IPTV

Internet Protocol Television

by
DEEPAK RAI
 Index

• Introduction
 What is IPTV
 IPTV Architecture
 How IPTV Works
 Role of Microsoft as IPTV solutions Provider
 Internet Television Service Provider(ITVSP)
 The IPTV Enabling Technology Standard
 The Network
 IPTV Applications and Services
 Benefits of IPTV
 Problems and challenges
 Conclusion
 Bibliography
 Introduction
 Television is generally broadcast using three methods – i.e.
terrestrial broadcasts Using VHF (Very High Frequency) or UHF
(Ultra High Frequency) radio waves.

 Satellite broadcasts using microwaves

 Cable broadcasts using coaxial cable

 Power line transmission transmits data to the viewer through the

power grid and xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) technology,

 Cable, satellite and terrestrial are currently undergoing a transition

from analogue to digital.
 What is IPTV
 Internet protocol television, or IPTV, uses a two-way digital
broadcast signal that is sent through a switched telephone or
cable network by way of a broadband connection.

 Using a set top box programmed with software that can handle
viewer requests to access media sources.

 Television is connected to the set top box that handles the task of
decoding the IP video and converts it into standard television
signals.

 IPTV describes a system capable of receiving and displaying a

video stream encoded as a series of Internet Protocol packets.
 Contd…
 At the moment, the meaning of IPTV is
occupied by "server based techniques".

 The meaning of IPTV is going to change to

a synonym for "TV via broadband”.

 IPTV is not TV that is broadcast over the

Internet.
 IPTV Architecture
 Due to the bandwidth requirements of video, IPTV requires
broadband connections to be distributed.

 IPTV covers both live TV (multicasting) as well as stored video

(Video on Demand VOD).

 The playback of IPTV requires either a personal computer or a "set-

top box" connected to a TV.

 The primary underlying protocols used for IPTV are IGMP version 2
for channel change signaling for live TV and RTSP for Video on
Demand

 Video Compression formats used for IPTV include MPEG-2, MPEG-

4, H.264, WMV (Windows Media Video 9 and VC1), XviD, DivX, and
Ogg Theora.
 Contd…
 IP television can be watched on different types of
viewing devices such as
 Standard television with adaptors
 Multimedia computers
 Dedicated IP television
 Mobile telephones

 IP television service allows viewers to have more control

of Internet television services.

 This control ranges from instant service activation to real

time television on demand controls.
How IPTV Works
Contd…
 Working of IPTV
 IPTV works the same as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), except
with a television signal instead of a voice signal.

 The signal is broken up into data packets and sent over the internet
to a home user’s high-speed internet connection, and into a set-top
box.

 Unlike normal television, this transmission can go both ways, not

only from provider to consumer.

 Although the technology is similar, IPTV will be offered at equal or

higher quality than current TV quality broadcasts.

 Because the packets containing the television signal are only sent
when requested, an enormous amount of bandwidth is saved.
 Contd…
 Saving bandwidth is not the only benefit of IPTV for
providers.

 Because IPTV allows data packets to be transferred

in both directions.

 Users may be able to pull up statistics on a sports

player if they are watching a game, configure their IPTV
set-top box to record a show from a remote location.

 This technology would also allow for online movie

rentals.
 Role of Microsoft as IPTV solutions
provider
 Microsoft has been heavily involved in trying to break in to
the IPTV market, providing subscriptions, hardware, and
software to make the networks work.

 Microsoft holds a more pristine vision of IPTV.

 Microsoft claims to already have software ready to power

IPTV services, and is awaiting the day when they can cash in
on their investment.

 Gates and Microsoft have been successful in predicting

trends in the past, and this type of forward thinking has helped
them get a jump on the IPTV market.
Internet Television Service
Providers(ITVSP)
IP Video to Multiple Users
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC: The IPTV
Enabling Technology Standard
 Video Coding Standards
 MPEG-2 requires 2 Mbps of bandwidth, which is available over
coaxial lines and satellite airwaves, to deliver broadcast-quality,
jitter-free, digital video

 MPEG-4 Simple Profile (SP) and Advanced Simple Profile (ASP)

were developed for streaming video over Internet connections.

 MPEG-4offers a software method to compress and decompress

video over a network that provides only a best-possible connection
with a wide range of data rates.

 H.264/MPEG-4 addresses the needs for greater compression,

leading to lower data rates, while maintaining broadcast quality for
video-on-demand (VOD) and high-definition television (HDTV)
needs.
 The Network
 The Network is made up of the following
components:

 The head-end

 MPEG Encoders

 Digital Turnaround

 Video Server

 Application Server

 Set-Top-Box
 Contd…
 The head-end
 The term head-end describes the location where
video content is aggregated and managed
 With an IP video head-end, the video traffic
(transported as data) can be injected into the
system from almost anywhere
 Therefore head-end can be located anywhere

• MPEG Encoders
 The MPEG encoder receives video feeds from
content providers, and encodes the signals into
MPEG frames.
 Contd…..
 Digital Turnaround
 The digital turnaround or Media Gateway is used to take
already digitally encoded video streams and transport it on
the IP network
 The primary function is to de-multiplex DVB-ASI streams
from satellite or terrestrial sources and redistribute them over
an IP network.
 These video streams are usually already encoded into the
MPEG format
 The turnaround will take the multi-program transport stream,
separate the channels, and transport each program into its
own IP multicast stream. It does not have to be decoded, and
encoded again to work with the IP network.
 Contd….
• Video Server
 To provide Video on Demand (VoD), the provider uses a
video server to hold a large database of movies
 People can select a movie from the onscreen display
and choose when they want to view the movie.
 The MPEG encoded movie is then transmitted via a
unicast IP stream.They can pause, stop, start, rewind, or
fast-forward the movie

 Application Server
 application server provides the interaction systems for
the user and allows for storage of web services, and
stored advertisements
 Contd…
• Set-top-Box
 The job of the set-top-box (STB) is multi-fold.
 The STB decodes the data stream and hands an analog feed to the
television set
 It also has the channel information, displays the interactive guide
and is used to change channels
 When the STB starts up, it goes through a boot process. During this
process, it downloads configuration information from the
management system.
 This information includes the channel guide and IGMP information,
specifically channel to multicast group associations.
 When the user changes channel, the STB notifies the network that it
doesn’t need the old multicast stream and need to join a new video
group.
 It then receives the new MPEG-2 stream, decodes the stream and
sends the analog video to the TV.
Set-Top-box
 IPTV Applications and Services
 Distance learning

 Corporate communication

 TV to the desktop

 Training

 Business applications
 Company-wide seminars
 Video conferencing

 Additional services
 Conference Calling
 Pay-Per-View
 Video on Demand
 Gaming

.
 Benefits of IPTV
 One-way high-speed Internet access via satellite.

 Supports all standard Internet Protocols - Http, FTP,

SMTP (POP3), and more.

 Digital Data Broadcasting technology allows you to

receive broadcast data from content providers.

 Extensive caching at our Network Operations Center will

help guarantee high-speed delivery and reduce
bottlenecks normally found in the Internet access
network.
 Contd…
 Appearances by valuable guest lecturers can be
recorded and used for multiple courses
semester after semester.

 Videos broadcast through IPTV are

automatically archived in Real Media format and
stored on a Real Server

 Improved compression solutions

 Hardware is improving while costs are falling

 Problems and Challenges.
 IPTV is expected to grow at a brisk pace in
the coming few years.

 IPTV is not a protocol itself.

 It requires a broadband connection

 Contd…
 Content Distribution Rights

 Data Transfer Rate Capability

 Media Player Compatibility

 Channel Changing Time

 Conclusion
 IP-TV is a technology that is just emerging and someday will
be as common as a regular television.

 In the mean time, it truly has some very compelling

applications that
can help businesses and organizations today.

 Moreover , the benefits of IP-TV are very tangible

because on demand access to information can increase
productivity, improve the level of communication, and provide
a way for employees to advance their careers.

 Wherever on-demand access for multimedia content exists,

IP-TV can deliver it over an existing Ethernet network.
 Bibliography
 http://arstechnica.com/guides/other/iptv
 http://wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTV
 http://wwwam.hhi.de/iptv/papers/sikora/fin
al.htm
 Northstream AB. 2004. Overview and
comparison of IPTV solutions.
www.northstream.se