What is Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)?
RTSP is a client-server multimedia presentation control protocol. It is designed to leverage existing web infrastructure (for example, inheriting authentication and PICS from HTTP) and works well both for large audiences as well as single-viewer media-on-demand. Progressive Networks, Netscape Communications and Columbia University jointly developed RTSP to address the needs for efficient delivery of streamed multimedia over IP networks. It is currently being standardized by the MMUSIC working group within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and is scheduled for final review in November, 1997.