Broadcast television can be carried out through a variety of technologies. Among those that are confidently gaining popularity in Russia - IPTV. This broadcast format involves the use of online channels as the main resource for transmitting data. What are the principles of IPTV? What are the nuances of setting up equipment designed to organize viewing of television programs in the appropriate format?
IPTV Essence
What is IPTV? This technology allows you to broadcast television signals through the Internet channel. In this case, the use of any additional communication resources - antenna or satellite dish - is not required. The main advantage that IPTV gives is the ability to create a picture of exceptionally high quality accompanied by excellent sound.
Also, through various online tools, television in the appropriate format can be interactive. The television broadcasts that are carried out using IPTV, the viewer can record or, for example, bookmark (if the TV allows you to do this).
Any number of channels
What is IPTV? This is an opportunity to organize the transfer of channels in almost any quantity (with sufficient bandwidth of the provider's cable). The corresponding broadcast format allows you to watch broadcasts not only through a TV, but also through a computer and many other devices - tablets, smartphones.
Data transfer technology
From a technological point of view, broadcasting TV shows via IPTV is carried out in one of the popular file formats, for example MPEG4. Using special technical means, the corresponding multimedia streams are decrypted and converted into signals recognized by a conventional TV. Or, if the device with which you are viewing is a computer, they are immediately transferred to the player program.
Broadcast Specifics
IPTV channels, like Internet sites, have their own addresses. They usually look in this format - udp: //@1.1.1.1: x (instead of the corresponding numbers and letters at the end of the address, those are set by the provider). Broadcasting is carried out in the so-called “multicast” format: that is, several devices can be connected simultaneously to the device that distributes the broadcast stream and receive the same picture quality. This is the difference between this data transfer format and online video viewing, when the ability to simultaneously watch a video from different devices is limited by the bandwidth of the provider's channel .
What is IPTV, we found out. Now we will study the nuances regarding the configuration of devices with which the user can view TV channels in the appropriate format.
IPTV via router
Modern providers, as a rule, organize broadcasting of television programs in IPTV format via a router - a device that can "distribute" the Internet, as well as in this case "multicast" to different devices - via wires or Wi-Fi channels. What is the specificity of the corresponding mechanism? What is IPTV in a router?
Native standards support
Most modern routers include support for the standard television broadcast standard at the level of hardware components and low-level software. All that the user needs to do is correctly use the corresponding device function. The algorithm for solving this problem depends heavily on a particular device, on the standards adopted by one or another router manufacturer. We will study the specifics of setting some of the devices of this type popular in Russia.
ASUS routers: setting up IPTV
What is IPTV in the router, we have determined - this is the hardware and software support of the corresponding broadcast format implemented by the device manufacturer. ASUS is one of the global market leaders in the wireless router segment , and it also launches IPTV compatible devices. In Russia, ASUS RT-G32 routers are common. We’ll study what is the specifics of this device’s settings regarding the use of the interactive television broadcasting function.
Experts identify several possible ways to tune this device from ASUS. To implement the first one, you must first enter the online device management interface. As a rule, for this you need to type the address 192.168.1.1 in any browser (or the one that will be indicated in the instructions that came with the router), then enter the login and password, most often both of them are admin (but there may be others - again, we look at the user manual).
On the page of the online interface for managing the router, you must enter the LAN point, then select the “Route” tab. Then put a tick (or, if you like, a “radio button”) opposite the item on activating multicast routing. After that, save the settings by clicking the "Apply" button. The next step is to determine the port of the router with which IPTV channels will be broadcast. To do this, select WAN in the window of the online interface for managing the device, then select the “Internet connection” item, and then specify the required port number.
There is another option with which you can configure IPTV broadcast through the device in question. To do this, again you need to go to the LAN section, and then select the "Route" item. Then we put a checkmark confirming the activation of multicast routing. After that, in the IPTV UDP item, you need to select the port number - you can put any. After that, save the settings by clicking the "Apply" button.
The considered device from ASUS is, of course, not the only one that supports IPTV. What is it, we now know. We will also examine other routers common in the Russian market in the aspect of correctly setting the corresponding standard for television broadcasting in them. Among other leaders in the global router market is D-Link. Among the most popular routers in Russia from this brand are the DIR-615 and DIR-320 models. Consider the details of their settings.
D-Link Routers: IPTV Setup
Just like in the case of the ASUS device, we go, first of all, to the device’s online control interface (the address with which you can access it, as well as the login and password, see the user manual that came with the router). The interface of the router in question, in contrast to what is installed to work with devices from ASUS, is in English.
First, go to the Advanced tab (that is, “Advanced Settings”), then to the Advanced Network. After that, check the boxes next to Enable UPnP (Enable UPnP "), as well as Enable Multicast Streams. After that we save the corresponding settings. In principle, this is where the work with the router in terms of activating the required function is completed.
IPTV setup in another popular router from D-Link - the DIR 320 model is characterized by some nuances. What is its specificity? How routers support IPTV, what it is, we already know. The general principles of ensuring the compatibility of the router with the corresponding technology in this case do not differ from those that are implemented in other routers.
However, the interface of this router differs from others in that it does not directly display items called IPTV or Multicast, which allow the user to unambiguously recognize them as those that are needed to configure the television in the appropriate format. However, support for IPTV technology in this router is fully implemented. The company D-Link, which released the device, of course, knew at the time of its introduction to the market what IPTV television was, and ensured the compatibility of the device with it.
The first thing that needs to be done in the process of setting up the DIR-320 router is by going to the online interface (the way to access it is the same as in the case of previous devices - through the browser at the address, login and password that are indicated in the manual ), find the Internet connection parameters and activate the IGMP and NAT options in them.
After that, experts recommend acting on the following algorithm. You need to delete the existing WAN connection in order to configure a new one instead. To do this, go to the WAN item, and then click the "Delete" button. After that, nothing should be displayed in the connection list. We save the corresponding changes.
Next, select “Advanced” in the online device management interface, then VLAN and Lan. After that, select the Lan port and delete the one that is registered under number 4. Thus, only ports 1, 2 and 3 will remain. After that, we save the corresponding changes. Only the remaining ports should be displayed in the VLAN menu. You must again click the "Save" button - the one located on the top right, after which the device will have to reboot.
What is IPTV? First of all, it is a stream of data distributed separately from the main Internet channel. Therefore, to organize its broadcast, it is necessary to send the signal of the provider to a separate port. Thus, we add the LAN port number 4 to the VLAN-wan . It is necessary to select the "Advanced" item in the router's online management interface. A window will open in which there will be a list of ports - from them you need to choose the one that has number 4. We add it to the VLAN-wan. Save changes.
After all the steps taken, go to the “Network” item of the online interface, select the “Connection” option there, and then create a WAN connection using the parameters from the provider.
Advanced IPTV Solutions
So, we determined what IPTV-TV is, learned what the nuances of its configuration are when using popular routers. Of course, the corresponding broadcast format can be implemented in a variety of ways. So, for example, there is such a solution as SS IPTV, or Simple Smart IPTV. This application is adapted for LG TVs. What is Smart IPTV in terms of basic features? First of all, this is a tool that gives the user the opportunity to access the widest range of channels, as well as comfortably view them. What is an IPTV SS in terms of additional features? This is a tool that allows, along with television content, also access video from social networks and popular hosting.
Classic instruments
SS IPTV is an example of an innovative solution. Many users are also willing to use the "classic" tools, such as IPTV channels. What is their specificity? What are IPTV channels? At the beginning of the article, we noted that the broadcasts in the appropriate format have their own address, similar to the corresponding attribute of the website. Each of them corresponds to a separate IPTV channel. These addresses, for example, can be used to gain access to broadcasts through a computer.
You can create playlists based on channels. What it is? What is an IPTV playlist ? These are lists of channels that the user has created for himself - similar to how he can do this in multimedia players or online services for listening to audio or watching videos.
Prefixes
Many fans of Internet television like to use special consoles to watch channels. What is their specificity? IPTV box - what is it? This is a device that allows you to transmit a signal from the provider in the appropriate stream format to the TV directly. Thus, there is no need to configure the router.
Services for organizing TV broadcasts via the Internet are provided by most of the largest Internet providers in Russia. Thanks to them, many citizens know what IPTV is. Rostelecom, TTK and other giants of the IT market successfully supply relevant services throughout the country. Internet TV is becoming one of the most popular broadcast formats in Russia.