IPTV is a recently created computer protocol that should replace traditional television transmission protocols in the long run. It raises some questions. What is IPTV? What are its characteristics ? What are the benefits of using abonnement IPTV ? Discover the answers to these various questions in the rest of this article.
What Does Iptv Mean?
IPTV premium is an acronym for Internet Protocol TeleVision. As the name suggests, it is a television transmission process that uses the Internet to operate (via IP which stands for Internet Protocol). To gain a better understanding of this relatively new concept for many people, it is a good idea to learn more about conventional transmission protocols (that is, not using IPTV).
Generally, television channels use satellite or radio transmission systems to broadcast programs. Thus, each subscriber with a TV, antenna and decoder can receive the signal at home via the satellite or wireless network.
However, the classic process has one major shortcoming: it is not possible for the viewer to control what he is watching. The channels predefined daily programs to which all subscribers must refer if they want to follow programs. With well-defined schedules (and therefore by definition not flexible). IPTV is completely different. In addition to using the Internet to operate, it also offers the user the possibility to choose their programs. In other words, the viewer can follow what they want, when they want.
Note: Be careful not to summarize IPTV only to platforms for streaming or broadcasting multimedia content online (YouTube, Netflix, etc.).
How Does IPTV Work?
As briefly mentioned above, the operating principle of IPTV is as follows: make television available on demand. Thus, analogously to what happens during a search on the Internet (Google search for example), the viewer requests a program that he wants to follow and the corresponding signal is sent to him. Since data traffic takes place via the Internet, the user therefore no longer needs a satellite dish or any antenna to receive the broadcasts, just from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and an internet connection.
Note that IPTV does not preclude the use of a satellite TV signal receiver (satellite dish). If you wish, you can even use them together (jointly or alternatively). What you just need to know is that these are two completely independent concepts.
How Do Operators Broadcast Programs Using IPTV?
Deploying an IPTV protocol is very complex. First, it requires a very advanced storage base. It is in fact thanks to this that the operator will store all the multimedia content that it makes available to its subscribers. There are mainly two types, namely:
- Centralized storage servers (practical for small local operators);
- Decentralized storage servers (for large operators).
Once the multimedia content has been put on the storage servers, the operator implements an encryption algorithm. He must also ensure that each viewer can have the best possible video quality. As for the broadcasts themselves, they are made in the form of streaming (without ads) on demand with very high transmission speeds.