Blue Iris RTSP
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Re: Blue Iris
Blue Iris now provides RTSP streams, so it would be good to get your collective brains working out how best to exploit its capability as a streaming source to Alexa devices.
Check first it works with VLC:
rtsp:/[user]:[username]@[BI IP]:[Port]/[camera or group name]&w=1280&h=720
eg rtsp:/user:[email protected]:89/Garden&w=1280&h=720Then run it with Monocle:
rtsp:/[BI IP]:[Port]/[camera or group name]&w=1280&h=720
Specify user/password in the Monocle camera setup box with DIGEST authentication, and @proxy-tcp as the tag.
Specify w and h to tell the BI server to resize the image to something Alexa can handle.My experience is that Echos are slow to load the streams from BI, and then run with a lag of about 10s behind reality. I’m not sure if that is a BI or an Alexa processing problem, or maybe both. However, it is real progress to be able to view groups of multiple cameras setup within BI, and to be able to resize the images rather than using camera substeams that sometimes have weird frame shapes.
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Couple Questions:
- Does this require something to be enabled in Blue Iris?
- Is the port the same as Blue Iris web server setting or is it the fixed 89 that you show here?
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@RonnBlack
It’s enabled by default for Blue Iris version 5.3.1 (although I couldn’t get it to work before 5.3.1.3; present version is 5.3.1.6). The port is the same as that used by BI for http. Good luck! -
Thanks for reply.
I got it working with VLC after upgrading.
However, still can get my cameras to display with Alexa… Not sure whats going on but the looks like they are calling the right end-point -
@RonnBlack
Did you tell Alexa to discover devices, then check it recognises the BI streams as devices?It takes about 10s for streaming to commence on my Echo devices, the sequence being: I say “Alexa, show [device]”; Alexa immediately replies “OK”; the screen then displays “Waiting for [device]” for about 10s; then streaming occurs.
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Are you going through the monocle gateway or directly to Blue Iris?
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@RonnBlack
Monocle gateway with DIGEST and @proxy-tcp as the tag. -
@RonnBlack I wish it would work but I have been unsuccessful as well. It sure would solve some problems if it would.
The url works fine in VLC player but Monocle appears to be rejecting it. Perhaps the Monocle author can take a look at this. -
@MRE I spent quite a lot of time trying to get this to work and I’m getting same results as you.
I think there may be a problem with the Monocle gateway connectivity (I’m using docker version on Synology NAS) but I haven’t had a time to dig into it.
Does anyone know if there is way to test the output stream from the Monocle gateway to see if it is working correctly?
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I just got it to work. In BI camera settings for the camera, under the record tab, select Video file format and compression. Set this for direct-to-disk (H264…).
Apparently Monocle can’t handle the compression that BI is outputting when it re-encodes… I will study this some more but I wanted to post it as it appears to be the key to the problem.
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@MRE WOOHOO!!! Thankyou… That was the solution!!!
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For anyone wanting to experiment with the Blue Iris RTSP feed to Monocle. Blue Iris needs to be set to Direct-to-Disk under the Recording tab/Video file format and compression button. This is found under camera settings for the individual camera you want to stream.
Below is a screenshot of Monocle settings. Note that for me the Proxy-tcp tag is the only thing that works.
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I just installed Monocle and have it working with my Blue Iris server. So far it is working well on my Echo Show 5. I also have a Facebook Portal that I have not got it working on even this the Portal show my Ring Doorbell camera.
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@a0174741 I’m having the same problem with a Unifi Video server. Ring doorbell works on both the Show 5 and the two Facebook Portals I just got (10" and TV). UVC thru Monocle (using @tunnel) works fine on the Show 5, but the Portals just show “Waiting for camera…” for a bit, then say “Camera doesn’t support that”.
I’ve tried with Tunnel, Proxy and Proxy-TCP, and with NoAudio in case it’s the audio codec it’s not liking. No luck. I’m a bit stumped.
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I’m trying to get this set up, got a couple of questions.
- Am I using my dynamic IP and port from my ISP for Monocle, and what happens if that changes. Can I use my noip.com address somehow? I’m no good with HTML
- My BI5 camera setting have no URL in the Main stream or sub stream. Some just have a /, others have /live/main or something. How is everyone getting that address?
- I did get this set up in TinyCam Pro much easier. I just chose “Blue Iris” as the type of camera, and changed the port for setting up each camera. Is this not an option in Monocle, and could it be?
Thanks for any help anyone can give!
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Can’t find how to edit my previous post. I meant I change the “channel” for adding each camera in TinyCam Pro. I was thinking about running an old phone with TC Pro web server running. Maybe it provides an easier way to set this up with Monocle. But then I’ve got a feed going out the camera, through BI, through TCPro, then to Alexa, then to my TV. Seems like a lot of hops…
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@hockeyfreak Monocle needs the IP address of the camera (inside your network). I would recommend static IP addresses.
If you are trying to tap into the Blue Iris feed of the same camera then it needs the internal IP address of your Blue Iris server and the name of the Camera from Blue Iris.
Check the first message in this thread for the URL syntax.
Username and Password would the login for Blue Iris.Also note the post from @MRE about the Blue Iris Video file format and compression.
Good Luck -
@RonnBlack said in Blue Iris RTSP:
@hockeyfreak Monocle needs the IP address of the camera (inside your network). I would recommend static IP addresses.
I have all my cameras assigned static IP addresses
If you are trying to tap into the Blue Iris feed of the same camera then it needs the internal IP address of your Blue Iris server and the name of the Camera from Blue Iris.
Should I forget BI and just set up each camera IP? I have pfSense running preventing all internet access to the cameras. They communicate with BI only.
Check the first message in this thread for the URL syntax.
Username and Password would the login for Blue Iris.I’ve tried many variations of URLs for this on Firestick and VLC, none of them work yet. I’ll keep plugging away. I tried ActionTiles a while back and kind of got the Mjpeg stream working, I’ll look up those URLs and see if it would be similar. Would the BI Webserver Advanced section on Authentication have any bearing on the failure? I have mine set on Non-LAN, top three boxes are checked. That was an issue with ActionTiles.
I am confused about how Monocle, an external service outside my firewall, can resolve an internal IP address on people’s networks without a client running inside that network. I guess that shows my lack of knowledge on networking though.Also note the post from @MRE about the Blue Iris Video file format and compression.
I have BI set at H264 and no compression everywhere already.
Good Luck
Thank you so much for your response. I’ve looked at the threads on IPcamtalk also.
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@RonnBlack I’ve tried everything in this thread. At one point I got logs in the camera feed history, and everything looked right, my ISP IP was in there, and all the other stuff. But Alexa still reported the camera not responding. Now it’s not accessing at all. I’m stumped. Maybe something in pfSense?
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Hi hockeyfreak,
Best build your understanding step-by-step, and step 1 is to confirm BI is stream RTSP to VLC on your LAN. So check as follows:
Confirm you see your individual cameras in BI.
Then, ensure you are using BI 5.3.1.3 or later, as only then will BI be automatically generating RTSP streams for the cameras.
Then check you can see the each and all BI RTSP streams with VLC on your LAN using the URL: rtsp:/[BI user]:[BI username]@[BI IP]:[BI HTTP Port]/[BI camera or group name]&w=1280&h=720.
Does that work?