Web-TV / IPTV

From black and white TV to live streaming – the next generation of television

The Internet is everywhere and it’s hard to imagine life without it. We book vacations online, communicate with friends and family, we even read the morning paper online! Uploading videos within online communities like My Nero, YouTube™, and MySpace® is a popular pastime. But what does Internet have to do with TV? What is the difference between Web TV and IPTV? What does video on demand mean? And what technical equipment is needed to receive channels? We have put together some interesting facts for you about Web TV and IPTV.

• Similarities and differences
• Web TV
  
• P2PTV
  
• IPTV
  
• Video on Demand
  

Similarities and differences

Basically, when talking about Internet TV, there are two distinct types: Web TV and IPTV. While IPTV transfers digital TV on a closed network, Web TV allows open access transmission of programs over the Internet. Web TV and IPTV are available with a feedback channel, through which viewers can interact, which is not possible with regular antenna or cable television. One benefit of this interaction functionality is that viewers are able to access videos on demand.

Web TV

With Web TV, videos and series can be viewed over the Internet via streaming or viewed after being downloaded. Most television stations make programs available on their web pages. The biggest benefit of Web TV is that it is accessible free of charge to anyone with a broadband Internet connection. The user just needs playback software, which is available as a standard feature on most PCs. Web TV providers usually integrate compatible playback software on their websites, like Windows Media Player or Real Player or offer them as a download.

The drawback of Web TV is in the quality. To guarantee the availability over every broadband connection, the video bit rate and therefore the quality of the film is limited. For the transfer, different formats are used, for example, real, .wmv, and .asf or Flash format is used. Because of the use of low resolution and data rates for the transfer, watching Web TV in full image mode isn’t enjoyable. Another problem with Web TV is the availability. The more users there are accessing the streaming server, the lower the transfer quality available will be. There are a number of solutions for this problem, such as peer-to-peer TV (P2PTV).

P2PTV

With peer-to-peer TV, television is transferred over the Internet through a peer-to-peer network. Therefore, the data transfer doesn’t happen through a centralized server, but each receiver acts simultaneously as a transmitter. Therefore, the peer-to-peer provider need not worry about server infrastructure.
Joost and Zattoo are well-known P2PTV providers. On these provider web sites, software can be downloaded that gives access to several television stations. Basically Web TV offers that are available online are bundled here and provided in a clear form so users don’t need to search for programs themselves, but have a complete view over what television offers are freely available through the network.

IPTV

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is, like antenna, cable, and satellite, another transmission technology for television programs and movies. IPTV uses Internet digital data transfer standard for transmission and is received over a set top box attached to the television.
IPTV is offered in many places around the world by regional service providers. Usually IPTV service is available in connection with an Internet or telephone service package. In addition to a high speed broadband connection, a set top box is required to convert the IP data stream to a television signal. For IPTV, a data output of at least 6 Mbit/s (DSL 6000) is required, though 16 Mbit/s (DSL 16000) is recommended. To receive HD content, a minimum of 10 to 12 Mbit/s is required.

A variety of basic services are available for IPTV users. Through electronic program guides (EPGs), users can get an overview of the television program, descriptions of broadcasts, and access pictures and film clips. As well, features such as television time shifting and video on demand are easy to use.

Video on Demand

Video on demand makes it easy to download movies on request, much like an online movie rental. Users generally pay a subscription or per film (pay per view). The data is sent over the Internet or a broadband network. Video on demand is offered by IPTVproviders like CinemaNow and also by Internet providers as part of a package including Internet connection and IPTV service.