What is IPTV and how does it work

When we talk about streaming, there are many conditions that we see, IPTV being one of them. We are experiencing a paradigm shift from traditional transmission methods, such as cable or satellite TV, to Internet-based streaming, and IPTV has a major role as a system at an important stage. this weight.

Customers don’t really care about ownership of the content as much as they care about accessing the content. 

Let’s take a closer look at what IPTV is exactly, how it works and its architecture, the type of IPTV service, and the future of IPTV.

 To get started, all you need to do is purchase an IPTV subscription and download the app on supported devices. The IPTV providers mentioned here offer live streaming at resolutions up to 1080p.

What is IPTV?

IPTV refers to Internet-based protocol television where Internet TV is used to deliver live or on-demand programs and videos. IPTV is a system that provides digital television services to customers via broadband transmission or internet transmission through internet protocol technology.

It’s slightly different from the digital video accessed by millions of users on sites or apps like YouTube or Netflix, but it shares a common, pervasive nature. Also, unlike a standard cable or satellite connection, multiple TVs on IPTV can use a single  IPTV Subscription in a household.

IPTV gives viewers the added benefit and convenience of being able to choose what shows they want to watch whenever and wherever they want, in addition to watching whatever live TV is being broadcast. broadcasting.

To understand how IPTV is different from regular TV, let’s compare traditional TV viewing with IPTV –

Both cable and satellite work by allowing the user to “tun” specific channels between those signals, and the basic difference is through a wired connection where the satellite is wireless (until it comes to your house). A good example of cable television is Time Warner cable provided over a coaxial cable connection, and an example of satellite television is from providers like DirecTV which is transmitted and delivered to viewers via radio waves. radio.

IPTV uses an Internet Protocol (IP)-based network to deliver television channels to set-top boxes to users. The Internet is separate from cable and satellite, delivering content through the same client-server model that renders email, web pages, and other Internet-based services. As we will cover more deeply in this blog, IP or Internet Protocol is the language used to transmit data packets between computers connected to the Internet.

Consumers request and receive television programs and video content delivered to viewers over an Internet Protocol (IP)-based network instead of cable or satellite. Unlike cable or satellite where content is transmitted in real-time, a pass and forget model, IPTV has the ability to save programming to a server after transmission, allowing users to request content over the Internet at any time. when.

How does IPTV work?

IPTV is more like internet browsing than traditional channel surfing. It only uses IP (Internet Protocol), a transport protocol that delivers video to viewers. When a viewer clicks on a TV show or requests a video, the video from different sources (servers) is shared on data packets and sent to the Internet. The video server sends programs to existing homes via a fiber-optic Internet connection, requests are sent and programs are returned.

IPTV Architecture

Depending on the service provider’s network architecture, there are two main types of IPTV architectures that can be considered for IPTV deployment: centralized and distributed.

Because all media content is stored on a centralized server, it does not require a comprehensive content delivery system. A centralized architecture is generally good for a network that offers relatively small VOD service implementations, adequate core and edge bandwidth, and an efficient content delivery network (CDN).

The distributed architecture is scalable, as the centralized model, but it has built-in bandwidth usage and system management features that are essential for managing a large server network. Therefore, operators who plan to install relatively large systems should consider implementing a distributed architecture model from the start. The distributed architecture requires intelligent and sophisticated content delivery technology to maximize the efficient delivery of multimedia content across the entire service provider network.

Typical IPTV network architecture diagram –

IPTV network architecture diagram

The central unit receives broadcasts from satellites and local antennas. The central unit is where live TV channels and AV sources are encoded, encoded, and delivered as IP multicast streams. The central unit will also have an ad server, a live TV streaming server, a video-on-demand (VOD) server and platform, and video-on-demand resources hosted and served as unicast IP stream when any user requests it. The VOD platform is sometimes placed next to the central unit of an IPTV and can be considered part of it.

The required video and TV channels are delivered to the viewer via a distribution network that includes a robust Internet uplink via fiber optic cable from the edge of the IPTV broadcasters.

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Christophe Rude
Christophe Rude
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