IPTV around the world
An interesting factor about the IPTV services is that you can subscribe to any provider irrespective of your location. IPTV Finland is common to a Finnish lad and for a Canadian. Since it is accessible all over the world, IPTV is becoming popular. Another major factor is the variety in content delivery format. The three formats in IPTV is discussed in this article.
Based on the format of the telecast
On cable television, you can only watch the channels that are being broadcasted by the provider. The same goes for satellite television. In the case of Over the Top platforms, you can watch any program or movies that are pre-loaded in the platform. Likewise using an IPTV service, you can watch all these kinds of video content using one system. The three formats in an IPTV system are as below.
- Live stream
- Video on demand
- Time-shifted media
Live stream
It is the broadcast of a live-action that is taking place somewhere else in the world at the same time of telecast. You may have watched sports programs in this format. Sports is the most popular live-streaming program around the world. Apart from sporting actions, you can see some interactive live programs and news coverage. You cannot see these programs once after you have missed it during the telecast.
Video on demand
It is common and similar to that of Over the Top streaming. The content hub will have a set of pre-loaded video content like movies and TV shows. You can select a show to view and send a request to the content hub. The server will then search for the program in the database and encode it to your setup box. Then you can watch the program. Since it is pre-loaded, you can pause, rewind, and replay a program whenever you want. Over the Top platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are using this method of telecasting only. Using an IPTV service, you can watch video-on-demand content along with live television programs that are not possible with any of the telecasting models.
Time-shifted media
It will be somewhere in the middle between live television and video on demand. These programs will be telecasted at a specific time. If you have missed the program during the telecast, you can record them and watch them later in your free time. But the time after which you can watch the program is limited to restrict you from returning after years to view a time-shifted program. Only a few programs and other content will have this option of time-shifting.
Conclusion
The ability to watch different formats of video content is the primary factor of attraction for IPTV services. No other video telecasting model has the option to stream both the live-action broadcast and a video-on-demand stream. Also, time-shifted media can help people to stream the live programs they missed in their busy schedule. So, switching to an IPTV service will be beneficial in many ways and affordable too.