There are many OTT platforms available today, which allow operators to launch a video streaming service for its subscribers. Some of these platforms can even be used in the cloud, and most of them can be installed on available servers and used on-premises. A recommended approach is to select a provider that provides content and subscriber management, analytics and client applications for STB, Android TV, Smart TV, mobile and web devices, as well as origin, streaming and CDN as part of the same platform. With this approach, you will decrease solution complexity and save on integration and operation costs.
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What things should you consider when choosing your provider?
Many OTT platform providers They cannot offer you the platform for IPTV. The first thing you should check when choosing the best platform for IPTV is if it also supports OTT. Although you may not need OTT today, which is unlikely since offering streaming on mobile devices is almost essential, you will surely need it in the near future. The same goes for compatibility with DVB-C, DVB-T or DVB-S services. If you see that you will need to connect STBs over satellite, cable or terrestrial networks in the future, select a platform that also supports this.
It does matter which device model you choose, and here it is
Because ?…
For IPTV, as you will be using multicast streams for your linear TV channels, you will most likely use STB devices. You can also use Smart TV, but multicast support in combination with DRM is very limited on Smart TV, so you have to be careful which model you choose. For STB devices, nowadays everyone chooses STB with Android. Nobody buys Linux STB anymore. So this is an easy choice, but regardless of whether you choose Android TV or Android AOSP STB, the complication comes with support for multicast and DRM. Vendors have several references to such an environment, but many are inexperienced and many Android OTT STBs will have issues with multicast and DRM.
But why do Android STBs really face problems?
The main reason why Android STBs have problems with IPTV is that the main driver of STB providers is OTT streaming. Already at the chipset level, combinations with HLS/DASH streaming with Widevine and FairPlay DRM are mainly being tested. IPTV projects with Android STB are not as common and, consequently, have not been tested as well. However, for telcos or ISPs with their own managed IP network, IPTV makes sense, because it will save a lot of bandwidth compared to OTT streaming. The best guarantee to avoid integration problems is to select an IPTV platform and a provider or system integrator that has several references and can demonstrate the fully functional solution with Android STB, multicast and IPTV DRM.
After you have chosen the right device…
You must also decide which streaming protocol you want to use for Video on Demand and Catch Up TV services. If you want to retain the RTSP that was traditionally used in IPTV, the selected platform must support it. However, I would recommend using HLS for these services as it is more future-proof. This means that you will need to get OTT transcoders if you don't already have them, but this way you will have the same streams for mobile and web and for STB. Otherwise, you will have RTSP servers for STBs and OTT streaming servers for mobile, web, and other OTT devices when you introduce them to your service. As already mentioned, the important thing is that you select a platform that also provides streaming and CDN parts.
Pay attention to FCC functionality
Another very important thing to consider for IPTV is support for Fast Channel Change (FCC) functionality. Zapping time is one of the most important features for your users and having a short zapping time can differentiate your service from the competition. In traditional IPTV solutions, FCC server was almost a standard thing, but with Android STB, you need to check which provider or which IPTV platform can provide you with FCC and you have already integrated the Android STB which is used in production.
Remember, you must think about your users too
The last thing to consider are other features that are used in both the IPTV and OTT world, such as Catchup TV, TV Guide, support for series, Marathons, etc. The key thing to consider in client applications is whether it provides a premium user experience. This is very important to get new subscribers and maintain existing ones. The user interface should be easy to use, with smooth and responsive navigation. An additional indicator that shows how good the UX is is whether client apps provide video thumbnails when performing trick actions. There are also other anti-abandonment features that will help you reduce abandonment and attract new users.
Before you dive deep into the IPTV/OTT world…
My recommendation is to first carefully check the technical and IPTV network requirements of multicast, DRM and streaming. When you're sure these parts are covered, continue testing the UX and other features. Otherwise, you could waste time trying something that won't even work in the IPTV environment.
