  2. From the Inputs menu, click Add input, and then click Add RTSP input The RTSP input page opens.
  3. Enter the Input URL, Username and Password for your RTSP source and select either UDP or TCP as the Preferred transport. If you're using another Pearl device as an RTSP source, see Share a live broadcast stream (HTTP, HTTPS, or RTSP) .
  4. (Optional) Select Use hardware acceleration for improved performance (default).
  5. (Optional) Rename the RTSP source, see Rename an input port .
  6. (Optional) Configure a custom "No signal" image, see Add a custom No Signal image .
  7. Click Apply to save your settings and connect your RTSP source.

After your RTSP source is connected, you can view basic video and audio signal information and packet loss statistics for the source under the Status header at the top of the page. Any warnings or errors associated with your RTSP stream are also displayed on this page.

Alternatively, you can view stream connection information when you click check at the bottom of the page.

Hardware encoding is the default setting for a channel and is the recommended encoding for use with Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus. However, if you are ingesting an SRT stream as a video input for a channel and Pearl Mini does not recognize the signal, switch to using software encoding for that channel, see Configure video encoding.