IPTV Service
IPTV service is any interactive service that could be used on TV display. In most cases interaction is supported by so called IPTV middleware software and a set-top-box – STB device, connected to PC. Interaction is in most cases controlled by TV remote controller. Most known IPTV service today is video on demand – VOD or Pay TV.

Digital Signage
Digital Signage are electronic displays that are installed in public spaces. Digital signs are typically used to entertain, inform or advertise (together known as “adfotainment”). Major benefits of digital signs over traditional static signs are that the content can be exchanged without effort, animations can be shown, the signs can adapt to the context and audience, and even be interactive. Digital signage advertising is a form of out-of-home advertising in which content and messages are displayed on digital signs, typically with the goal of delivering targeted messages to specific locations at specific times. Digital signage offers superior return on investment compared to traditional printed signs.

STB
A set-top box (STB) or set-top unit (STU) is a device that connects to a television and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen.(Wikipedia)

VOD
Video on demand (VOD) or Audio video on demand (AVOD) systems allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand.
VOD systems either stream content through a set-top box, allowing viewing in real time, or download it to a device such as a computer, digital video recorder, personal video recorder or portable media player for viewing at any time. The majority of cable and telco based television providers offer both VOD streaming, such as pay-per-view, whereby a user buys or selects a movie or television program and it begins to play on the television set almost instantaneously, or downloading to a DVR rented from the provider, for viewing in the future. (Wikipedia)

Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)
Digital Video Broadcasting is a collection of internationally accepted, open standards for digital television maintained by the DVB Project. The organization counts more than 270 broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software developers, regulatory bodies and others in over 30 countries.
Their primary objective is to achieve a common framework for all delivery systems – satellite, cable, and terrestrial. The three sub-specifications of DVB are: DVB-S (satellite), DVB-C (cable), and DVB-T (terrestrial).

Media Player
Media Player is a device that is used to store and “push” the content to electronic displays. Media players may vary from only MPEG capability to industrial PCs designed to provide a secure playback capable of utilizing multiple forms of content. The difference with a Set-Top-Box (STB) is that a player needs some time to store the content in order to push it to electronic displays, whereas a STB can broadcast the content instantly on displays (ideal for Live TV streaming).  

IPTV or Internet TV?
IP-based platforms offer significant advantages over typical TV networks (cable satellite or terrestrial), including the ability to combine television with other IP-based services like high speed Internet access and VoIP. A switched IP network allows delivery of significantly more content and functionality than a typical TV network, using broadcast video technology.

When using an IP network, content remains on the network and only the content selected by the customer is sent into his home or room. That frees bandwidth and the customer’s choice is less restricted by the size of the “pipe” into the home, room or any other final destination. This also implies that the customer's privacy could be compromised to a greater extent than by using traditional TV or satellite networks.


What is IPTV?
IPTV is not TV that is broadcast over the Internet. "IPTV is generally funded and supported by large telecom providers who have undertaken the mission of creating a competitive replacement product for digital cable and satellite services." (Jeremy Allaire)

"While the "IP" in its name stands for Internet Protocol, that doesn't mean people will log onto their favourite Web page to access television programming. The IP refers to a method of sending information over a secure, tightly managed network that result in a superior entertainment experience." (Source: Businessweeek - "The real meaning of IPTV")

IPTV is particularly good for the established media content production business, including Hollywood and all of the major television distribution networks on satellite and cable. IPTV allows these organizations to have total control of the content distributed and to greatly reduce opportunities for theft and piracy, which last year cost the cable industry $4.76 billion in unrealized revenue. (Source: Businessweeek - "The real meaning of IPTV").

The way IPTV television is being conceived integrates multiple ways to monitor and record user choices, preferences and selections over time therefore appearing as an ideal platform on which to add personalized e-commerce options and more targeted advertising.

IP-TV is a carrier-led and controlled platform. There is a physical carrier that has physical pipes and infrastructure that it operates and controls. The consumer interacts directly with that operator/carrier.

As such this is an end-to-end system or semi-closed network (infrastructure is all within the carrier environment, and cannot be normally accessed to the Internet as a whole. Further to this, the deployment infrastructure and devices to access it are all managed and operated by the IP-TV carrier).

IPTV is definitely a massive connectivity infrastructure upgrade to be deployed over a number of years, and which underlines major changes and upgrades to connectivity, transport and delivery devices both on the operator environment as well as on the consumer side.

IPTV approach is a fundamentally geographically-bound approach. This is mainly due to the fact that the deployment infrastructure is based in regions and in neighbourhoods connected to consumer premises. User experience is also bound to their rooms and set-top boxes. Local regulations and policies further influence and limit IP-TV to be a strongly geographically-bound model.

IPTV will offer essentially the same product and programming offered by digital cable and satellite providers. Similar on-demand and pay per view products probably with some extra integration with voice, and different pricing.

MULTICAST or UNICAST?
Multicast" is sometimes also (incorrectly) used to refer to a multiplexed broadcast.

Multicast is the delivery of information to a group of destinations simultaneously using the most efficient strategy to deliver the messages over each link of the network only once, creating copies only when the links to the destinations split.

Multicast streaming draft:


The word "Multicast" is typically used to refer to IP Multicast, the implementation of the multicast concept on the IP routing level, where routers create optimal distribution paths for datagrams sent to a multicast destination address spanning tree in realtime.

Unicast streaming draft:


In computer networks, unicast is the sending of information packets to a single destination. "Unicast" is derived from the word broadcast, as unicast is the extreme opposite of broadcasting. In computer networking, multicasting is used to regain some of the efficiencies of broadcasting.

These terms are also synonymous with streaming content providers' services. Unicast servers provide a stream to a single user at a time, while multicast servers can support a larger audience by serving content simultaneously to multiple users.