IPTV System

Design Guide

[ IPTV 101 ]

Backspace Communications, LLC

770 Lawrence Drive, Suite 130
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805)545-7770

June 01, 2008

 Backspace Communications, LLC IPTV System Design Guide 

OVERVIEW

Backspace Communications has created this Design Guide to assist Telco’s and
Network Service Providers in the design cycle of creating an IPTV System. Through the
use of this guide we will define and clarify the basic requirements of a fully integrated
IPTV system. Upon thoroughly reviewing this guide the reader should have a foundation
from which IPTV system design choices can be made.

Creating a system which provides television services over IP networks requires a

unique combination of disciplines which borrows from several existing systems. While
the concepts are similar in theory to a cable system, media assets are handled in a
much different manner predicating innovative solutions. Further, the requirements of
handling those assets on an entirely IP infrastructure is quite divergent from the way
they are handled on a typical RF cable infrastructure. Finally, because the infrastructure
is two-way, there are many inherent advantages over a cable or satellite system such as
subscriber interactivity and discrete utilization monitoring and reporting.

In order to provide television services over IP networks, a variety of technical

functions must be accomplished. Some of these functions are accomplished through the
use of hardware appliances while other functions require specific software solutions. We
will explore each of these functions in detail and the necessary tools required to perform
them.

To be delivered over IP networks, media assets must be ingested, transcoded,

broadcast, and presented. The workflow to bring media assets into the system and to
deliver them to the client device may be summarized by the outline shown in Figure 1.
We will utilize this outline to help clarify these processes while at the same time
elaborating on each discrete function.

While the aforementioned tasks are accomplished largely through the use of
hardware appliances, many tasks are accomplished through software solutions.
Software requirements include protecting, managing, monitoring, and monetizing each
media asset. In addition, software solutions are also required in order to manage and
monitor subscriber information and services.

Finally, to efficiently operate an IPTV System, large amounts of critical

information must be stored and manipulated, and many management functions must be
automated. This information can be housed in a central database and purpose-built
software can be used to assist in its management.

The Backspace Communications IPTV System Design Guide will explain how
hardware appliances and software solutions are used together to efficiently operate and
manage the provisioning of video services over IP networks.

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 Backspace Communications, LLC IPTV System Design Guide 

IPTV System Workflow

Ingest
Bringing Media Assets into the System
Various Formats of Inbound Media

Transcode
Converting Media Assets for Delivery over IP Network
Linear Real-time Encoding
Nonlinear Encoding to an Archive
Considerations
Bit-rate and Quality
Digital Rights Management

Broadcast
Delivering Media Assets across IP Networks
Aggregate Bandwidth
Linear / Nonlinear
Fast channel changes
Considerations
Multicast / Unicast
Open / Closed Network
Concurrent Connections
Conditional Access System

Display
Presentation of Media Assets to the Client Portal
User Interface
Interactive Program Guide
Closed Captions, V-Chip, CGMS/A

Figure 1 Outline of typical IPTV System Workflow

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 Backspace Communications, LLC IPTV System Design Guide 

INGEST & TRANSCODE

Content can be brought into an IPTV system from a wide variety of sources. For
example: DVD’s, CD’s, film, tape, or online digital formats. In order to use these media
assets within an IPTV system they must be ingested into the system and transcoded for
delivery over IP networks. This process is shown graphically in Figure 2 below.

Schematic : Backspace IPTV Power Plant

Figure 2 Typical Components of an Integrated IPTV System

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 Backspace Communications, LLC IPTV System Design Guide 

The process of ingest and transcoding may be accomplished by a single

hardware appliance. An example of this would be the Backspace Proton. Proton is
capable of capturing inbound audio and video signals in real-time and encoding a single
live TV channel at D1 resolution.

Depending on the use of the proposed media asset, the ingest and transcode
appliance requirements will vary. If the media asset will be used for nonlinear broadcast
such as video on demand (VOD), then an appliance with adequate storage capacity
would be required. If on the other hand the media asset will be used for linear broadcast
such as a live TV station, then less storage capacity and greater processing power will
be needed to achieve the required real-time encoding. Backspace offers a number of
transcoding appliances designed to meet a variety of needs.

Other considerations for a transcoding appliance would include the distribution

medium of the incoming asset, the quality and bitrate desired for output, the application
of digital rights management (DRM) information, and the unaltered passing of V-Chip,
content generation management system (CGMS), and closed caption (CC) data to the
encoded digital file. Backspace encoding appliances provide consideration for all of
these requirements. In addition, Backspace appliances have all the necessary hardware
and software for ingesting from and encoding to a wide variety of sources and
algorithms. Further, Backspace live TV encoding appliances feature self monitoring
software to ensure maximum uptime. Finally, Backspace live encoding appliances are
tightly integrated with the Backspace Asset Management software, Plasma.

In addition to the physical process of ingest and transcoding, media asset

metadata must also be managed. Managing each discrete media asset, each VOD title
or live TV channel, requires maintaining a large amount of asset specific information.
This information can include title, format, length, genre, copyright, location, talent, rights
owner, satellite feed, receiver, etc. The media asset information and its ongoing
utilization must be recorded so that the asset may be accurately monetized and
reported. These functions can be accomplished and automated using software.
Backspace Plasma streamlines provision for these and other media asset management
tasks. Refer to Figure 3 below for various screenshots of Plasma.

Finally, in order to efficiently manage a large deployment of linear and nonlinear

encoding systems, it is necessary to maintain records of each appliance and their duties
so that monitoring and maintenance tasks may be automated. Again, Plasma provides
specifically written modules to perform these facilities management tasks.

Summarizing, bringing content into an IPTV System and properly managing that
content requires tightly integrated purpose built hardware and software components.

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Plasma : IPTV Software Suite & SDK Toolkit

Figure 3 Screenshots of Backspace Asset Management System, Plasma

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 Backspace Communications, LLC IPTV System Design Guide 

BROADCAST

After content has been ingested into an IPTV system and transcoded to the
desired output format, it is available for broadcast. There are several important
considerations in broadcasting digital media assets. Considerations include utilization
monitoring and content security. For this reason, separate hardware appliances are
used for broadcasting which have been designed and configured specifically for these
and other purposes.

In selecting an appropriate broadcast appliance we must first determine its

specific purpose. If nonlinear VOD content will be broadcast then the appliance must
have adequate storage capacity. If the broadcast appliance will be used exclusively for
linear (live) content then the storage capacity is unnecessary. The application of each
type of broadcast appliance is shown above in Figure 2 above.

In either case, live or VOD, there are many key services that a broadcast system
is able to provide that would not be available from an encoding appliance. The
Backspace Fusion is an example of a broadcast appliance that can provide both linear
(live) and nonlinear (VOD) broadcasts. The software provided with Fusion allows for a
vast array of broadcast specific features including fast channel changes, access control
lists, provision for wireless networks, and Backspace exclusive Conditional Access
Snap-In (CAS).

The broadcast appliance, Backspace Fusion for example, serves a critical role in
content delivery as it is the gatekeeper between your media assets and your media
consumers. It is this system which ultimately decides what media asset is delivered, and
to what device or what subscriber it gets delivered. Backspace Asset Management
Software, Plasma, has a unique Conditional Access Snap-In module that performs this
qualification process diligently and instantaneously. Completely transparent it checks to
see if several key conditions are met during each and every stream request. If all
conditions are not satisfied then the stream is not delivered. In this manner it is
effortless to control the proper distribution of media assets.

In designing a broadcast appliance, consideration must also be given to how

many channels will be broadcast and whether they will be multicast or unicast, how
many VOD titles will be made available and their bitrate and quality, how many
subscribers will be viewing concurrently, and what type of infrastructure will be used for
delivery. All of these concepts are critical to the design of an IPTV broadcast appliance
with respect to both hardware and software capabilities. Backspace Professional
Services was established in order to assist with properly configuring a broadcast
appliance for each specific deployment.

Summarizing, an IPTV system broadcast appliance is key in providing the

appropriate feature sets to accommodate the specific needs of media delivery while at
the same time applying the required level of system security during each stream request.
A broadcast appliance should address both delivery and security requirements.

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 Backspace Communications, LLC IPTV System Design Guide 

DISPLAY

Once broadcast to the client via IP infrastructure, the encoded media must be
decoded and displayed on the client receiving device. This device is usually a Set Top
Box but can also be a PC. A Set Top Box (STB) is purpose-built for receiving IP
streams over Ethernet and displaying them via A/V output onto a television set. A
standard personal computer can also be used as a receiving device depending on the
media being broadcast and the parameters and conditions under which it is licensed,
encoded, and delivered.

When deciding on the user interface for presenting media to the subscriber,
consideration should be given for ease of use and familiarity. The user interface should
be intuitive and simple to use while still allowing for compelling features such as quick
search for content and the ability to dig down for detailed information on a media asset.
An interactive programming guide (IPG) is an important feature which allows for these
features. Figure 4 below shows examples of user interfaces for both the set top box
and the PC. These user interfaces are typical of those included in Backspace Asset
Management Software Suite, Plasma.

The user interface, both PC and STB, will assist in automating operations of the
IPTV system. Each time a media asset is selected for viewing the user interface will
report the utilization of the media asset to the asset management system for proper
record keeping. In addition, the user interface will initiate incidental billing processes in
the case of pay per view and video on demand usage. Plasma includes provision for all
of these necessities.

When selecting a receiving device for viewing media assets it is critical to

properly pair the device to the IPTV System. Specifically, the set top box should allow
for all codec algorithms, plug-ins, and ActiveX controls the system will use for broadcast
and delivery. The set top box should be capable of meeting the bandwidth requirements
placed on it by the inbound broadcast media. The set top box should have adequate
video output capabilities to match the media to be presented such as standard analogue
or HD video signals. The set top box should be secure from tampering. Finally, the set
top box should be capable of incorporating provision for all constraints required by
content rights owners such as CC, V-Chip, and CGMS/A.

Again, Backspace Professional Services specializes in properly designing and

deploying IPTV system’s to meet with all of the aforementioned constraints and
requirements. Backspace Plasma IPTV Software Suite and SDK Toolkit incorporates
intuitive interface navigation and compliance with critical specifications into a seamlessly
integrated fully featured IPTV system.

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PC User Interfaces

Set Top Box User Interfaces

Figure 4 Typical User Interfaces included with Plasma

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SUMMARY

An IPTV system is a unique combination of hardware appliances and software

tools purpose-built to provision and monetize media assets broadcast over IP networks.

Hardware appliances must be specified and constructed to meet the

requirements of the IPTV system. Separate appliances are used for ingest &
transcoding, broadcasting, presentation, management, and data housing. Backspace
Power Plant IPTV System provides for all of these hardware appliances. All of these
hardware appliances must interact with each other and do so through the use of task
specific software, for example, Backspace Plasma IPTV Software Suite and SDK
Toolkit.

Software as well must be specified and designed to meet not only the
requirements of the IPTV system but also the requirements of the content rights owners
with respect to quality and protection against piracy. Therefore, it is critical to not
understate the importance of software throughout an IPTV system.

Software protects, manages, monitors, and monetizes media assets by

automating many routine tasks including customer billing and vendor reporting.
Software manages subscribers by ensuring the correct lineups and packages are
delivered to their portal, their usage is tracked, and their billing automated. Software
assists in tracking facilities equipment and ensuring system uptime. Backspace Plasma
IPTV Software Suite and SDK Toolkit provides for all of these concerns.

Careful consideration must be given to each and every component of an IPTV

system to ensure interoperability, scalability, and integrity. Backspace Communications
IPTV Power Plant, Plasma Software, and Professional Services facilitates the
process of IPTV system design and deployment.

Backspace IPTV Power Plant

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Backspace Communications, LLC IPTV System Design Guide 

Backspace Communications, LLC

770 Lawrence Drive, Suite 130
San Luis Obispo, CA
93401
(805)545-7770

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