INTERNET PROTOCOL TELEVISION (IPTV) INDEX 1. ABSTRACT 2. INTRODUCTION 3. BRIEF IDEA 4. APPLICATIONS 5. IPTV INTRODUCTION 6. WORKING OF IPTV 7. CONCLUSION 8. REFERENCE ABSTRACT “IPTV (Internet Protocol Television)” IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is a system where a digital television service is delivered using Internet Protocol over a network infrastructure, which may include delivery by a broadband connection. A general definition of IPTV is television content that, instead of being delivered through traditional broadcast and cable formats, is received by the viewer through the technologies used for computer networks. For residential users, IPTV is often provided in conjunction with Video on Demand and may be bundled with Internet services such as Web access and VoIP. The commercial bundling of IPTV, VoIP and Internet access is referred to as "Triple Play" service (when these three are offered with mobility, the service is referred to as "Quadruple Play"). IPTV is typically supplied by a service provider using a closed network infrastructure. This closed network approach is in competition with the delivery of TV content over the public Internet, called Internet Television. In businesses, IPTV may be used to deliver television content over corporate LANs. INRODUCTION The term IPTV can cause some confusion. In narrow terms, IPTV is defined as the provision of video services (for example, live television channels, near video-on- demand (VOD) or pay-per-view) through an IP platform. However, some define IPTV services to encompass all the possible functionalities that can be provided over an IP platform. For example, some equate IPTV services with multimedia services, a category that can include television, video, audio, text, graphics, and data.[1] This encompasses not only one-way video broadcasting services but also ancillary interactive video and data services, such as VOD, web browsing, advanced email, and messaging services. The interactive services associated with IPTV allow the viewer to determine what and when to watch, and also allow the user to “teleshop” or order movie tickets. IPTV providers now commonly include in their commercial packages a personal video recorder (PVR) through a hard disk in the set-top-box (STB) or on the network, allowing “time-shifted” or “catch-up” viewing of TV broadcasts.[2] With an IP-based managed network, the service provider is able to offer a high quality of service (QoS) level and high “Quality of Experience” (QoE), as well as security, interactivity and reliability. IPTV providers are signing content agreements and developing innovative applications in order to compete with cable and satellite television. This includes striking deals for special viewing packages such as sports. Several IPTV providers have also launched High Definition (HD) television services. In Hong Kong, China PCCW recently introduced stock trading on its “Now” IPTV service. In France, Iliad’s “TV Perso Freebox” lets subscribers post their own videos for view by others. IPTV can be confused with Internet video or Internet TV, but those services are quite different. Internet video and Internet TV are both offered over the public Internet. Internet video is an unmanaged service that offers the streaming of video through the public Internet. Internet video companies include user-generated video websites like YouTube or Metacafe where users can upload and view others’ videos. Today, these services tend to lack a QoS standard and are without any real control over production quality.[3] Internet TV companies, like Joost, Babelgum, and Zattoo, tend to operate on peer- to-peer networks rather than on managed networks, and they typically offer free, ad-based services. However, their offerings are similar or identical to IPTV in several key areas. First, like IPTV, Internet TV provides professionally produced and copyright-protected video. Internet TV companies also tend to use MPEG 4, the same encoding technology used by IPTV providers, for high video quality and offer near-TV quality picture resolution. While IPTV allows subscribers to more easily switch from television to computer mode, users are increasingly able to view all kinds of video on their television sets with Internet TV.[4] For Internet TV providers like Joost that offer VOD, users can rewind and fast- forward videos, much like IPTV users that rewind and fast forward with PVR. However, Internet TV providers that stream live television, such as Zattoo, do not yet have this capability. Although limited in their service areas, both the U.S.- based Joost and European-based Zattoo have negotiated digital rights management (DRM) agreements, requiring operators to prevent end users from copying or converting copyrighted materials. DRM deals are considered a necessary component of offering IPTV. IPTV is often misconstrued for lack of clear definition. Let’s look at what IPTV is not: – IPTV is not video over the public Internet.(Because the public internet is actually composed of several independent networks with separate controls, it is NOT a managed network. For this reason, it is not really capable of delivering multiple streams of high definition video in the manner subscribers now expect from a service provider. – IPTV is not video compression – (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MPEG-4 Part 10, VC-1, AVC, JVT, H.264, etc.) – IPTV is not video services – IPTV should not be confused with the term “All Digital” which can apply to MSO and DBS services IPTV is not DOCSIS (although DOCSIS incorporates IP) – IPTV isn’t necessarily “better”, “cheaper” or “newer” (although some IP set- tops are cheaper) In 1994, ABC's World News Now was the first television show to be broadcast over the Internet, using the CU-SeeMe videoconferencing software. The term IPTV first appeared in 1995 with the founding of Precept Software by Judith Estrin and Bill Carrico. Precept designed and built an internet video product named "IP/TV". IP/TV was an MBONE compatible Windows and Unix based application that moved single and multi-source audio/video traffic, ranging from low to DVD quality, using both unicast and IP multicast RTP/RTCP. The software was written primarily by Steve Casner, Karl Auerbach, and Cha Chee Kuan. Precept was acquired by Cisco Systems in 1998. Cisco retains the "IP/TV" trademark. Internet radio company AudioNet started the first continuous live webcasts with content from WFAA-TV in January, 1998 and KCTU-LP on January 10, 1998. Kingston Communications, a regional telecommunications operator in UK, launched KIT (Kingston Interactive Television), an IPTV over DSL broadband interactive TV service in September 1999 after conducting various TV and VoD trials. The operator added additional VoD service in October 2001 with Yes TV, a provider VoD content. Kingston was one of the first companies in the world to introduce IPTV and IP VoD over ADSL. In 2006, AT&T launched its U-Verse IPTV service, comprising a national head end and regional video-serving offices. AT&T offered over 300 channels in 11 cities with more to be added in 2007 and beyond. While using IP protocols, AT&T has built a private IP network exclusively for video transport. BRIEF IDEA An IPTV operation has four components: the content source, the core network, the access network, and the end user (see figure below).[4] The content source is the video provider that owns or is licensed to sell live television programming, VOD, or other downloaded content. Live television is typically received via satellite or through fiber networks, while VOD content is stored by the network operator. Content passes through an encoder, or headend, which prepares the content for transmission on the network. The core network encodes the video streams using MPEG-2, although the use of MPEG-4 (H.264 AVC[5], Windows Media VC-1) is on the rise. Once encoded, the content is encapsulated into IP packets, and is then ready for delivery to subscribers. Live television is delivered via multicast, which allows many end users to receive content from one packet through efficient use of the IP network. Channels are essentially IP multicast group addresses that subscribers request to join. Unlike a cable system or an over-the-air television that “tunes” to a channel, the IPTV set- top box (STB) acts only as an IP receiver. The STB changes channels by using the protocol to join a new multicast group. When the local switch office obtains the channel change request, it confirms that the subscriber is authorized to view the content and adds the user to the channel distribution list. Therefore, only signals being watched are sent from the local office, through a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), if necessary, and finally to the user. Rather than a “one-to-many” transmission like multicast, VOD is unicast, or “one- to-one.” When an end user requests a VOD product, the servers pull pre- compressed video streams and transmit them as IP packets. Typically, the local switch office uses a VOD server to stream from the server to a particular subscriber’s location. The stream is generally controlled by real time streaming protocol (RTSP), which allows the user to play, pause, and stop the program. If the video stream is delivered over a copper local loop, the IPTV provider must use DSLAM equipment to deliver IP packets to the subscriber after the content is encoded. DSLAMs are located either along the core network or access network. At the customer premises, the STB allows subscribers to select the content they want to watch and provides user control over functionalities such as rewind, fast- forward, and pause over non-live programs. The two-way functionality of IPTV services not only allows subscribers to choose their services with the press of a button, it also offers interactive capabilities, which allow a user to easily manage multimedia sessions and personalize preferences.