---
title: RTSP
---

{% include_relative _page_fragments/supported-formats-rtsp.md %}

## Using MediaItem ##

To play an RTSP stream, you need to depend on the RTSP module.

~~~
implementation 'com.google.android.exoplayer:exoplayer-rtsp:2.X.X'
~~~
{: .language-gradle}

You can then create a `MediaItem` for an RTSP URI and pass it to the player.

~~~
// Create a player instance.
ExoPlayer player = new ExoPlayer.Builder(context).build();
// Set the media item to be played.
player.setMediaItem(MediaItem.fromUri(rtspUri));
// Prepare the player.
player.prepare();
~~~
{: .language-java}

### Authentication ###

ExoPlayer supports playback with RTSP BASIC and DIGEST authentication. To play
protected RTSP content, the `MediaItem`'s URI must be configured with the
authentication info. Specifically, the URI should be of the form
`rtsp://<username>:<password>@<host address>`.

## Using RtspMediaSource ##

For more customization options, you can create an `RtspMediaSource` and pass it
directly to the player instead of a `MediaItem`.

~~~
// Create an RTSP media source pointing to an RTSP uri.
MediaSource mediaSource =
    new RtspMediaSource.Factory()
        .createMediaSource(MediaItem.fromUri(rtspUri));
// Create a player instance.
ExoPlayer player = new ExoPlayer.Builder(context).build();
// Set the media source to be played.
player.setMediaSource(mediaSource);
// Prepare the player.
player.prepare();
~~~
{: .language-java}

## Using RTSP behind a NAT (RTP/TCP support) ##

ExoPlayer uses UDP as the default protocol for RTP transport.

When streaming RTSP behind a NAT layer, the NAT might not be able to forward the
incoming RTP/UDP packets to the device. This occurs if the NAT lacks the
necessary UDP port mapping. If ExoPlayer detects there have not been incoming
RTP packets for a while and the playback has not started yet, ExoPlayer tears
down the current RTSP playback session, and retries playback using RTP-over-RTSP
(transmitting RTP packets using the TCP connection opened for RTSP).

The timeout for retrying with TCP can be customized by calling the method
`RtspMediaSource.Factory.setTimeoutMs()`. For example, if the timeout is set to
four seconds, the player will retry with TCP after four seconds of UDP
inactivity.

Setting the timeout also affects the end-of-stream detection logic. That is,
ExoPlayer will report the playback has ended if nothing is received for the
duration of the set timeout. Setting this value too small may lead to an early
end-of-stream signal under poor network conditions.

RTP/TCP offers better compatibility under some network setups. You can configure
ExoPlayer to use RTP/TCP by default with
`RtspMediaSource.Factory.setForceUseRtpTcp()`.
