Chapter 9. RTP and Advanced Time-Based Media Topics

IN THIS CHAPTER

• What's RTP?

• RTP with the JMF

• Extending the JMF

• JMFCustomizer

• Synchronization

• The JMF in Conjunction with other APIs

• Java Sound

• Future Directions for the JMF

This is the third of three chapters concerning time-based media (typically sound and video) and Java (chiefly the JMF: Java Media Framework). Although the previous two chapters present an introduction to, and then details of, the JMF, this chapter covers more advanced topics in the field of time-based media processing in Java.

The greater portion of the chapter concerns the JMF in two areas. The first area is that of real-time streaming of media in the JMF via RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol). This enables applications such as video-conferencing or Web broadcasts to be written using the JMF. The section discusses the basics of RTP before covering the JMF classes that provide the necessary support. The second area concerns extending the JMF by implementing one or more of the various interfaces that are the true core of the JMF. Finally, indications of how the JMF can be connected to other Java APIs or platform features and classes are given.

However, a portion of the chapter doesn't concern the JMF at all, but other Java APIs concerned with time-based media. In particular, Java Sound—a core (as of Java 1.3) platform API dealing with sampled and MIDI sound—is briefly addressed. Integrating the JMF with other Java APIs also is covered before the chapter concludes by examining the future of the JMF.