The term stands for the transmission of television programs (“TV”) using the Internet protocol (“IP”). This makes the worldwide data network a further means of dissemination alongside antenna, cable and satellite. However, the Internet offers a lot of comfort functions that are not available in normal television. The viewer can access his desired program, choose feature films from online video counters or browse through channel channels that cover special interests. TV programs for wine drinkers, readers or car tuners – the data network makes it possible.

Strictly speaking, IPTV refers only to programs that flicker across the TV screen. Image and sound quality usually correspond to the quality that the viewer is accustomed to from cable or satellite reception. In order for the TV to display the Internet signals, it must be connected to the DSL port via a special receiving box. As with conventional TVs, the control is done by remote control and not by the PC.

Internet videos, now often called web TV, can be used by any newer PC. The broadcasts run in the screen window of a website or special play programs such as the Windows Media Player bring them to the screen. The image quality usually does not reach the level of real TV shows. The video window often shows only 320 x 240 or even fewer pixels instead of 720 x 576 pixels.

Unlike traditional television, the Internet also offers other ways to view moving images.

Live channels are most closely suited to the familiar TV experience. They are sent in real time over the Internet and show the same program that you also receive by cable, antenna or satellite. So you can follow the daily show on time at 20:00 on the Internet or participate in the competitions of the participation channel at any time.

Video on Demand (VoD) means “on-demand film” and stands for online video libraries on the Internet. Providers such as Maxdome offers several hundred or thousands of titles as electronic rental videos for a fee. The customer subscribes to a film for 24 hours; during this time, he can view the strip as many times as he or she does, but cannot save it to disk or burn it to DVD. After that, the license to watch expires, who wants to see the movie again later, has to pay again.

Video portals such as YouTube, My Video or Google Video show short clips and TV recordings that users have posted online for free. Content is added every day – or removed because TV stations, film studios, and other rights holders have requested the deletion of protected material. The quality of the videos is usually significantly worse than with conventional TV programs.

The wi-Fi router is connected to the telephone box via TAE cable. Incidentally, a sliver has not been necessary for years. All providers now relied on pure IP telephony (All-IP).

The TV, telephone and computer are connected to the Internet router. The connection of computers, tablets, etc., can of course also be done wirelessly via WLAN.

The actual “IPTV” is offered as an additional offer, realized via a (V)DSL or fiber broadband connection. Therefore, you need a corresponding complete package with one of the IPTV providers. The separate booking of IPTV with provider “A” and DSL with provider “B” is not always possible.

In the complete offers all basic fees for Internet connection, television and telephone are already paid. Included is usually a telephone flat rate. This means that unlimited calls to the landline can be made at a flat-rate price. Such triple complete packages are also called tripleplay rates. That means a provider and a price. Advantage: In contrast to individual bookings, you often benefit from savings advantages and have much more overview in the contract jungle.

IPTV is the abbreviation for Internet Protocol Television. The transmission of a program takes place over the Internet. This method transfers the data over an IP-based network. This form of technology is offered by the major telecommunications providers such as Telekom, Vodafone or 1&1. These specify a designated TV program for the user to watch using an Internet connection.

The quality with which the content can be seen depends to a large extent on the performance of your own Internet line. The faster it is, the sharper the program on offer. Another difference from regular TV is that users can download and save series or movies. So they don’t need a certain amount of time to watch their favorite series.

The first step for your own IPTV server is to choose a suitable provider. In addition, you need the appropriate IPTV-enabled hardware. In most cases, you will receive these directly from the supplier when you make a purchase. A so-called IPTV receiver converts the digital data from the Internet into suitable TV signals. It is therefore essential for good playback quality.

However, since hardware prices can vary widely, it is worth comparing the individual vendors and components. While some companies charge an extra fee, the hardware is already included in the price from other vendors. However, as companies want to attract new customers, there is still some room for price negotiations in some cases.

Television via Internet Guide Guide Switching A great advantage of IPTV. Especially compared to satellite television. There is the wide range of additional channels and the possibility of individual feature films on demand, which are not available to you with classic channels of reception. For example, IPTV providers already broadcast a large selection of HD programs, some free of charge in the basic rate and partly as a fee-based extension.

These pay-TV packages also contain special channels for the topics of documentary, feature films, children or sports such as the Bundesliga, and can be subscribed to individually. You do not receive these programs via satellite, major cable network operators also feed some pay-TV channels into the network. In contrast to almost all cable providers, IPTV also provides direct access to its own online film database via the Internet.

Several hundred to a thousand feature films, series, documentaries or sports broadcasts can be watched comfortably on demand. Depending on the current time, the shows are free of charge, newer movies are usually streamed directly to the TV for a fee. In this way, IPTV combines the digital television program with ad-free, paid channels and its own video library.

EVEN in terms of functionality, IPTV quickly convinces new users of its service. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide), an electronic program magazine, is already part of all IPTV offerings as standard. The information on the broadcasts is available on the screen with the EPG in digital form and is the more up-to-date and more handy alternative to the printed newspaper. With your remote control you “scroll” on the screen, you can view details of shows or the daily program up to 14 days in advance, search specifically for shows or your favorite actor.

You can also use the EPG to program broadcasts for recording on the hard disk recorder or external hard drive. Another application that is very popular with IPTV owners is time-delayed television. Also called Timeshift, this function allows the short-term stop of the current TV program with any continuation. So if the phone rings, you urgently need to go to the toilet or call the kids, just stop the crime thriller or the football game in the middle of it.

When everything is done, the program is resumed from the stopped location. Within the recording time, you can even rewind forward and back and thus easily skip the next commercial break.

Since IPTV is received over the Internet, it is possible to exchange data between the user and the IPTV provider on both sides. In the “Entertain” offer, you can also access weather forecasts or your Ebay account during the program.

Direct tuning and guessing in TV shows via the remote control are other IPTV models. Ordering products on a shopping channel or retrieving a recipe in a cooking show would also be no problem via web-based IPTV. There are no limits to the possibilities and IPTV providers are already working diligently to further expand the service functions for IPTV.

You can also program the receiver via the Internet and thus from any PC or smartphone on the go. The image quality of IPTV also does not have to lag behind satellite or cable television. In contrast to interference-prone satellite reception, IPTV runs just as reliably as cables.