207W access from RMP OK but need help with Mpeg4 via AMC

[Daltex]

I'm new to ALL this: IP cam, networking, wireless etc... This forum has helped me a ton.

I have an Axis 207W connected at home and can view it from my office with Axis AMC viewer using JPEG (thus dropping packets due to bandwidth limitations) or I can use Windows Real Media Player with a much better image due to the MPEG4 compression.

Where are the points of intercept of the MPEG4 over a network that is not allowing me to view it over the Axis viewer over WAN? Why can the RTS stream reach Media Player and not Axis viewer over WAN?

It all works fine over LAN.

[Administrator]

MJPEG (Motion JPEG) uses more bandwidth than MPEG4 so that is why MPEG4 would give you a better video image and better frame rate. Peter Sroka of 4XEM wrote a good article on the differences between MJPEG and MPEG4. You can view the article here http://www.4xem.com/articles/mjpegvsmpeg.html

I was able to get an AXIS camera to stream to Quicktime but I'm not sure about Real Player or Media Player. You might have to contact AXIS regarding this.
_________________
Administrator
NetworkCameraReviews.com
www.networkcamerareviews.com

[Daltex]

Thanks Wes but my question was not which is better but how to get MPEG4 to play though the AMC (Axcess Media Control) when outside my local network. As I stated I could get MJPEG to play but the only way to see MPEG4 was using Windows Media Player.

I solved this myself. Using the AMC you can right click on the live image, click settings and select "network". I pulled "RTP over RTSP over HTTP" to the top and now it works. I had unicast at the top and this didn't.

So know I can toggle MPEG4 or MJPEG using AMC or I can view MPEG4 over windows media player.

[Raybert]

Awhile ago I was trying to figure out how to do RTP over RTSP over HTTP so I could view my cam at work where all we have access to is HTTP/port80. I gather from these posts that it is a setting made in the Axis 207W interface by right clicking on the image and then selecting the rtprtsp-http protocol. I hope it is that easy.

If that is so I should then be able to get the live feed via port 80/http but will I need AMC to view or will Windows media player or Quicktime also work? Is there a trick to set these apps up to view the Axis 207W this way?

[Administrator]

Sorry I misunderstood your question Daltex

That's good to hear you got it working!
_________________
Administrator
NetworkCameraReviews.com
www.networkcamerareviews.com

[Daltex]

Raybert,

The way you describe selecting the RTP over RTSP over HTTP is correct but you don't just select it- You have to bring it to the top of the 4 options. I had all 4 selected but the top choice was unicast which didn't feed. Just highlight it and click the move up button to get it to the top.

Regarding the other way's to view MPEG4: using Windows Real Media Player, I open file the select open URL then post: axrtsphttp://www.<IP>/mpeg4/1/media.amp and it feeds just fine.

[Raybert]

Thanks for the tip, Dal. I take it that I need to have the mpeg-4 viewer add-on to AMC installed on the computer I am admining the camera from to be able to see those choices (unicast, RTSP, etc)??

So far I have not been able to install it, nor do I get any choices as to the 4 modes you mention. If I I am in live view and try to switch to mp4 format from motion jpeg I get prompted to install the necessary mp4 viewer add-on but when I say yes it just bombs out and says I must be the administrator to do that. But I AM the administrator and only user. Haven't yet figured out why this is happening.....

In any case if I ever get that running and am able to select RTP-RTSP-HTTP perhaps I will be able to view here at work by using the url format you showed me. But the information you provided prompted me to take another look at the Axis 207 users manual and it says for that to work I need to have AMC and the mpeg-4 viewer add-on installed on that computer. But in addition to having access to ports other than 80 blocked here at work our computers are locked down so we can't install any apps. We need to get the IT guys over with admin access to do that. Might be a tough sell to get approval to install non-standard apps merely to view home security cams. We'll see....

But in the interim I saw on the same Axis 207 manual page the url format to get real time still jpegs. That does work as-is. I just have to refresh the page once in awhile. That'll have to do for now, I guess.

[Daltex]

Raybert,

Sorry for the long delay in responding... If you have or can get windows media player on your work desktop- you should be able to access the MPEG4 stream using the above mentioned post.

1. Open media player
2. press ctrl + u to "open url"
3. paste the following link, insterting your IP of course:
axrtsphttp://www.<YOUR-IP>.com/mpeg4/1/media.amp
4.start viewing.

Let me know if you have any problems.

[Raybert]

Yes, I understood your post and tried that but it didn't work. Win Media Player throws an error that it doesn't recognize the protocol and to try a protocol that it does know like http or rtsp. It didn't like the "ax" lead in.

I am guessing that the "ax" prefix somehow accesses AMC, which would have to be installed on the computer (which I can't do unless I can talk the IT guys into doing it) and that this enables the axrtsphttp protocol??

BTW, this is Windows Media Player v9.

I'll try this method on anther computer not here at work to prove the method, then if that is the problem perhaps I will try to get AMC installed on my work PC.