Is RTSP Inspector a video player?
Product scopeNo. It is a diagnostic and reporting workbench for RTSP/RTP/RTCP/H.264/H.265 evidence. It does not replace VLC, an NVR, or an ONVIF manager.
Help
Field workflow references.
Short, operational notes for connecting, licensing, reporting, case replay, and troubleshooting.
RTSP diagnostic tool
IP camera troubleshooting
RTP packet loss
- Case Replay and Comparison for RTSP Inspector: Setup and Workflow Guide How to save RTSP Inspector sessions as .risession files, replay them offline, and compare working vs failing sessions to isolate the root cause of camera stream failures. Open guide
- Connect to an RTSP Stream for RTSP Inspector: Setup and Workflow Guide How to connect RTSP Inspector to a camera, encoder, or NVR stream. Covers URL formats, TCP vs UDP transport, firewall considerations, and first-test workflow. Open guide
- Export RTSP Diagnostic Reports for RTSP Inspector: Setup and Workflow Guide How to export RTSP Inspector diagnostic evidence: session files, PCAP exports, packet tables, and comparison reports for sharing with developers, support teams, or camera vendors. Open guide
- RTSP Inspector License for RTSP Inspector: Setup and Workflow Guide Understand what the RTSP Inspector Community edition includes and which advanced RTP/RTCP decoding, replay, comparison, and export workflows are optional. Open guide
- Troubleshooting RTSP Streams for RTSP Inspector: Setup and Workflow Guide Systematic RTSP troubleshooting from connection layer through control plane to media plane. Covers common errors, diagnostic evidence to collect, and when to compare against a known-good baseline session. Open guide
Common questions
What's the difference between RTSP Inspector and Wireshark for RTSP debugging?
Product scopeWireshark shows you every packet. RTSP Inspector shows you why the stream failed — it decodes SDP track declarations, tracks RTP continuity gaps, surfaces RTCP timing issues, inspects H.264/H.265 structure, and exports diagnostic reports as PDF evidence. See the full comparison on our blog.
How much does RTSP Inspector cost? Is it a subscription?
LicensingThe Community edition is free. Optional paid editions add advanced workflows; see the product page for current access details. One payment. No subscription, no monthly fees, no cloud account required. Community edition is free for single RTSP-over-TCP stream preview.
How does offline licensing work?
LicensingUse the website license page, then activate inside the desktop app with the checkout email and license key. No always-online requirement.
Can I export diagnostic evidence as PDF?
ReportsYes. The Professional workflow exports diagnostic reports as PDF, HTML, Markdown, and JSON so you can attach stream evidence directly to customer tickets or vendor bug reports.
Does it support RTP over UDP for live camera streams?
TransportCommunity supports RTSP-over-TCP interleaved RTP. The Community edition is free. Optional paid editions add advanced workflows; see the product page for current access details.
What is the difference between personal and team licenses?
LicensingThe desktop capabilities are identical. Team purchase means one billing email can receive multiple machine-bound license codes for your lab or support team.
Who uses RTSP Inspector?
Use caseCCTV integrators, IP camera vendors, video platform engineers, and NVR support teams who need a repeatable, reportable answer to why a camera stream connects, glitches, freezes, or never reaches usable video.
Why use RTSP Inspector if VLC can play the stream?
ComparisonVLC proves that one player can show video. RTSP Inspector proves why the stream succeeds or fails by exposing RTSP status, SDP tracks, transport negotiation, RTP continuity, RTCP timing, and H.264/H.265 structure. Use it when the stream must be debugged or reported, not merely watched.
What is the difference between ONVIF Device Manager and RTSP Inspector?
ComparisonONVIF Device Manager is useful for discovery, profiles, and finding stream URIs. RTSP Inspector starts after you have a URI and need to diagnose DESCRIBE, SETUP, PLAY, SDP, RTP, RTCP, transport, and codec evidence.
How do I decide between UDP and TCP interleaved RTSP diagnostics?
TransportTest the production path first, then compare. UDP can reveal firewall, NAT, loss, and port-mapping issues. TCP interleaved is easier through restricted networks but can hide packet delivery symptoms. RTSP Inspector shows the transport reply and media evidence for both paths.
When should I export an RTSP diagnostic report?
ReportsExport a report when the finding must be shared with a customer, camera vendor, support team, or QA record. RTSP Inspector Professional turns RTSP control, SDP, RTP, RTCP, codec, and diagnostic evidence into PDF, HTML, Markdown, JSON, and saved .risession cases.