The necessity of multicast for IPTV streaming

The IPTV channels require high bandwidth for high clear television programs.. The use of multicast for IPTV service is considered necessary to resolve such problem. IP multicast is a bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces traffic by simultaneously delivering single stream of data to thousand costumers. Applications that take advantage of multicast include IPTV services, distance learning, distribution of software and news. But is it better to apply multicasting in core or in both core and access, this is still a burning question. In this paper we will analyze the most appropriate multicast solution for IPTV streaming. Also we will analyze two versions of IGMP-Internet Group Multicast Protocol (IGMP v1 and IGMP v2) and the communication scenarios between access nodes and service routers.