diff --git a/gst/udp/gstudpnetutils.c b/gst/udp/gstudpnetutils.c
index 1a6b9a4362..45662871d1 100644
--- a/gst/udp/gstudpnetutils.c
+++ b/gst/udp/gstudpnetutils.c
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <memory.h>
 
+#include <gst/gst.h>
+
 #include "gstudpnetutils.h"
 
 /* EAI_ADDRFAMILY was obsoleted in BSD at some point */
@@ -352,3 +354,114 @@ gst_udp_is_multicast (struct sockaddr_storage *addr)
 
   return ret;
 }
+
+void
+gst_udp_uri_init (GstUDPUri * uri, const gchar * host, gint port)
+{
+  uri->host = NULL;
+  uri->port = -1;
+  gst_udp_uri_update (uri, host, port);
+}
+
+int
+gst_udp_uri_update (GstUDPUri * uri, const gchar * host, gint port)
+{
+  if (host) {
+    g_free (uri->host);
+    uri->host = g_strdup (host);
+    if (strchr (host, ':'))
+      uri->is_ipv6 = TRUE;
+    else
+      uri->is_ipv6 = FALSE;
+  }
+  if (port != -1)
+    uri->port = port;
+
+  return 0;
+}
+
+int
+gst_udp_parse_uri (const gchar * uristr, GstUDPUri * uri)
+{
+  gchar *protocol;
+  gchar *location, *location_end;
+  gchar *colptr;
+
+  protocol = gst_uri_get_protocol (uristr);
+  if (strcmp (protocol, "udp") != 0)
+    goto wrong_protocol;
+  g_free (protocol);
+
+  location = gst_uri_get_location (uristr);
+  if (!location)
+    return FALSE;
+
+  GST_DEBUG ("got location '%s'", location);
+
+  if (location[0] == '[') {
+    GST_DEBUG ("parse IPV6 address '%s'", location);
+    location_end = strchr (location, ']');
+    if (location_end == NULL)
+      goto wrong_address;
+
+    uri->is_ipv6 = TRUE;
+    g_free (uri->host);
+    uri->host = g_strndup (location + 1, location_end - location - 1);
+    colptr = strrchr (location_end, ':');
+  } else {
+    GST_DEBUG ("parse IPV4 address '%s'", location);
+    uri->is_ipv6 = FALSE;
+    colptr = strrchr (location, ':');
+
+    g_free (uri->host);
+    if (colptr != NULL) {
+      uri->host = g_strndup (location, colptr - location);
+    } else {
+      uri->host = g_strdup (location);
+    }
+  }
+  GST_DEBUG ("host set to '%s'", uri->host);
+
+  if (colptr != NULL) {
+    uri->port = atoi (colptr + 1);
+  }
+  g_free (location);
+
+  return 0;
+
+  /* ERRORS */
+wrong_protocol:
+  {
+    GST_ERROR ("error parsing uri %s: wrong protocol (%s != udp)", uristr,
+        protocol);
+    g_free (protocol);
+    return -1;
+  }
+wrong_address:
+  {
+    GST_ERROR ("error parsing uri %s", uristr);
+    g_free (location);
+    return -1;
+  }
+}
+
+gchar *
+gst_udp_uri_string (GstUDPUri * uri)
+{
+  gchar *result;
+
+  if (uri->is_ipv6) {
+    result = g_strdup_printf ("udp://[%s]:%d", uri->host, uri->port);
+  } else {
+    result = g_strdup_printf ("udp://%s:%d", uri->host, uri->port);
+  }
+  return result;
+}
+
+void
+gst_udp_uri_free (GstUDPUri * uri)
+{
+  g_free (uri->host);
+  uri->host = NULL;
+  uri->port = -1;
+}
diff --git a/gst/udp/gstudpnetutils.h b/gst/udp/gstudpnetutils.h
index faaece9097..4b8676f002 100644
--- a/gst/udp/gstudpnetutils.h
+++ b/gst/udp/gstudpnetutils.h
@@ -75,17 +75,31 @@ gboolean gst_udp_net_utils_win32_wsa_startup (GstObject * obj);
 
 #endif
 
-int gst_udp_get_sockaddr_length(struct sockaddr_storage *addr);
+typedef struct {
+  gchar    *host;
+  gint      port;
+  gboolean  is_ipv6;
+} GstUDPUri;
 
-int gst_udp_get_addr      (const char *hostname, int port, struct sockaddr_storage *addr);
-int gst_udp_is_multicast  (struct sockaddr_storage *addr);
+int     gst_udp_get_sockaddr_length  (struct sockaddr_storage *addr);
 
-int gst_udp_set_loop      (int sockfd, gboolean loop);
-int gst_udp_set_ttl       (int sockfd, int ttl, gboolean is_multicast);
+int     gst_udp_get_addr             (const char *hostname, int port, struct sockaddr_storage *addr);
+int     gst_udp_is_multicast         (struct sockaddr_storage *addr);
 
-int gst_udp_join_group    (int sockfd, struct sockaddr_storage *addr,
-                           gchar *iface);
-int gst_udp_leave_group   (int sockfd, struct sockaddr_storage *addr);
+int     gst_udp_set_loop             (int sockfd, gboolean loop);
+int     gst_udp_set_ttl              (int sockfd, int ttl, gboolean is_multicast);
+
+/* multicast groups */
+int     gst_udp_join_group           (int sockfd, struct sockaddr_storage *addr,
+                                      gchar *iface);
+int     gst_udp_leave_group          (int sockfd, struct sockaddr_storage *addr);
+
+/* uri handling */
+void    gst_udp_uri_init             (GstUDPUri *uri, const gchar *host, gint port);
+int     gst_udp_uri_update           (GstUDPUri *uri, const gchar *host, gint port);
+int     gst_udp_parse_uri            (const gchar *uristr, GstUDPUri *uri);
+gchar * gst_udp_uri_string           (GstUDPUri *uri);
+void    gst_udp_uri_free             (GstUDPUri *uri);
 
 #endif /* __GST_UDP_NET_UTILS_H__*/