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Explore TV Technology: The rise of Internet TV is poised to transform how we consume entertainment and information. Discover more about TV technology through pictures.
© Photographer: Robert Mizerek | Agency: Dreamstime.comThroughout much of the 20th century, the primary methods for watching television were via over-the-air broadcasts and cable signals. With broadcast TV, antennas received radio waves to deliver both picture and sound to the TV. Meanwhile, cable TV used wires that connected either directly to the TV or through a set-top box, with those wires extending to the nearest cable station, which served as a large antenna. Apart from options like satellite TV, these methods dominated, and still largely dominate, the television viewing experience.
However, technological advancements continue to revolutionize how we access news and entertainment. Radio once rivaled newspapers in the early 1900s, and television later overtook radio. Today, it seems that traditional TV faces a new challenger that’s not easily distinguished from television itself. It even includes television in its name — this is the emerging phenomenon known as Internet TV.
In essence, Internet TV refers to audio and video content streamed over the Internet. It’s also referred to as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). You can watch Internet TV on a variety of devices, including a computer, a TV (via a set-top box), or portable devices such as a mobile phone or iPod.
Internet TV operates similarly to traditional TV received via antenna or cable, with the key difference being that data is transmitted through the Internet. Additionally, Internet TV offers a wider variety of content compared to cable TV. In addition to mainstream shows from major networks, numerous websites feature independently produced content tailored to niche audiences. For instance, if you were interested in vegetarian cooking, you’d likely find more options online than through conventional television.
Many platforms provide on-demand services, allowing you to watch content without worrying about schedules. However, for sites that use webcasting or real-time streaming, live broadcasts are still available.
Internet TV is a relatively new medium, offering various ways to access it, with content, quality, and pricing differing significantly. Some shows are high-quality, professionally made, while others might seem more like the amateur broadcasts of Wayne and Garth from their basement on "Wayne's World." Even traditional TV networks are starting to explore the technology and experiment with new formats.
In this article, we’ll explore the fundamentals of Internet TV and discuss some of the current methods for accessing and viewing it.
IPTV signals consist of data packets streaming across the web. To understand the technical processes and protocols — or rules — involved, check out this tutorial from the International Engineering Consortium.
Types and Pricing of Internet TV
Apple TV connects computers to televisions wirelessly, allowing users to stream videos from iTunes.
Mario Tama/Getty ImagesWhile video quality and screen size can differ, Internet TV currently offers several advantages over traditional television. Additionally, it provides a broad range of options and formats. Two primary types of broadcasts are available: live broadcasts and on-demand videos.
Websites like wwiTV aggregate lists of live broadcast channels. For example, if you're interested in watching the news from Buenos Aires, Argentina, simply select Argentina — channels are typically organized by country — and browse available broadcasts. Some TV networks even offer live, streaming versions of their shows directly on their official websites. In either case, it's akin to viewing live TV on your computer, with no option to pause, rewind, or skip parts of the broadcast that don’t interest you.
On-demand videos are usually arranged in a playlist format, with episodes or clips sorted by title, channel, or categories such as news, sports, or music videos. You can choose exactly what you want to watch, and when you want to watch it. For example, Comedy Central's official site offers the Motherload, allowing users to browse through archived clips from shows like "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report." While it’s not live TV, you don’t need to worry about clips being removed due to copyright concerns.
In addition to the two main broadcast types, Internet TV also offers three primary pricing models:
- Free: Apart from your Internet connection fee, many Internet TV sites or channels are completely free. These platforms are often supported by ads, meaning you may encounter banner ads or brief commercials before videos play. While waiting for a video can be slightly inconvenient, it’s necessary for website creators to generate revenue and provide quality content. Typically, these ad breaks last between a few seconds to 30 seconds, which is still shorter than most traditional commercials.
- Subscription: This is similar to paying a cable bill. You’ll usually pay a monthly fee for access to specific channels or on-demand videos. Since Internet TV is still evolving, prices fluctuate, but subscriptions can range from $20 to $120 depending on the number of channels available.
- Pay-per-view: Pay-per-view videos or podcasts might be free if the site itself is free, though most major networks charge between $3 and $7 for rentals or downloads.
The most popular Internet TV services offer a variety of formats and price points. Joost, a free peer-to-peer program, features shows from MTV, Comedy Central, CBS, and Cartoon Network’s "Adult Swim." Released in March 2007, Apple’s Apple TV enables you to wirelessly stream movies and TV shows from iTunes to your TV. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Xbox Live Video Marketplace lets Xbox 360 owners download and rent movies and TV shows directly to their system’s hard drive.
To explore how Internet TV functions, continue reading the next page.
Some Internet TV services rely on peer-to-peer file sharing, requiring you to download specific software. Instead of streaming video from a central server, the software searches for a particular file across other computers running the same P2P program. This technology is similar to what’s used by BitTorrent or the old Napster.
Internet Bandwidth and Streaming
Imagine bandwidth as a road: more lanes mean more space for traffic to move.Two key factors make Internet TV possible. The first is bandwidth. To understand bandwidth, picture the Internet as a series of highways and information as cars. When only one car is on the road, it moves smoothly. But when there’s a heavy flow of cars, traffic slows down. Similarly, if only one person is downloading a file, it will transfer quickly. But if multiple people are downloading the same file, the process slows down significantly.
In this analogy, bandwidth represents the number of lanes on the highway. A website with low bandwidth will experience congestion, while a higher bandwidth allows for faster and smoother data transfers. Bandwidth is especially crucial for Internet TV because streaming large amounts of video and audio data requires a significant amount of bandwidth.
The second key component of Internet TV is streaming audio and video. Streaming technology enables us to watch video content — either live or on-demand — without needing to download the file directly to our devices.
There are a few key steps involved in streaming audio and video:
- A server stores the video data.
- When you choose to watch a video, you click the corresponding command, like 'Play' or 'Watch.' This sends a request to the server to fetch the video you want to view.
- The server then responds by transmitting the necessary data, using streaming media protocols to ensure the data arrives intact and in the proper order.
- Your computer uses a plugin or player, such as Windows Media Player or RealPlayer, to decode and display the video signal.
Despite the potential of Internet TV, it faces some criticism. Users with slow internet connections might struggle to receive data quickly enough. Many people argue that the video quality doesn't compare to HDTV displays, and websites can struggle to offer enough bandwidth. Peer-to-peer software could provide a solution by distributing the data load across many computers, rather than relying on a single server.
Internet TV has the potential to revolutionize how we consume news and entertainment. People with specialized knowledge and a passion for certain topics, but without a major network deal, can create their own shows using the right technology. If you want to learn more about how this works, check out How Podcasting Works. As video recording and editing technology becomes more widely accessible, it will become easier for people all over the world to share their own content.
