What is Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)?

In today's fast-paced world, people want to have access to their favorite TV shows and movies anytime, anywhere. Thanks to high-speed internet and video streaming technologies, this is now possible. IPTV or Internet Protocol Television is a popular way to watch live TV, video on demand (VOD), and time-shifted TV using an internet connection.

While based on IP protocol which is now a backbone of data provisioning for almost any connected device we use today, IPTV is truly open to supporting new devices and being integrated with various services. Both facts make IPTV easily shaped to meet the expectations of viewers, conform to suggestions of marketing specialists and allow IT staff to integrate and maintain the solution without excessive efforts. IPTV is a relatively widespread technology, it can be found in hotels, households, on vessels, and even on airplanes and is often available from Triple Play service packages provided by Internet Service Providers.

For the last two decades, several industries like hospitality or telecom were investing in the development of Internet Protocol Television or IPTV broadcast technology. Apart from making the delivery of video content over computer networks a reality without trade-offs, those industries got a handy revenue-generating tool in their hands that let their customers enjoy a better grade service. IPTV is based on IP protocol making it possible to integrate television right into the digital realm where IoT, social networks, content hosting services, and other popular web-based services are living.

Originally available on PC and TV with set top boxes, IPTV went truly cross-platform after WEB and mobile apps became mainstream in IPTV solutions. Web players and mobile apps introduced Live TV and Video-on-demand to many devices, from smartphones and tablets to Smart TVs, laptops, handhelds, etc. Today IPTV is a well-known technology that stands well on its feet and will continue to be the driving force that defines the viewer experience as more providers, households, and hotels are upgrading their TV systems.

Definition of IPTV

Media broadcast solutions have survived several transformations, both with a transition from older technology to newer, upgrading to next-generation, or enhancing an existing standard. All the way down from analog TV to CATV, HybridTV, IPTV, and OTT, media broadcast is now extensively improved to support 3D, 4K, 5.1 sound, and more. The most outstanding results so far were achieved by the IPTV technology which allowed telecom operators, hoteliers, and media content owners to take an advantage of the technology that has transformed almost every aspect of our lives – the Internet Protocol.

Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats. Unlike downloaded media, IPTV offers the ability to stream the source media continuously. As a result, a client media player can begin playing the content (such as a TV channel) almost immediately. This is known as streaming media.
Definition of IPTV from Wikipedia

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television, which means users receive video content over a computer network. The convergence and diversity of IPTV technology allowed it to evolve into OTT or Internet TV so that media broadcast has become truly global. But the real reason why IPTV succeeded so well is that it is based on technologies that allow the deployment of solutions using existing infrastructure like metro-e, Local Area Networks, including Wi-Fi networks.

IPTV does not necessarily require investment in infrastructure, like traditional cable TV. Lots of cities have metro-e with dark fiber available and lots of buildings are already equipped with LAN suitable for IPTV. Every owner of such a network could easily monetize it as long as the connected hosts are interested in live and on-demand video content.

IPTV is a type of interactive TV that is delivered over the internet instead of traditional broadcast, cable or satellite TV. It offers several advantages over conventional TV services, such as a wide range of TV channels and VOD content, easy access to TV shows and movies, and the ability to pause, rewind, and fast-forward through live television programs.

One of the main benefits of IPTV is that it allows you to watch TV on various devices, including smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, and laptops. IPTV uses IP networks, which means it can be delivered over private networks or the public internet. However, it is essential to have a high-speed internet connection to ensure a smooth viewing experience.

IPTV is all about cutting the costs of media broadcast solution integration, boosting profitability, and introducing a bouquet of services never seen on preceding broadcast technologies. IPTV does not require much specific hardware and is affordable to small ISP, hotels, yachts, etc.

Fair enough, the definition of IPTV is quite a dynamic thing since every IPTV solution is built on various underlying technologies and is constantly enhanced with new features. IPTV in the 2000s is nothing compared to what it is today, as most IPTV solutions are now turning regular TV into a media hub with lots of extras.

History and development of IPTV

IPTV was first introduced in the 90s as a way of delivering videos over computer networks. Efficient video compression algorithms along with reliable packet delivery protocols allowed the technology to be robust enough that professional solutions could be developed and used in commercial installations.

An application called MBONE by Precept Software is probably the first solution that could transmit videos as unicast or multicast, and also the first that used the term “IP/TV”. Several webcast solutions followed, giving a green light to OTT and IPTV solutions. By the end of 90’s the technology draw the serious attention of ISP, Telcos, and service providers. Live TV and Video-on-demand services, provided within the IPTV service package became a profitable business with a lot of investments in the industry.

Some milestones could be highlighted to track the development of IPTV technology

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is a digital television broadcasting technology that uses the internet to transmit video content to users' devices. Here are some of the milestones in the development of IPTV technology:

• 1994, the first TV show to be broadcast over the Internet by ABC’s World News Now.
• 1995: The first experimental IPTV system was developed by Precept Software, which enabled video streaming over the internet.
• 1995, the term IP/TV was used by Precept Software to define their MBONE broadcast application.
• 1999: The first commercial IPTV service was launched in the United States by a company called WorldGate Communications.
• 2001: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) developed the IPTV standard, which is used for the transmission of television signals over IP networks.
• 2003, the first worldwide IPTV service was launched by Total Access Networks, with 100 free IPTV across the globe.
• 2005: The first full-scale IPTV service was launched in Europe by a company called Swisscom.
• 2006 the famous U-Verse brand by AT&T was introduced, with a dedicated IP network built exclusively for transporting video streams.
• 2006: The IPTV market experienced rapid growth, with major telecom operators, including AT&T and Verizon, launching their own IPTV services.
• 2010: The popularity of IPTV continued to grow, and many cable and satellite TV providers began offering their own IPTV services.
• 2015: The introduction of advanced technologies such as 4K/UHD and HEVC/H.265 compression allowed for higher quality video streaming over IPTV networks.
• 2018: The adoption of IPTV technology continued to increase, with many countries experiencing double-digit growth in IPTV subscriptions.
• 2021: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in demand for IPTV services as people spent more time at home and turned to streaming video content for entertainment.
• Overall, IPTV has come a long way since its early days as an experimental technology, and it is now a mainstream technology used by millions of people around the world.

IPTV use cases

Pressures to drive revenue growth, emerging content delivery technologies, and promising subscriber uptake in various markets have generated interest in IPTV (News–Alert). Service providers with extensive broadband access networks have an opportunity to increase value from these investments and derive competitive strength.

Besides the ISP scenario mentioned by NGC in the above quote, IPTV service is suitable for many other scenarios.

Residential – Homes, hotels, villages, condominiums, living quarters, and accommodation clusters. IPTV installations of this kind are often deployed as “triple play” services delivered via one cable. Lots of subscription-based IPTV services are delivered via local metro-e networks, requiring users to only get a set top box and connect it to their home ISP router.

Corporate – Education, infotainment, and dedicated TV channels enrich corporate media life and allow a company to have its own mass media, which can also be private for keeping sensitive info inside the secured corporate IT infrastructure.

Commercial – IPTV and OTT subscription service providers, Telecom service providers, owners of metro-e local networks, or building-wide networks are great examples of businesses that simply ought to use an IPTV solution for their profit. With cloud-based IPTV servers and client apps for mobile platforms, it is possible to start subscription-based IPTV services with a reasonable amount of investment.

Transportation – Passengers of trains, buses, cruise ships, and airplanes always seek to entertain themselves during long trips. IPTV helps to deliver Live TV, Video-on-demand, on-board shopping, trip information, important announcements, and other infotainment to individual screens, helping passengers to fight stress and stay in a good mood.

Check here to see how Nevron IPTV solution can be used in different industries.

Structure of IPTV

The solution diagram of an IPTV system is similar to nearly any server-based solution. A head-end, usually enterprise-level server with dedicated equipment for signal acquisition is connected to hosts via a computer network. The head-end part can be very diverse in its specifications and overall architecture.

IPTV solution components

Head-end and head-end subsystems – Includes broadcast service components with relevant redundancy and management capabilities. These components include all the equipment needed for content ingestion, encoding, encapsulation, and encryption, as well as DVB data extraction components.

Edge-QAM subsystem – For cable operator deployments.

Content management system – Enables the content provider and the operator to self-manage the full content lifecycle from offline encoding, via ingestion and metadata management, pricing, packaging, bundling, marketing campaigns, distribution, and storage management. The CMS solution is a collection of integrated components covering the required lifecycle functionality of all content types.

Content protection: conditional access (CA)/digital rights management (DRM) – A suite of integrated components covering all aspects of content encryption/decryption. Tight integration between all solution components and the CA/DRM vendor components is required.

Video on-demand (VOD) server and back-office systems – Video (or streaming) servers are responsible for pushing the content over IP via standardized protocols. Integration of the streaming servers with the head-end, CA, middleware, and content management is required.

Video services middleware platform – Central IPTV component carrying all the business logic of the IPTV service and responsible for interfacing and managing all solution components and players – e.g., underlying network, head-end, CA, video servers, back-office legacy systems (e.g., OSS, BSS, Customer Relationship Management [CRM]), Content Management Systems (CMS), Integrated Access Device (IAD), set-top box (STB), and end users

Transport and access networks – the characteristics and capabilities of which bear heavily on service levels delivered to end users. The network is an integrated part of the overall end-to-end video solution and should be considered as such throughout the entire process of strategic planning, design, and deployment.

Customer premises equipment: residential gateway (RG)/IAD and STB – The RG/IAD enables the operator to perform end-user provisioning and home device management. The STB is the main component the end-user interfaces with. The STB typically interfaces with the middleware either via a native client or web browser.

Source: Alcatel-Lucent guide to IPTV Solution Integration

IPTV Roles

Content Provider

• Owner of content
• Delivers contents such as Streams, Files, Tapes, etc.

Service Provider

• Provides IPTV Service
• Ingests and protects IPTV content of Network Provider
• Delivers streams from Service Provider to Customer

Customer

• Selects and consumes content
• Pay bills
  IPTV Delivery Architecture, ITU

A typical configuration would include media streamers, middleware servers, video-on-demand, etc. Headend can communicate via a dedicated switch or directly through a local network. The client devices will receive service information from the Middleware server and videos from media streamers and video-on-demand servers over an IP network.

What is the IPTV platform in the cloud?

Instead of having a dedicated server on-premises, there is an option to deploy an IPTV solution in  a cloud. It is possible to have simply an uplink switch connected to a local network to provide IPTV services with the same quality as if they were provided from local servers. Cloud infrastructure is even more preferred since it is easier to virtualize and replicate the entire solutions across different data centers and make sure that the unavailability of one site with virtual IPTV servers will not lead to entire system downtime and profit loss as a consequence.

The best practical advantage of a cloud installation is that newcomers can start an IPTV business with little investment and pay as they grow. For example, a hotel could simply purchase Smart TV sets, install an Ethernet network or use existing and subscribe for cloud-based IPTV service delivered to the hotel over the Internet. Guests will not notice any difference as long as an uplink to the cloud and hotel LAN are available and are working without speed flaps.

Despite requiring additional investments, using set-top boxes is still preferred even for cloud-based solutions to ease up forthcoming upgrades and achieve better content delivery.

What is an IPTV service?

IPTV is not just about Live TV broadcasts or Video-on-demand. A complete list of services with descriptions would not fit into several pages. Here are some of the services listed, according to ITU and they welcome all contributors to edit this list, which means there are even more than what ITU has listed:

• Linear/Broadcast TV (audio, video, and data)
• Linear Broadcast TV with Trick Modes
• Multi-angle service
• Time-shift TV
• Pay Per View (PPV)
• Video/TV on Demand (VOD)
• Near VoD (Video on Demand) broadcasting
• Real VoD
• Download Based Video Content Distribution Services (Push VOD)
• Content download service
• PVR service (network or client-based)
• Interactive TV (iTV)
• Consumer Originated content (Video, etc., and applications)
• Consumer Originated broadcast TV (e.g. C2C hosting)
• Linear Broadcast Audio
• MoD (Music on Demand) including Audiobook
• Pictures
• T-Learning (education for children, elementary, middle, and high school students, languages and estate, etc.)
• Games
• Regulatory Information services
• T-information (news, weather, traffic, advertisement, etc.)
• T-commerce (security, banking, stock, shopping, auction and ordered delivery, etc.)
• T-communication (e-mail, instant messaging, SMS, channel chatting, VoIP, Web, multiple video conference and video phone, etc.)
• T-entertainment (photo album, games, karaoke, blog, etc.)
• Presence service
• Advertising
• Communications Messaging
• Service Information (EPG: Electronic Program Guide, ECG: Electronic Content Guide, etc.)
• Portal services
• Hybrid services
• 3rd party content services.

Why do we need IPTV service?

There are two good reasons why IPTV evolved so fast and so many vendors have developed their own solutions of this kind. People are watching TV, lots of people. Despite the success of video hosting websites that took part of the video broadcast market away from Pay TV providers, quality content is still available mostly from subscription-based services. IPTV made the viewer experience much richer and truly interactive so that anybody who ever tried quality IPTV service will never revert to regular TV.

Availability of quality video content, including custom viewer choices-driven content that is available on a variety of devices, makes IPTV service a unique kind of entertainment that render classic TV an outdated experience. Witnessing high competition among service providers, users of IPTV services can expect flexible price offers, even better content, and other features that will constantly improve their experience.

When do I need IPTV service?

Any household with Internet access available can access IPTV services. There are usually numerous providers available locally, not to mention global operators who provide OTT services which are mostly the same as IPTV. A recent leap made by IPTV, OTT, and mobile networks technologies allowed access to IPTV services even on mobile screens, would be a smartphone with an LTE connection or a tablet connected to Wi-Fi.

Just about any place, building, vehicle, vessel or even airplane can be equipped with an IPTV system. All that is needed is to install TV sets with external set-top boxes or Smart TV and allow IP network connectivity to them. In certain cases Wi-Fi can be used instead of Ethernet cable, leaving some options for situations when cables cannot be used.

While still in its early stages, we can see a time when IPTV services are the primary source of entertainment on your TV. Why wait till 7.30 pm on a Thursday to watch your favorite program when you can download the newest episode straight away, and legally?
Online TV: how IPTV changes everything, CNET

IPTV is an entertainment technology, so whenever people have time to be regularly filled with such pastimes as watching Live TV or movies-on-demand, IPTV comes in handy. But IPTV is not about video content only, there are a lot of options to add extra services like music-on-demand, personal video recorder, Internet on the TV screen, social apps, games, messengers, and video chats.

What is an IPTV system?

IPTV system is a set of hardware equipment and software interconnected via a computer network and intended to provide video content to viewers. Streamers, Encoders, Middleware, Video-on-demand, Time-shift, and other components are forming together a well-balanced system that is providing IPTV service to hundreds and thousands of users over local metro-e networks, FTTh optical cable or even mobile LTE and WCDMA networks.

An IPTV system has two sides, one visible to administrators and another to users. Administrators have to manage the receiving equipment up to satellite dishes to ensure good signal quality, they have to keep the solution up-to-date, secure, and well-performing. Users will see the IPTV system only from the side of client devices and their experience is mostly defined by how well the system is designed in the first place. It also counts, how well the solution is maintained by the administrators.

Besides the technical questions, it is important to take care of local law requirements, which sometimes are literally shaping some parts of IPTV systems. For example, in developed economies, the copyright is treated very seriously with law-enforced regulations for conditional access systems that have to be integrated all the way down from content providers to IPTV service providers, network providers, and client devices.

To conclude, an IPTV system is very complex and has to be designed with best practices of system architecture design and software development methodologies to be efficient and reliable, while conforming to all law requirements. Please find a more detailed explanation of an IPTV system in the article How an IPTV TV System compares to Cable, Satellite, and OTT.

What is an IPTV server?

Any IPTV solution has a core part that receives channels, stores content, and manages user access. The IPTV server usually consists of several physical servers, divided by the function they perform. Streamers, Middleware, Video-on-demand, and other servers are connected together to create one IPTV system. Some solutions combine all components in one server, this is suitable for small installations but could limit system performance and services. For better service availability and easier system reconfiguration, it is more suitable to use an IPTV system with modular architecture spread across several servers.

How does the IPTV server work?

Most IPTV servers are hosting Linux OS with IPTV-specific applications installed.

• Media streamer
  This part usually controls the acquisition of media content from cable, satellite or antenna, AV or HDMI encoders, and IP streams. Received content is then routed as IP packets to an IP address, from which client devices can receive the content. Depending on signal type and streamer specifications, the streamer can filter PIDs, decrypt, or otherwise process the content.

• Middleware
  This is where client devices get their service information provisioned. This would include a tariff-specific channel list, EPG information, available content, and services.

• Video-on-demand
  A VoD server is a storage for media files like movies, video clips, etc. It must provide secure and flawless access to stored content, based on what is allowed to be accessed by a specific user.

• Other applications

IPTV uses IP networks with incalculable diversity of equipment which may become unstable enough to flip from working smoothly to a complete denial of service. In order to prevent services from rendering unavailable, various background services are monitoring the Quality-of-Service to warn administrators of possible issues before users notice something and start complaining to technical support.

All IPTV server apps communicate with each other and with client devices in order to form an IPTV system. A common sequence of retrieving video streams includes a client device that is authenticated on a Middleware server with a subscription plan attached. Middleware then sends a list of channels and other content that is allowed to be accessed for certain conditions like balance, tariff plan, purchased or leased movies, etc.

When the user selects a channel or clicks on a movie, the client device will request the video stream from the IPTV server. A stream of IP packets with encoded video, audio, subtitles, and other info is then delivered via one of the network protocols. The client device only needs to decode the information and represent it on the screen, play through dynamics, etc.

Sometimes the process is a little bit more complicated, especially when a conditional access system is protecting the content. But from the user's perspective, this will not affect the experience, while the client device will decrypt the content in real-time as it is downstream.

Who needs an IPTV server?

Hotels, households, telecom operators, maritime vessels, and yachts usually deploy physical IPTV servers on-premises. For some of them, it is possible to reduce or completely get rid of on-site equipment, moving to the cloud. But for most installations, physical servers are preferred at the time. For better performance and less cost spent on Internet connection, all IPTV installations deployed in local networks are preferred with a physical IPTV server attached to the core switch of that network. Especially with the source of signal available in the network data center, it makes the easiest way to connect IPTV server directly and not use the virtual cloud.

Everyone who has a computer and a broadband Internet connection can watch IPTV, but most of us don’t want to watch television on a crude laptop screen. That’s why the future of IPTV is likely to involve viewers buying set-top boxes (sometimes called STBs) that receive input from your Internet connection (either via an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi), decode the signal, and display a picture on your high-definition, widescreen TV. STBs are effectively standalone computers programmed to do only one thing: receive packets of streamed video, decrypt them, convert them back to video files (MPEG2, MPEG4, or whatever format they were in originally), and then display them as high-quality TV pictures. Apple TV works broadly this way, using a set-top box to run simple apps on a slimmed-down operating system (tvOS), which manages the process of streaming video via the Internet.
IPTV, Explainthatstuff

When do we need an IPTV server?

Providers who are looking for complete control of their IPTV service will require installing an IPTV server. Some installations have to be standalone, like those installed on maritime vessels, cruise ships, yachts, planes, trains, etc. Since the hosting vehicle is on the move, there might be no option to allow reliable communication to the remote server sites at a reasonable cost. And for a better reaction time of technical support, it is preferred to have an IPTV server installed no farther than engineers can quickly reach to fix something up.

What is an IPTV box?

Since IPTV was intended to replace the classic broadcast solutions, it had to be compatible with TV sets customers already possessed to speed up the transition from older technology. Users should have got the same viewer experience with enhanced interactivity of IPTV services. The easiest way was to develop a set-top-box, which is basically a small computer that can receive, decode and display Live video content on TV while providing additional services like Video-on-demand, Time-shifted TV, side applications, web browsing, social networks, and more.

Set-top boxes differ in hardware, OS platform, and client apps supported. The main problem that an IPTV vendor has to solve is how to make the set-top box and client app installed on it work reliably, with the smallest channel switch delay possible and without image or sound jitter. Only trusted vendors of IPTV solutions, like Nevron, have enough resources and expertise to develop and support such a set top box.

Customers using IPTV services built on a “zoo” of equipment and on less expensive and free software witness various bugs without real chances of fixing them. That’s why the choice of STB model plays a critical role in user experience and avoiding cheap solutions will actually save up money spent on technical support.

What is Smart IPTV?

When we think of modern smart devices, we usually picture something that offers automation, wireless control, or learning behaviors (such as Nest or WeMo). Smart TVs aren’t exactly the same thing. While they may include some wireless features, they usually don’t have any automation and focus instead on combining features from set-top boxes, computers, and HDTVs.

What is a Smart TV? Gadget review

Deploying an IPTV solution could require a trade-off in order to fit the budget of a project and keep the solution simplest as possible. One of the ways to achieve this is to get rid of Set-top-boxes. With Smart TV it is possible to provide IPTV service without connecting an STB. Smart TV is equipped with a built-in STB that would require only installing a client app to become part of the Smart IPTV solution. This approach is well-adopted by hospitality businesses as they always are looking to reduce the complexity of the property’s infrastructure.

List of top 10 world IPTV providers

IPTV providers are living under constant pressure fighting for their customers and adjusting their business to dynamic market realities. Each IPTV provider has to find the point of balance where they are still profitable, while providing the best picture quality, and valuable content, ensuring service reliability and developing a business strategy that can allow enough sustainability and growth.

Coupling the client devices with the IPTV system via underlying network infrastructure and achieving flawless streaming is probably one of the hardest tasks. Being attractive to customers is another challenging task for marketing teams. Here is the list of some of the winners in this race of technologies, marketing, and customer understanding:

Set TV
U.S.-based provider with a fairly rich channel list, including channels for the spanish-speaking audience. Claim to be providing more service for less money, when compared to industry giants. They provide one of the best streaming quality and device compatibility among the competition, according to online votes and surveys.

Epicstream by Ultrabox
Originally a content aggregator for IPTV providers, with Ultraboxhost introduced it turned into an IPTV provider as well with surprisingly high-quality services and Full Hd channels on the list. Packages include Live TV and Video on demand, but there’s a requirement to use a VPN connection to access Epicstream IPTV service.

IP Guys
Apollo server-based IPTV providers are reliable and good as a backup solution. Offer 720p streams and is good for customers sitting on a slower connection. Support a relatively rich list of models of set top boxes and has two options for client apps to be installed.

Magic IPTV
UK-based provider with European and worldwide channels. Offer a unique reseller opportunity to grow your own customer base. Bound to MAG set top boxes, which could hardly be labeled as the best option available on the market right now.

Superior IPTV
Another UK-based provider with a budgetary set of plans and a good choice of client devices. Offer various plans with carefully selected channels to stay on a budget while still providing a bouquet of channels a customer wants for the money.

What are IPTV channels?

Technically, IPTV channels are IP addresses with dedicated ports provided to a host by middleware. A host can request a video stream from a certain port and IP address. The video stream is then sent to a host as a set of data packets defined by IP protocol, carrying compressed and encoded video, audio, and other auxiliary data like subtitles. The host or client device will receive IP packets with channel data, decode them and display them as a set of frames, play selected audio stream, display subtitles, and so on, just as any TV set would.

List of top 10 world best IPTV channels

Most viewed channels differ from region to region, but some of the most notable are highlighted below:

• MSNBC is A news channel that managed to outperform CNN and Fox News.
• ESPN Home of sports, recognized globally, and keep the high ranks.
• Hallmark North American host of TV shows and movies.
• MTV Good old music industry channel still rocks.
• VH1 Successful reincarnation of MTV, with the aim at an older audience.
• NFL An appreciated provider of football news, live games, and related shows.
• Euronews Most popular news aggregator on European TV screens.
• Al Jazeera News from developing economies is highly appreciated by the traveling population.
• The Weather Channel Who could afford to go outside without knowing if it’s raining or not?
• Discovery Unique episodes about nature, science, and the world keep viewers' attention pretty well.

List of free IPTV channels

Lots of channels are broadcast over IP, via satellite, cable, and terrestrial. IPTV providers push content through their streamers, making it available on the Internet. Here is the list of some of the most rated free channels (some providers may require signing up or restrict streaming to some regions).

• ITV As an integrated producer broadcaster creates, owns, and distributes high-quality content on multiple platforms globally.
• Dave British TV channel, formerly known as UKTV G2. The channel is focused on comedy and game shows.
• BBC is Probably the most eligible news channel for English-speaking audiences in the UK.
• CNN Same as BBC in the UK, CNN is the leading news provider in the USA.
• TLC Belongs to Discovery Communication, the owner of a few more popular channels. Got series like Sister Wives, Counting On, 90 Day Fiance, Say Yes to the Dress and many more in their programming list, support mobile apps and the Roku platform.

What is free IPTV?

With the rise of free and open-sourced IPTV solutions, free-of-charge IPTV services started to pop up. Lots of individuals, organizations, and simply enthusiasts share their video streams on the Internet. Those are usually ad-sponsored or community-sponsored channels, like foreign language TV shows run by ethnic communities for migrants living abroad. The service is usually provided without much support to users and is not optimized for many client devices. Free IPTV is more of a service for enthusiasts hosted and provided by enthusiasts.

The main difference between Pay V and Free IPTV is the quality of content, delivery, and service availability. Free IPTV does not collect enough money from viewers to ensure adequate response to possible downtime, issue updates, and fixing software bugs. At the same time, only Pay TV can offer viewer-themed movies and series, like on Netflix. Pay TV providers are literally shooting movies based on their subscriber's votes.

How does free IPTV work?

IPTV can be very profitable when correctly implemented and fully meet the expectations of the intended audience. Still, there are non-commercial IPTV services for education, charity, information or entertainment. Such services are usually deployed without dedicated client devices and rely on an application that is installed on equipment that users already possess. Or else they can simply recommend buying certain models or choose from a range of, without providing much support to users. PC, Laptops, and set-top boxes are the kind of devices where media content is usually delivered in Free IPTV services, mostly because operators of free IPTV got no resources to tamper with dedicated set-top boxes.

List of top 10 free IPTV service providers

There are lots of opportunities for watching IPTV streams online for free. With m3u8 links, it is possible to watch streams right in your web browser. Other links are available through the VLC player or set-top boxes.

Lots of IPTV links can be found on the Internet, with some apps and providers aggregating them or providing their own links. Here is a list of some apps and providers.

Tablet Stream
This Roku channel comes pre-loaded with a ton of great IPTV live-streaming channels already. You can’t add content to the channel. Just turn it on and play. This channel only works up until midnight and then comes on the next morning. When it is working it is amazing. The streams are all super clear and reliable, but app installation is a bit tricky.

cCloud
Another channel pre-filled with a massive amount of IPTV streams from all over the world. It recently came out of beta and now sometimes it works pretty well.

FilmOn
Roku channel that has been around for a long while. It offers a lot of British TV content like BBC and much more. There are several versions of this channel. Our favorite is the private version which includes a nice programming guide.

MY999TV
New Live TV Android app that is amazing. It offers IPTV streams that don’t pause every so often like almost every free IPTV playlist we have seen. This app even includes a nice programming guide and is being offered a free 7-day trial.

Channel PEAR
Unlike the previous IPTV channels, Channel PEAR is unique because it actually lets you set up your own playlists of channels on their website and export them. Plus you can even search for and find your own IPTV content and upload it along with a custom channel icon. The free version will only let you add 5 channel streams.

IPTV links

When a user wants to watch regular TV, he clicks on his remote and his receiver will tune to the frequency of that channel or start decoding certain PID, in case the channel is a digital broadcast. IPTV works the same from the user's perspective, the same click on the remote or tap on the screen will get the user to the channel he wants to watch. But there is no receiver in IPTV client devices like regular TVs. Instead, an IP session is initiated between the IPTV server and the client device.

Client devices receive channel list information from the IPTV server, usually, this data is provisioned by middleware. The channel list is a table with the channel name, link to logo picture, channel description, and most importantly, the URL or IP address, from which a stream with channel video, audio, and subtitles is sent. IPTV links are similar to links appearing in the address bar of a web browser, only sometimes they refer to protocols other than HTTP and may contain IP address and port. IPTV links may also contain some authentication data, like passwords, usernames,s or tokens to protect the link from unauthorized access.

What are IPTV links?

An IPTV channel is a stream with an assigned IP address from which a client device can receive a video stream. An IPTV streamer has a set of IP addresses and ports each assigned to some specific channel, so that client devices receive the channel list information and know from which IP address they should receive the channel that the user has selected. Sometimes it is more efficient to use auxiliary protocols such as IGMP to manage network load. In this case, video streams are sent to multicast IP addresses and then switches will decide locally whether to send the certain stream to a selected network segment.

URL of an IPTV link will point to an address from which a stream can be picked using one of the transport protocols, like HLS, HTTP, RTSP, RTMP, etc. The decoder will then arrange frames and restore pictures using a decompressing algorithm.

List of free and working IPTV links

Some IPTV channels are available right off the Internet, from an IPTV link, and are accessible with a VLC player. Examples of such channels are listed below. To play it, just copy the link and paste it into the VLC player.

Bein Sport HD 1 International sports network with over 1,200 live soccer games from top European leagues (Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1), plus tons of live auto racing, rugby, volleyball, and cycling.

MySports HD F Broadcast National League and Swiss League games weekly during the regular season and one game per round during the Swiss League playoffs. Also broadcast formula E, handball, basketball, beach volleyball, and equestrian sport.

Eurosport 1 Famous sports channel holding a wide range of rights across many sports, giving it the exclusive advantage of providing unique casts of sports games, including the Olympic games. Broadcast in 20 different languages with great coverage across different regions.

TRING SPORT1 One of the channels from the satellite package by Albanian Tring Digital provider focused on live sports programming, including live football from the top football leagues in Europe.

What is IPTV Stalker?

The core part of any IPTV system is the middleware, the server application that provisions the channel list, EPG information, and other service data to client devices and apps. Commercial IPTV installations utilize middleware solutions that are professionally developed and supported to allow the QoS and availability suitable for providing subscription-based services. Still, some operators use free and open-sourced middleware solutions, like Stalker. Such an approach reduces the cost of the initial service launch but has no immediate technical support. This may become an issue for both users and administrators as Stalker's solution is open-source-based and not as easily fixed.

Stalker middleware provides all basic IPTV features, such as channel and VoD content list, EPG, TimeShift, conditional access support, subscription plans, and administration interface. However, this solution is free and open-sourced, which means an owner of a Stalker-based IPTV system will have to support this middleware on their own.

Nevron IPTV Solution

Nevron IPTV is a popular IPTV service provider that offers a wide range of TV channels, VOD content, and interactive features. It also offers a free trial to new users, allowing them to test the service before making a commitment.

Nevron IPTV can be accessed using various devices, including Nvidia Shield, which is a popular streaming device. With Nevron IPTV, you can watch your favorite TV shows, movies, and sports events on demand or as live TV. Additionally, Nevron IPTV offers video on demand (VOD) content, allowing you to watch movies and TV shows whenever you want.

Find out more about Nevron IPTV Solution

Conclusion

IPTV services allow users to watch television programs through high-speed internet connections rather than traditional broadcast TV.

With IPTV services, users can watch TV shows, live television, time-shifted programming, and video on demand (VOD) services over IP networks. These services are delivered through set-top boxes, smart TVs, and other TV sets.

One of the significant advantages of IPTV is the interactive TV experience that it offers. Users can pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV, giving them greater control over what they watch. IPTV services also provide VOD services, which allow users to watch their favorite TV shows and movies on demand.

IPTV services work by transmitting digital video and audio signals over IP networks. This transmission is done through an IPTV system, which compresses the video and audio signals and sends them over the internet to the user's device.

In the United States, IPTV services have become increasingly popular due to their flexibility and convenience. Many users prefer IPTV services over traditional broadcast TV because they offer a wider selection of programming and more flexibility in terms of when and where to watch TV.

IPTV is an excellent option for those who want to enjoy live TV, time-shifted TV, and VOD content using an internet service. With Nevron IPTV, you can access a wide range of TV channels, VOD content, and interactive features that will enhance your viewing experience.

Overall, IPTV services provide a more interactive and flexible TV experience for users, allowing them to watch live TV, time-shifted programming, and VOD services over high-speed internet connections.

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