Television is changing
Over the last decade, the growth of satellite service, the rise of digital cable, and the birth of HDTV have all left their mark on the television landscape. Now, a new delivery method threatens to shake things up even more powerfully. Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) has arrived, and backed by the deep pockets of the telecommunications industry, it's poised to offer more interactivity and bring a hefty dose of competition to the business of selling TV.

IPTV describes a system capable of receiving and displaying a video stream encoded as a series of Internet Protocol packets. If you've ever watched a video clip on your computer, you've used an IPTV system in its broadest sense. When most people discuss IPTV, though, they're talking about watching traditional channels on your television, where people demand a smooth, high-resolution, lag-free picture, and it's the telcos that are jumping headfirst into this market. Once known only as phone companies, the telcos now want to turn a "triple play" of voice, data, and video that will retire the side and put them securely in the batter's box.

In this primer, we'll explain how IPTV works and what the future holds for the technology. Though IP can (and will) be used to deliver video over all sorts of networks, including cable systems, we'll focus in this article on the telcos, which are the most aggressive players in the game. They're pumping billions into new fiber rollouts and backend infrastructure (AT&T alone inked a US$400 million deal for Microsoft's IPTV Edition software last year, for instance, and a US$1.7 billion deal with hardware maker Alcatel). Why the sudden enthusiasm for the TV business? Because the telcos see that the stakes are far higher than just some television: companies that offer the triple play want to become your household's sole communications link, and IPTV is a major part of that strategy.

Open TV IPTV Solutions
Open TV has developed a standards-based IPTV solution that implements IPTV using a mature, proven, embedded STB middleware platform used today by most of the leading suppliers of STB technology. Our solution empowers cable, satellite and telcos to deliver stand-alone and hybrid IPTV solutions that best fit their business needs.

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is a fast growing digital TV delivery technology that enables cable, satellite and telecommunication providers to launch Pay TV services either on their own or in partnership with other operators to create hybrid IPTV solutions. Factors driving the increased interest in IPTV solutions include telecommunication companies facing increased competition, from both other Telcos and from digital cable operators who are offering triple-play services of voice, video and data. Cable companies are exploring the opportunity to partner with Telcos or even lease lines from Telcos allowing them to expand their services beyond the reach of their existing cable infrastructure. Satellite operators are also exploring relationships with Telcos to leverage high speed DSL services to enable two-way services for their consumers. All of these initiatives are driving these companies to adopt technology that is suited for the delivery of television, voice, and data over their existing infrastructure or hybrid models in offering the most compelling service bundle to their consumers.

Click here to download this whitepaper: OpenTV_IPTV_Whitepaper.pdf

IPTV Explained
An IPTV service model offers a complete multi-channel video line-up as well as on-demand programming. IPTV technology promises to make more content available because of the limitless nature of the switched digital video architecture theoretically giving access to niche content that has not previously been available on TV.

IPTV, essentially, has two components: Part 1: Internet Protocol (IP): specifies the format of packets and the addressing scheme for a network. Most networks combine IP with a higher-level protocol. Depending on the vendor solution, user datagram protocol (UDP) is the most typical higher-level protocol. The protocol establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source. IP allows you to address a package of information and drop it in the system, but there’s no direct link between you and the recipient. Part 2: Television (TV): specifies the medium of communication that operates through the transmission of pictures and sounds. We all know TV, but here we are referring to the services that are offered for the TV, like linear and on-demand programming.

Click here to download this whitepaper: IPTVExplained.pdf