The everyday person's guide to IPTV, or internet TV

THE internet is set to revolutionise the way we watch television. Find out everything you need to know with this handy guide.

IN the beginning, the internet was just a simple way for people to share thoughts and ideas. Then came LOLcats, Twitter and Double Rainbow Guy.

Now the internet is also set to revolutionise the way we watch television, through something called IPTV. In this guide we'll walk you through everything you need to know to make the most of it.

What is IPTV?

IPTV officially stands for "Internet Protocol Television", but essentially it just means any type of video you watch over the internet.

While traditional TVs receive signals through transmissions sent over radio waves, IPTV uses your home's broadband connection to stream video to your computer, TV or game console.

How do I get it?

Originally, IPTV was restricted to the only internet-connected device in most people's homes — the computer.

However in recent years, as more and more devices get "smart" and connect to the internet, there are several different ways of accessing IPTV services. Below are some of the most common ways:

The computer

Chances are, you’ve already used IPTV on your computer, whether its watching a video on YouTube or catching up on the latest Doctor Who episode on ABC iView.

There are many different websites around the world for watching IPTV on your computer, although some of the most popular, like Hulu, are blocked for Australian audiences.

Each of the Australian free-to-air networks have their own IPTV solutions that let you catch up on recently aired episodes of certain TV shows. You can also buy some TV shows and movies for your computer using iTunes.

Game consoles

Both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 consoles offer some IPTV services if they're connected to the internet.

Xbox owners can buy or rent movies through the Zune video marketplace or pay to watch Foxtel channels through the console.

Sony customers have access to movie rentals and purchases plus access to ABC’s iView and Yahoo!7’s Plus! catch-up TV services.

Smart TVs

If you’ve bought a TV from a major manufacturer in the past year or so, you probably have the ability to watch TV streamed over the internet.

Each manufacturer has organised partnerships with different content providers, so what shows you can access from your TV will depend on what brand of TV you own.

IPTV Boxes

Because IPTV lets you watch programs and movies "on demand" — whenever you want — it's starting to replace the need to record TV shows when they air with PVR devices.

Several new set-top boxes focus on IPTV while also recording shows, such as Telstra's T-Box and iiNet's Fetch TV.

TiVO and Foxtel iQ2 set-top boxes can also access the internet directly for IPTV content on demand.

What are the benefits?

Because IPTV lets users access content when they want on a range of different devices, it changes the way people can enjoy video entertainment.

IPTV makes it easy to discover new TV shows and movies, without having to deal with the frustrations of changed scheduling times and shows running late. You can just click "play" when it suits you.

IPTV also opens the door to giving Australian customers access to international content that may not have a home on Australian broadcast TV.

What's more, it can be delivered instantly, so there’s no delay between when Australia can see a show and the rest of the world gets to enjoy it.

What are the drawbacks?

Because IPTV relies on the user having a good broadband internet connection, Australia is slightly behind when it comes to IPTV services.

Partnerships between local broadcasters and international networks have also meant that some programs aren't available to legally access via IPTV.

Additionally, video files are generally quite large in size. This poses problems for customers on internet plans with low data allowances. It also means that when it comes to paid IPTV content, users are essentially paying for the content twice — once for the actual content, and a second time to use the bandwidth to download the video file.

Some internet service providers offer "unmetered" downloads for certain IPTV services — meaning you won't have to pay for the bandwidth used — depending on their arrangement with the provider.

Is IPTV worth it?

Definitely. While it's still in its infancy here in Australia, IPTV is destined to change the way we watch television.

With the roll-out of high-speed broadband thanks to the NBN, and more and more devices being able to connect to the internet, the ability to access any TV show at any time on any device is getting closer every day.