Internet Protocol TV or IPTV

Table of Contents

 Introduction
 Protocols
 Advantages
 Interactivity
 Video on Demand
 Status in Asia and Europe

Introduction

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is the new generation telecasting system whereby
television services are delivered via the Internet Protocol route by means of a fast and reliable
Internet connection. To put it simply, viewers can access TV channels on their computers
using a broadband Internet connection. Transport streams are sent over IP networks from an
outside source that is then drawn directly by users in much the same way as a telephone or
Internet connection.

Major telecom companies across the world have laid thousands of kilometers of optic fiber to
meet the expected demand for IPTV. According to TDG Research, global IPTV revenues
could top $17 billion by 2010.

As of now, IPTV service providers cannot determine the end quality of the delivery. This is
because real-time data transmission is done using the Internet Protocol, the system is sensitive
to packet loss and delays if the Internet connection is not fast enough, and may result in
break-up of the graphic elements if the streamed data is not reliable. This issue gets
accentuated when streaming video across wireless links. Work is afoot to improve existing
wireless technology and equipment to overcome these hurdles.

Protocols
IPTV caters to multicasting or live telecast of TV programs, as well as to video on demand
(VOD), which involves telecasting from stored video files. Users can receive IPTV programs,
through their personal computers or have a set-top box installed with their TVs. Compressed
video content in MPEG-2 (or the later MPEG-4 H.264 codec which is replacing MPEG-2
codec) is sent in a transport stream and delivered via IP multicast (live TV) or via IP unicast
(Video on Demand). The term IP Multicast refers to the simultaneous sending of information
to multiple computers.

IGMP (vers2) is used in live TV for connecting to a multicast stream and for changing
streams that is how TV channels are accessed and switched from one to another. Real Time
Streaming Protocol (RTSP) is generally used for VOD.

Advantages

IPTV capability offers several distinct advantages over the traditional form of telecasting. It
allows for the integration of television with other IP-based services like high-speed Internet
access and VoIP. The convergence of services whereby a range of services is delivered
seamlessly is fast gaining in importance. For instance, it is possible to have an on-screen
Caller ID on your TV monitor with call handling features incorporated. With IP-based
convergence, users can gain anytime-anywhere access to content via their televisions, PCs and
cell phones, and the ability to integrate these services.

Businesses can benefit hugely from these services as they obviate the need to run a parallel
infrastructure to access video services.

It is possible to deliver a lot more content and functionality in an IPTV enabled system.
Consumers can select the content they choose to view from the network, and this feature frees
up bandwidth, making the delivery of services significantly more efficient.

Interactivity

Unlike cable TV, which is a one-way communication, IPTV allows for a two-way
communication between consumers and service providers. The television program viewing
experience is rendered much more personalized and interactive in the IPTV system as
compared to the traditional satellite TV- cable based version. For instance, viewers get to
search for program content by title or other key word searches even as they are watching a
program. They may want to have control over the camera angle while watching a football or
basketball game. It may soon be within the realm of possibility for IPTV subscribers to access
photos or music (stored on their computers) on their television screens, schedule their favorite
programs through a wireless phone or even view the interior of their apartment to check for
possible intruders while they’re away on vacation.

Video on Demand

With VoD, consumers can choose to have a playback option in respect of a selected program
or movie to watch at their leisure or convenient time. The playback starts at the appointed
time. When the customer clicks to select the program of his choice, a point-to-point (Unicast)
connection is established between the customer’s Set Top Box or computer and the streaming
server meant for delivery. Real Time Streaming Protocol (RSTP) is used to signal for the trick
play functionality: pause, play, rewind and fast forward). MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and VC-1 are the
codecs typically used for VoD.

Status in Asia and Europe

Demand for IPTV in the Asia-Pacific region alone (excluding Japan) is estimated to cross 20
million subscriptions by 2009. According to Siemens, the global market for IPTV technology
could be close to $1 billion by 2009. In India, IPTV is being launched in Mumbai and
Chennai this year. Airtel already offers voice, data and broadband services to over 1.2 million
customers across the country, and hopes to exploit their unique two-way service applications
like time-shifted television, video-on-demand and interactive-gaming.

In Europe, IPTV is well past its infancy. TV analyst Daniel Schmitt has authored an elaborate
report titled European IPTV: Market Assessment and Forecasts To 2009. The large scope for
Pay TV and plethora of opportunities for IPTV operators in sixteen European markets have
been studied in depth. The key findings of the report are that the number of subscribers to
European IPTV services had increased by 66% even within the first six months of 2005;
France is the biggest of Europe’s IPTV markets and will continue to dominate even in 2009
by which time there will be 2.4 million subscribers.

The number of households subscribing to Internet Protocol (IPTV) services in Western