Internet Protocol Television solutions

PREFACE

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) also called as network Television, is television broadcast services based on IP Protocol .This business regards TV or personal computers as displaying  terminals; provides users digital broadcast TV, video service, information service, interactive community, interactive entertainment, e-commerce, and other broadband business  through broadband network. IPTV’s main characteristics are  interactivity and real-time.

Its system structure mainly includes streaming   media service ,program capturing & editting , storage , authentication billing  and other subsystems. The contents stored and transmitted by it are streaming media files; it transmits based on IP network; content assigning service nodes are usually set on the edge;it  configures streaming server &storage equipment; the equipment for user end can be IP STB +TV or PC.

IPTV business has similar TV experience just like cable, satellite pay TV platform. Most of IPTV businesses  are achieved by installing digital STBs   and regard family users as their main choice .

IPTV business is often called as the substituter  of existing platform and  is becoming  a new type of popular digital TV platform.

Internet protocol (IP) is a technical standard applied in sending and receiving video and other data among  networks .However, the application of internet protocol is not limited to the open Internet. Basically  terminal equipment of  IPTV basically can be  a TV set, but more importantly, IPTV network is a closed system controlled  by operators, which makes IPTV completely different from internet TV  watched through PC  connected with internet.

The premise condition to  realize IPTV is that operators must control the whole network-from transmission to indoor reception to guarantee the quality program received by the users. In addition, IPTV can  track users in the closed network ,while streaming business achieved by internet doesn’t have this function.

IP-VOD business can provide the similar VOD business to  cable and satellite TV .Many businesses are usually  bounded with linear radio and television business to be sold. However, it also covers IP-VOD business sold alone, for we think that this business is the first step for achieving whole IPTV businesses. So far , IPTV is on the key development phase. It is striving to develop from experiment technology on experiment phase to commercial deployment in all respects .But the driving force of IPTV development is telecommunications department which is eager to get rid of “POTS ”’s needs-in POTS field.It becomes more difficult for telecommunications department to achieve profits.

Solution introduction

JLonvision’s IPTV system group network IPTV platform in general structure can be  divided into five layers: content operation, business support, business network, loading network and family network. The  general structure schematic diagram of IPTV platform is shown  in picture 1.

Content operation platform: it is made up of business processing systems, operation support system, content management system, phone list service system and etc.. Business operation platform: it is made up of business processing systems, content management system, operation supporting system, content distribution system, EPG systems, STB version management system, phone list service system, port system and various business function modules.

Business network: its key technology is content distribution mechanism . The basic principle of business network is to push business contents (such as video&audio  program content) to the edge network to  provide users nearby services, which improves the service quality and  reduces the transmission pressure of backbone network .Loading network is built mainly based on broadband network ,including backbone network, convergence network and access network.

family network mainly refers to family gateway, set-top boxes and other facilities.

Key problems need to be solved

Concurrent efficiency: support more complicated with  lowest total cost (TCO)

supporting large amount of concurrents, multiple servers clusters : CMS, load balance, intelligent CDN distribution

Safety: platform security management, door chain, preventing download

fluent playback: fast buffer, fastforward&rewind , real-time &time-shifted…

How to reduce the workload of after-sale service: customer- service standard training, platform inspection, self-inspection by user

Other functions: advertisement function, statement statistics, user management, program management, billing account management, monitoring system, the daily record system, etc…

Interpretation for whole IPTV solution

IPTV platform is made up of 5 layers in general structure :content operation, business supporting ,business network, loading network and family network. The IPTV platform general structure schematic diagram  is shown in picture 1.

Picture 1  IPTV platform general structure:

Content operation platform: consists of business processing system ,operation supporting system, content management system, phone list service system and etc.

Business operation platform :consists of business processing system ,content management system, operation supporting system, content distribution system, EPG system, STB version management system, phone list service system, port system and all kinds of business function modules and etc..

Business network: its key technology is content service distributing mechanism .Business network’s basic theory is   to push business content (such as video &audio  program content) to network edge to provide users nearby service, which improves service quality effectively and decreases main network’s transportation pressure.

Loading network is mainly based on broadband network construction  .It includes main network ,convergence network and access network.

Family network mainly refers to family gateway  ,STB and etc..

Business function

IPTV can provide the following fucntions : VOD, PPV,SVOD,NVOD,PVR,TSTV,shipping by TV ,network games and etc.. These functions are described in the following:

VOD(Video On Demand):it is  an IPTV business’s basic business form .Users choose the content to play through screen menu and make the payment according to content.It completely overturns users’  watching tv habit by giving users the choosing rights for contents,which greatly satisfies customer’s personalized  needs.According to different charging patterns ,target customers,content species,this basic business form can also evolve  into many kinds of varieties .

PPV (Pay Per View):it is a kind of VOD business form ,that is ,pay per view form.This operating method is usually applied in hot new movies.In addition,PPV business control must depend on digital copyright technology.

SVoD (Subscription Video on Demand):it is also a kind of business form .Users obtain the  rights to play certain programs in tv channels  and change channels viewing into VOD viewing.This is a perfect business form of combining live  with VOD ,which is very attractive to traditional tv users and also a powerful means for operators to add ARPU value.

NVoD (Near Video on Demand) :it is also named as  standard VOD or carousel .The same set of  program can be carouseled  in a certain interval (such as 10 minutes)  on multiple channels .Users can achieve  fast forward and rewind VOD function by choosing channels.This business is also a reformed form of  tranditional live business,especially fit for playing hot new movies and reporting hot events.

PVR (Private Video Recorder) :it is also named as personal tv  recording and broadcasting.This business refers that users can record the channel content broadcasted in a certain period and then play it later .This business meets users’ needs for choosing playing time independently.

TSTV (Time-shifted Television):it is a new business formed by combining live with VOD  and is supplement of live business.When users watch live channels ,they can pause in the middle  and later play again from where they stopped  to avoid missing some important plots.Technically speaking ,when receiving pause requirement ,the broadcast server records the channel content and broadcast the recorded channel content by uni-cast when required to continue to play.This service is good for matches programs.

Shopping by tv :this is new business combining tv shopping guide with electric business based on PC.Presentation by tv is more life like and more close to life.

Interactive games :internet games with tv as media.

common streaming media formats