When we talk about online streaming and OTT, we come across many terms, among which IPTV is one of them. We are undergoing a transition from traditional broadcasting modes such as cable or satellite television to streaming based on the Internet, and IPTV as a system will play an important role in this transitional stage.
Basically, customers are not as concerned about owning content as they are about accessing it. This is where IPTV appeared. Let's carefully study the exact meaning of IPTV, its working mode and architecture, the types of IPTV services, and the future of IPTV. So, what is IPTV?
IPTV refers to protocol television based on the Internet, where the Internet is used to provide live or on-demand television programs and videos. IPTV is a system in which digital television services are transmitted to subscribers through broadband or Internet connected media through Internet protocol technology. It is slightly different from the digital videos accessed by millions of users on websites or applications such as YouTube or Netflix, but it has ubiquitous universality. Unlike standard cable or satellite connections, in IPTV, multiple televisions can use a single subscription in a single home.
IPTV brings more advantages and convenience to viewers, allowing them to choose the programs they want to watch anytime, anywhere, without having to watch any live TV programs currently playing. To understand how IPTV differs from traditional television, let's compare traditional television viewing methods with IPTV - both cable and satellite can work by allowing users to "tune" to specific channels within the signal, while the fundamental difference is that the cable is connected through cable while the satellite is wireless (until it reaches your house). The main example of cable TV is Time Warner cable, which is transmitted through coaxial cable connections, while the example of satellite TV comes from providers like DirecTV, which is transmitted and transmitted to the audience through radio waves.
IPTV uses an Internet Protocol (IP) based network to transmit TV channels to users' set-top boxes. Unlike cable and Satellite Network, the Internet provides content by providing the same client server model that presents e-mail, websites, and other Internet based services. As we will further mention in this blog, IP or Internet protocol is a language used to transmit data packets between computers connected to the Internet network.
Consumers request and receive TV programs, and video content is transmitted to viewers through an Internet Protocol (IP) based network (rather than cable or satellite). IPTV does not transmit content in real-time like cables or satellites, but forgets the model through transmission. IPTV can store programs on servers at the transmission end, allowing users to request content anytime through the Internet.
Compared to traditional channel surfing, IPTV is very similar to browsing the internet. It only uses IP (Internet Protocol), which is a transmission mechanism used to transmit videos to viewers. When viewers click on any TV program or request a video, videos from different sources (servers) will be divided into packets and sent over the Internet. The video server transmits the program to an existing home through an internet connection through a fiber optic cable, sends a request, and puts the program back in.
In the past few years, IPTV has been continuously growing. The total number of global IPTV users has now exceeded the 130 million mark. As of the end of 2015, there was a net increase of 6 million subscribers in the past 24 months. On this basis, many young people will tailor their home IPTV usage to OTT services.