IPTV Evolution Towards NGN and Hybrid Scenarios

Internet Protocol-based television (IPTV) concerns video entertainment and represents a solution for interactive television-like services over IP-based networks. Operators and vendors are currently working on IPTV standardization efforts (e.g., ATIS/IIF, ITU-T IPTV-GSI, ETSI TISPAN) to bear wider availability and interoperability of IPTV as a secure, reliable, managed multimedia service. In this paper, we present a generic IPTV architecture, and explain standardization efforts such as TISPAN, OIPF, ITU-T and ATIS specifications for the next generation IPTV. We review new approaches in multimedia services and media delivery, and present open issues in IPTV networks. Finally, we give research directions for future work.