Experiences with blending HTTP, RTSP, and IMS [IP Multimedia Systems (IMS) Infrastructure and Services]

Although the session initiation protocol (SIP) based IMS network has attained attention for IP voice and video telephony networks, the popular and prevalent Web and streaming video applications are supported by real time streaming protocol (RTSP) and HTTP proxy networks. The current trend of maintaining disparate SIP-based IMS, RTSP, and HTTP proxy networks introduce added cost due to the duplication of network components, separate maintenance functions, and scaling inefficiency. Service providers' requirements to reduce such costs, call for the development of a solution that integrates the three proxy networks into a single hybrid platform. This article depicts the vision of such a hybrid platform, exemplified by two blended prototypes - shared streaming video application and the multimedia proxy. It is through the development of such applications that a path to an enhanced or extended IMS architecture encompassing the three proxy networks is possible. This article describes approaches promising the synthesis of IMS, HTTP, and RTSP based networks into integrated platforms that pioneer convergence to the vision. This article investigates a future, possible expansion of IMS to harmonize SIP, HTTP, and RTSP service delivery. The objective of this article is to initiate discussion and research