Ever wonder what exactly is IPTV? What are the differences between IPTV and Internet video technology, also called OTT?
If you are familiar with Internet TV consumption, you may have encountered the term IPTV on more than one occasion. They are the acronym for Internet Protocol Television, it is a system for transmitting TV signals over broadband connections based on the IP protocol.
If you are a user of a Movistar TV, Vodafone or other telecommunications carrier package, your TV can work through IPTV, you know? It is based on streaming video signals and is a significant change in the way users access and enjoy content.
While on traditional TV users can only choose from the scheduled options, on IPTV it is the user who selects programming, which greatly enhances the personalization of content. With soplayer you can have the best options for the same now.
IPTV and OTT Differences
At this point, and before delving into IPTV it may be very necessary to differentiate here the concepts of IPTV and OTT, the world known as Internet television: IPTV and OTT are two terms that are often often confusing and used interchangeably. no they are the same, although it is based on the same idea.
OTT stands for Over the Top, also known as Internet TV, and refers to streaming video streaming over the network, but without additional infrastructure, without having a dedicated bandwidth, always conditioned by the device on which it is played and the quality of your connection. Therefore, it is a less controlled environment and has a more open character, there is no guaranteed minimum quality.
When you consume Internet TV, you are using the normal bandwidth of the connection, so you share the bandwidth consumption with web browsing, file downloading, and other common activities from an Internet-connected PC, and are subject to technical fluctuations, sending and receiving data packets.
- This template is used by popular on-demand video applications like Yomvi, Netflix or Wuaki. Internet TV is available anywhere you have a connection.
- IPTV, on the other hand, is built on its own private network, a closed and controlled environment that has dedicated and specific bandwidth, which ensures the quality of broadcasts and offers more channels.
- In this sense, it is similar to traditional satellite or cable TV. Typically, IPTV is in the hands of telecommunications operators operating in defined geographic areas, so its content can only be accessed if the service is contracted, but as we will see later, it can also be accessed from a PC or mobile phone.
- Normally, they are secure networks managed by the same service provider that require significant cash investments. To watch IPTV, you will usually need a decoder, which is provided by the operator providing the service.
- Price is also a major difference: While Internet TV content is in many cases free, although the offer of paid content on this model is growing, on IPTV a monthly fee for services is usually paid.
Technical requirements
In order for IPTV to work, there are a number of technical requirements, an entire infrastructure that, as we have seen, is provided by major telephone operators.
