Traditional TV services are slowly vanishing from our living rooms on a worldwide scale. Despite providing hundreds of channels, viewers are forced to watch them when they are being broadcast—unless the TV show is pre-recorded.
With fast internet speeds ruling over the world, IPTV solutions for operators can now present smooth and hassle-free access to content where and when consumers want it.
With Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), programs are provided on-demand. Thus, how does it work, and what are its benefits to operators? This article digs deeper into IPTV.
What is IPTV?
IPTV is where TV programs and shows are transferred over the internet.
In reality, the end product for the TV viewer is identical—their favorite shows are shown on their TV set. The only difference here is that instead of getting broadcast signals from a satellite dish, antenna, or fiber-optic cable, the content is streamed using an internet connection.
On top of that, viewers aren’t obliged to use their televisions with a set-top box. That only means that IPTV technology could be accessed on mobile devices and tablets, as well.
After consumers pick what they like to watch through the interface, the video content file is encoded in the proper format for streaming, encrypted, and transmitted.
A certain file could be accessed by millions, and they all expect to watch it in 4K or HD, particularly for subscription-paid users.
How does it work?
With IPTV, pre-recorded movies and shows are stored and streamed on-demand. However, live TV is streamed as it is produced. Normally, VOD services limit their content to prevent hogging more bandwidth than needed, which would impact internet speeds for everybody.
On top of that, storage space isn’t so much of a problem for broadcasters nowadays. However, with so much content accessible since TV was made, providing all of it to customers would slow down the network for people consuming non-video content on the internet.
During streaming, a technology that is similar to standard web surfing is utilized. When a site is accessed, a temporary link between a computer and a server is made with the further transmission of information and files from one to another.
That form of downloading between servers is known as IP unicasting. When it comes to IPTV streaming, there’s a more simultaneous and significant load on the server, leading to a slightly different approach called IP multicasting. It has packets leaving the server once and being distributed to different destinations.
What’s more, CDNs with synchronized global networks that keep mirror copies of the same data are utilized to make sure the same IPTV content can be streamed with the same quality irrespective of the consumers’ geographical location.
Why should operators have an IPTV platform?
With so many advantages and improved demand for IPTV services, it is obvious to see why it’s becoming a good way to send and receive video content. With an increase in content available and strengthened user experience, IPTV is transforming consumer behavior.
A full-fledged IPTV solution makes use of closed networks that enables operators to offer high-quality streaming to targeted customers. That will never be as flexible as an internet-centric IPTV solution, as software updates should be deployed to head-ends within the network.
Apart from that, IPTV indicates better opportunities for globalization.
Conclusion
If speed and flexibility to market remain competitive factors, IPTV operators must embrace fundamental elements of IPTV solutions. It’s essential to embrace modern approaches to software and service maintenance and cloud infrastructure strategies to cost-effectively scale the business and roll out new functions and features.
So, what are you waiting for? There’s no time to waste. Make sure you get your hands on IPTV today and start offering it as your service.
