MJPEG and RTSP are the primary monitoring stream types discussed in this chapter.
MJPEG, or Motion JPEG, is a video compression format that uses JPEG images for each video frame. Akuvox devices display live streams on the web interface and capture monitoring screenshots in MJPEG format. Settings related to MJPEG determine video quality and the on/off status of the live stream function.
RTSP stands for Real Time Streaming Protocol. It can be used to stream video and audio from the third-party cameras to the device. You can add a camera’s stream by adding its URL. The URL format of Akuvox devices is rtsp://Device’s IP/live/ch00_0
ONVIF is an Open Network Video Interface Forum. It enables the device to scan and discover cameras or intercom devices with activated ONVIF functions. Live streams obtained through ONVIF are essentially in RTSP format.
MJPEG Video Stream
You can take a monitoring image and view video streams in MJPEG format with the device. To do this, you need to turn on the MJPEG function and choose the image quality.
To set it up, go to the Intercom > RTSP > MJPEG Video Parameters interface.
Video Resolution: Specify the video resolution from the lowest CIF(352×288 pixels) to the highest 1080P(1920×1080 pixels).
Video Framerate: It is 25 fps by default.
Video Quality: It is 90 by default.
MJPEG Authorization
You can enable MJPEG authorization to limit access to the MJPEG images and videos.
To set it up, go to the Intercom > RTSP > RTSP Basic interface.
MJPEG Authorization Enabled: Once enabled, accessing the door phone’s real-time image or video by entering the URL into the browser requires verification of the Authentication Mode, RTSP Username, and RTSP Password.
Tip
To view a dynamic stream, use the URL http://device_IP:8080/video.cgi.
For capturing a screenshot, use the following URLs, with the image formats varying accordingly:
http://device_IP:8080/picture.cgi
http://device_IP:8080/picture.jpg
http://device_IP:8080/jpeg.cgi
For example, if you want to capture the jpg format image of the door phone with the IP address 192.168.1.104, you can enter http://192.168.1.104:8080/picture.jpg on the web browser.
RTSP Stream Monitoring
The RTSP feature allows Akuvox indoor monitors, or third-party devices, to obtain the live stream from the door phone.
You can set up the RTSP authentication credentials and video parameters.
To set it up, go to the Intercom > RTSP > RTSP Basic interface.
RTSP Authorization Enabled: Once enabled, configure RTSP Authentication Mode, RTSP Username, and RTSP Password. These credentials are required for accessing the door phone's RTSP stream from other intercom devices like indoor monitors.
Authentication Mode: It is Digest by default, which uses hashing instead of the easily reversible Base64 encoding. A token is used for verification.
User Name: Set the username for authorization.
Password: Set the password for authorization.
RTSP Basic Setting
The RTSP stream can use either H.264 or Mjpeg as the video codec. If you choose H.264, you can also adjust the video resolution, bitrate, and other settings.
To set it up, go to the Intercom > RTSP > RTSP Stream interface.
Audio Enabled: When enabled, the device will send the audio stream with the video to the monitor via RTSP.
Video Enabled: It is enabled by default.
2nd Video Enabled: The device supports two video stream channels. You can enable the second one.
Audio Codec: Select the audio codec from the available options.
Video Codec: Select the video codec between H.264 and MJPEG.
2nd Video Codec: Select the video codec for the second video stream.
Tip
To view the audio and video stream using RTSP:
First channel: rtsp://Device’s IP/live/ch00_0
Second channel: rtsp://Device’s IP/live/ch00_1
H.264 Video Parameters Setup
Set up the H.264 video parameters for the RTSP video stream on the Intercom > RTSP > H.264 Video Parameters interface.
Video Resolution: Specify the image resolution, varying from the lowest CIF(352×288 pixels) to the highest 1080P(1920×1080 pixels).
Video Framerate: Frames per second refers to how many frames are displayed in one second of video.
Video Bitrate: The amount of video data transferred in a specific duration of time. A higher video bitrate means a higher possible quality, but also higher file sizes and more bandwidth.
2nd Video Resolution: Specify the image resolution for the second video stream channel.
2nd Video Framerate: Set the frame rate for the second video stream channel.
2nd Video Bitrate: Set the bit rate for the second video stream channel. The default is 512 kbps.
RTSP OSD Setting
This feature is used to add a watermark to the RTSP video or picture. To protect the owner of the video or image.
To set it up, go to the Intercom > RTSP > RTSP OSD Setting interface.
RTSP OSD Color: Select color from White, Black, Red, Green, and Blue.
RTSP OSD Text: Customize the OSD content.
NACK
Negative Acknowledgment（NACK）indicates a failure or error in data transmission or processing. It is used to request retransmission or signal the failure to the sender for ensuring data integrity.
To enable NACK, navigate to Phone > Call Feature > Others interface.
ONVIF
You can access the real-time video from the device's camera using the Akuvox indoor monitor or other third-party devices like Network Video Recorder(NVR). Enabling and setting up the ONVIF function on the device will allow its video to be visible on other devices.
Click here to view an example of using the ONVIF feature: the integration with Uniview NVR System.
To set it up, go to the Intercom > ONVIF interface.
Discoverable: When enabled, the video from the door phone camera is searchable by other devices.
User Name: Set the username required for accessing the door phone's video stream on other devices. It is admin by default.
Password: Set the password required for accessing the door phone's video stream on other devices. It is admin by default.
Tip
Once the settings are configured, to access the video stream on the third-party device, simply enter the ONVIF URL: http://Device’s IP:80/onvif/device_service.
Some NVRs can send door-opening requests to the device and control door opening. You can enable or disable the function by turning on or off a switch on the same interface as the ONVIF feature.
Live Stream
There are two ways to check the real-time video from the device. One is to go to the device web interface and view the video there. The other is to enter the correct URL on the web browser and access the video directly.
View the video stream on the Intercom > Live Stream interface. If you have enabled RTSP authorization, you need to enter the user name and password set in the RTSP Basic section for viewing the stream.
Camera Mode
High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a technology used in photography, videography, and display devices to enhance image quality by capturing a wider range of brightness and color.
Linear refers to a straightforward representation of brightness in images. Linear images are commonly used in controlled lighting environments, such as indoor scenes, where consistent brightness is present.
You can set the camera mode between HDR and Linear on the Phone > Camera interface.
Anti-Flicker Mode: The anti-flicker feature reduces or eliminates flickering in images or videos caused by varying light sources.
Auto: The device will switch automatically between 50 Hz and 60 Hz anti-flicker frequency.
Manual: Select the anti-flicker frequency manually between 50 Hz and 60 Hz.
Off: Disable the anti-flicker function.
Anti-Flicker Frequency: Select the anti-flicker frequency between 50 Hz and 60 Hz.
Sensor Framerate: Adjust the camera frame rate.
30fps: Better for applications needing higher smoothness.
25fps: Suitable for standard video recording and playback, especially under a 50Hz power frequency to minimize flicker.
Data Transmission Type for Third-party Camera
You can select the data transmission type between the device and a third-party camera when it is connected to the SmartPlus Cloud.
To set it up, go to the Intercom > RTSP > Third Party Camera interface.
UDP: An unreliable but very efficient transport layer protocol.
TCP: A less efficient but reliable transport layer protocol. It is the default transport protocol.