Most households in Germany are inconceivable without the television. One form of television is becoming increasingly popular: IPTV. In times in which flexibility plays an increasingly important role, the previously rigid television program has to adapt and break new ground in the direction of greater flexibility. IPTV opens up a number of new possibilities that “normal” television does not offer.
- IPTV stands for “Internet Protocol Television”. The television program is transmitted to the TV set via the Internet connection
- In order to be able to use IPTV smoothly, a sufficiently strong internet connection and a set-top box as a receiver are required. For Full HD, users need at least 16 Mbit / s
- In contrast to other forms of transmission such as cable or satellite television, IPTV relies on two-way communication. This enables more diverse and flexible television
- Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and 1 & 1 are the three major IPTV providers in Germany. There are also some regional providers, for example NetCologne (Cologne / Bonn) or M-net (Bavaria)
What is IPTV
According to abbreviationfinder, IPTV means “Internet Protocol Television” and describes the transmission of television programs and films via a DSL connection. In this respect, IPTV differs significantly from classic broadband reception via antenna (DVB-T), satellite (DVB-S) or broadband cable (DVB-C).
IPTV requires high data rates, which is why this type of reception only gradually established itself with the increasing spread of broadband connections. Especially since DVB-T was switched off in March 2017, IPTV has become a popular alternative. Unlike some TV streaming providers, telecommunications companies use closed data networks for IPTV. This allows the service providers to maintain a minimum bandwidth in order to enable problem-free TV reception.
What are the requirements for IPTV?
The minimum bandwidth that the domestic DSL connection must have is at least 16 Mbit / s for IPTV in Full HD . The respective provider provides a set-top box so that the television picture is transmitted to the TV set. This receiver has an HDMI interface that enables high-definition HD television via VDSL. In addition, these boxes contain an integrated hard drive with which programs can be recorded or called up with a time delay.
How does IPTV work?
The principle of IPTV is similar to that of cable television. In the case of cable TV, separate lines connect the cable TV center with the receivers. IPTV also uses an existing infrastructure: the telephone connection. Accordingly, additional installations are not necessary.
Unlike DVB-T , DVB-S and DVB-C, IPTV relies on so-called two-way communication. While cable and satellite television only communicates from sender to receiver, IPTV also enables the exchange from consumer to sender and is therefore entirely interactive. This gives users various advantages.
Greater variety and flexibility with IPTV
IPTV users receive significantly more programs. While the number of transmittable channels is limited with satellite and cable, with IPTV it is in principle possible to receive any number of programs. The reason for this is that IPTV only transmits the program to the end device of the consumer that he is currently watching. However, this is not limited to one program: the user can receive several programs at the same time, for example to watch one program online and record another in parallel.
In addition, IPTV enables time-shifted television. This means that a current program can be stopped and continued at a later point in time. In addition, IPTV users have access to the media libraries of various broadcasters via their television sets . Some services provide a selection of films and series there for retrieval.
IPTV provider
In Germany there are three real IPTV providers, Deutsche Telekom , Vodafone and 1 & amp; 1 , who offer their customers several tariff options to choose from. 1 & 1 cooperated with Telekom until the beginning of 2018; up to now they have offered a joint product. In addition, there are other providers for IPTV who only provide IPTV in a certain federal state or region. These include NetCologne for the Cologne / Bonn region, EWE for northwest Germany, M-net for Bavaria and German fiber optics. The latter mainly supplies rural areas throughout Germany with IPTV.
