1 Iptv : the Ultimate Viewing Experience

Digital Television, also known as Digital TV, is the most significant advancement in television technology since the medium was created over a century ago. Digital TV offers consumers more choice and makes the viewing experience more interactive. The analog system of broadcasting television has been in place for well over 60 years. During this period, viewers experienced the transition from black-and-white sets to color TV sets. The migration from black-and-white television to color television required viewers to purchase new TV sets, and broadcasters had to acquire new transmitters, pre, and post production equipment. Today, the industry is going through a profound transition, migrating from conventional TV to a new era of digital technology. Most TVoperators have upgraded their existing networks and have deployed advanced digital platforms in an effort to migrate their subscribers away from traditional analog services to more sophisticated digital services. A new technology called Internet Protocol-based television (IPTV), has started to grab headlines across the world with stories about several large telecommunication, cable, satellite, terrestrial, and a slew of Internet start-ups delivering video over an IP based service. As the name suggests, IPTV describes a mechanism for transporting a stream of video content over a network that uses the IP networking protocol. The benefits of this mechanism of delivering TV signals vary from increased support for interactivity to faster channel changing times and improved interoperability with existing home networks. Before describing the various technologies that make up an end-to-end IPTV system, this chapter will start by defining IPTV. The growth drivers for the industry sector are then examined, and