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What Are The Hardware And Software Required For Functioning Of An IPTV?

Published on September 25, 2024 — IPTV Boxes

An IPTV service would require certain hardware and software at the end of service provider and client for delivering the content.

At the end of service provider

  • DVB to IP Gateway: Works to receive the signals and send these to IP network. These signals can be from satellite, cable or terrestrial TV.
  • Middleware: This system is needed to link subscriber’s STB to IPTV headend, defines services and provides user interface.
  • Billing System: This is another important part which manages the subscriber base of the business. It bills subscribers and is used to manage cards, tariff plans and financial statements.
  • Video On Demand server: If IPTV service provider wants to provide and manage the Video on Demand service to subscribers, then this server is important. It has all the multimedia content stored in library. This helps in providing multi-media video on demand to the subscribers who have opted for it.
  • TVOnDemand server: Just as provider can offer video on demand from its multimedia library on VoD server, the provider can also offer TV on demand to subscribers. On this server, you basically record the channels on Demand of the subscribers and provide them as per requirements.
  • Conditional Access System: This is another important part of the IPTV service. It ensures that subscribers have different types and levels of access to the features of the service as per their plans.
  • IP Network with multicast support: This is a requirement for enabling delivery to multiple IP addresses.

At the end of client

  • IPTV PC client: If subscriber wants to watch IPTV on his/her personal computer, then this software is required.
  • Set Top Boxes (STBs) with cables: These are required if the subscriber want to see the IPTV content on TV. STBs connect the middleware, sources of content and the TV of subscriber.

At the end of content provider

The content provider usually provides the streamed content either free or paid.

  • Free to air content: FTA content is not encrypted and the number of channels received in this manner depend on transponder’s bandwidth.
  • Payable TV content: The channels which are encrypted are the ones which need to be decrypted through a conditional access mechanism. So, this is another component of that needs to be integrated in order to show those Indian IPTV channels to subscribers who have paid for these.

With this brief introduction about what all makes for an IPTV service, you would have got a much better idea of the software and hardware which is required both at the end of the providers and at the end of clients.