RTCP - Definition, History and Explanation

The Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) is a network protocol that works alongside the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) to provide out-of-band control information for multimedia content delivery over IP networks. It is primarily used in multimedia streaming systems to offer feedback on the quality of service, enabling adaptive behavior based on network conditions. The main challenges faced by early solutions for real-time media transport were lack of standardization and absence of a dedicated protocol for real-time multimedia data transmission over IP networks. RTCP, along with RTP, addressed these issues by providing control and monitoring functionalities, ensuring a robust and high-quality real-time media experience.