What is IPTV, and what does it mean?

What does IPTV stand for, and what does it mean?

The four letters mean Internet Protocol Television. The protocol part is the common language computers, phones and routers use to pass data around in tiny pieces called packets. In short: IPTV is television packed into internet data, so any connected screen with a player app can show it.

People who search "what is IPTV TV" usually picture an ordinary television that gets its channels from an app instead of a cable box. The TV is the same. Only the route the picture travels has changed. The idea dates back to the 1990s, and Wikipedia has a detailed history of Internet Protocol television for readers who want the technical side.

What is IPTV used for?

At home, people use it to watch live channels without a cable or satellite bill: news, hockey, cartoons, movie channels. It also plays films and series on demand and replays shows that aired earlier. Hotels, hospitals, gyms and schools run the same technology to feed dozens of screens from one place.

What is an IPTV system?

An IPTV system is everything between the broadcast and your couch. It has four links in the chain:

• Headend: receives each channel and converts it into a digital stream.
• Servers: keep the logins, the program schedule and the streams, and answer each viewer's request.
• Network: the public internet, or a closed network inside a hotel or a phone company.
• Player: the app or set-top box that rebuilds the picture on your screen.

Each link is explained step by step in how IPTV gets from the channel to your TV.

How is IPTV different from cable, satellite and Netflix?

The difference is the delivery road. Cable runs through a coaxial or fibre line from the cable company, satellite comes down to a dish on the roof, and an antenna pulls in free over-the-air stations. IPTV rides on your regular home internet. The programs can be identical.

Netflix also travels over the internet, yet it is built around a library: you choose a title and press play at any hour. An IPTV service is built around live channels that follow a schedule, browsed in a guide much like cable, and most add a movie and series section as well.

Many Canadians already use IPTV without knowing it. Bell Fibe TV, for one, sends its channels over internet protocol on Bell's own network to a rented receiver. Independent IPTV services use the open internet instead, so they run on any provider's connection and on hardware you have at home.

What are the three types of IPTV?

There are three types: live TV, video on demand and time-shifted TV. A good app puts all three behind one home screen.

1. Live IPTV

Live IPTV plays a channel as it airs, often a few seconds behind cable. It is what you want for news, playoff games, election nights and award shows. You flip channels with the remote and open the guide to find out what starts next.

2. Video on demand (VOD)

Video on demand is a catalogue of films and full seasons with no schedule at all. Press play, stop halfway, and the app remembers your spot for later. This part works much like Netflix.

3. Time-shifted TV (catch-up and restart)

Time-shifted TV moves a live channel to a time that suits you. Catch-up lets you go back in the schedule and play something that aired yesterday or a few days ago. Some apps can also pause live TV or restart a show from the top. It only works on channels and apps that support it, so test it during a trial first.

Which equipment and internet does IPTV need at home?

Four things: a home internet connection, a screen that runs apps, a player app and a subscription login. Nobody has to come to your home, and setup usually takes under 15 minutes.

1. Steady internet. Budget about 10 Mbps per HD screen and at least 25 Mbps for 4K. A stable signal beats a high top speed, so use an Ethernet cable or strong 5 GHz Wi-Fi. See how much speed IPTV really needs.
2. A screen that runs apps. Smart TVs from Samsung or LG, Android TV and Google TV, the Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, phones, tablets and computers all work. An older TV can borrow a small box on its HDMI port: here is what an IPTV box does and when you need one.
3. A player app. IPTV Smarters Pro, TiviMate and similar apps are empty shells. They show whatever your subscription feeds them and nothing more.
4. A login. Your provider sends one of three formats: an Xtream Codes login (server address, username and password); an M3U playlist URL; or a portal address tied to the MAC address of a MAG or Formuler box.

Some homes are better off without IPTV. On satellite internet with a tight data cap, or a line that crawls every evening, choose cable, satellite TV or an antenna instead.

IPTV in Canada: what is different here?

IPTV works from coast to coast wherever the internet holds up, in a downtown condo or a small prairie town. No special internet provider is needed, and one login works in every province.

Canadian services tend to share a few traits: prices in Canadian dollars, channels in both official languages, and a guide that follows your own time zone from St. John's to Victoria. Many also accept Interac e-Transfer rather than a credit card.

The technology is lawful and used by the largest phone and cable companies. Whether a particular service holds the rights to its streams is another matter, covered in our overview of the law on IPTV for Canadians. That page explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice.

King IPTV is built for Canadian homes: 50,000+ live channels, a library of 190,000+ movies and series, prices in CAD and one Interac payment per plan. Test it at home with the 24-hour free trial, or read about IPTV in your province or city.