README: Streaming Media with MediaMTX and FFmpeg

This document provides clear instructions for developers to set up a MediaMTX RTSP and HLS streaming server, stream videos, and connect to the streams.

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Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed on your machine.
• Video files to stream.

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Directory Structure

Organize your project directory as follows:

project-root/
│
├── docker-compose.yml
├── mediamtx.yml
├── videos/          # Directory for your video files
│   ├── video1.mp4
│   ├── video2.mp4
│   └── video3.mp4
├── scripts/         # Directory for preconfigured scripts (no need for user interaction)
│   └── start.sh

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Steps to Use

1. Add Your Videos

Place your video files into the videos/ directory. For example:

videos/
├── video1.mp4
├── video2.mp4

2. Start the System

Run the following command to start MediaMTX and the FFmpeg streamer:

docker-compose up

• This will:
  • Start the MediaMTX server for RTSP and HLS streaming.
  • Use FFmpeg to stream videos from the videos/ directory to the MediaMTX server.

3. Stop the System

To stop the containers, use:

docker-compose down

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Connecting to the Streams

RTSP (Low-Latency)

Use an RTSP-compatible player like VLC to connect to the RTSP stream. The URL format is:

rtsp://<YOUR_HOST>:8554/live/<VIDEO_NAME>

• Replace <YOUR_HOST> with localhost or the IP address of your server.
• Replace <VIDEO_NAME> with the name of your video file (without the extension).

Example: If your video file is video1.mp4 and the server is on localhost:

rtsp://localhost:8554/live/video1

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HLS (Browser-Compatible)

You can access the HLS stream using a browser or HLS-compatible player. The URL format is:

http://<YOUR_HOST>:8888/live/<VIDEO_NAME>/index.m3u8

Example: If your video file is video1.mp4 and the server is on localhost:

http://localhost:8888/live/video1/index.m3u8

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File Details

docker-compose.yml

Defines the services:

• mediamtx for RTSP and HLS server.
• ffmpeg-streamer for video streaming.

mediamtx.yml

Custom configuration for MediaMTX (RTSP/HLS server).

start.sh

Bash script to stream all videos in the videos/ directory to unique RTSP paths.

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Developer Tips

Logs

• To view logs for the MediaMTX server:

  docker logs mediamtx

• To view logs for the FFmpeg streamer:

  docker logs ffmpeg-streamer

Debugging

• Ensure the videos/ directory is properly mounted in the containers.
• Check video compatibility with FFmpeg (libx264 for video, aac for audio).

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Scaling and Testing

• Add more videos to the videos/ folder and restart the system with docker-compose up.
• Use VLC, a browser, or any HLS/RTSP client to test the streams.