06b chapter 03 solution overview development of iptv (smart tv ptcl)

Development of IPTV Solution OverviewPTCL Smart TV

3.1 Introduction

IPTV is born with the evolution of the network and media

technologies. Compared with the traditional timed and unidirectional

broadcast television, IPTV enables audience to watch a variety of

programs at any time. In addition, IPTV enables content providers (CPs) or

service providers (SPs) to substantively interact with subscribers.

Based on the digital video broadcasting (DVB) over IP technology,

IPTV takes advantages of network and media technologies to bring a new

service increasing point for the telecommunication and TV industries. The

development of IPTV brings new opportunities for CPs to produce content

and develop the advertisement industry, and for SPs to launch streaming

services and value-added services (VASs). In addition to providing

interactive TV programs, IPTV can easily integrate with Internet services

and communications services to provide VASs, such as remote education,

e-commerce, information consultation, TV shopping, voting, guessing, and

video monitoring.

A complete IPTV solution needs to provide a full range of functions,

such as, service generation, service presentation, service control, content

aggregation and management, and service provision. In addition, the IPTV

solution is required to be highly open, reliable and stable, and have large

capacity and high performance to meet the requirements for commercial

application. HUAWEI IPTV Solution is a carrier-grade and an end-to-end

solution that meets the preceding requirements.

3.2 Introduction to Services


HUAWEI IPTV Solution is able to provide the following services:

TV services

Services related to TV programs, such as video on demand

(VOD) and broadcast TV (BTV)

Communications services

IP-based communications services, such as TV short

messages, voting, and guessing

VASs

Mainly including online games and remote education

IPTV Solution provides customized communications services and VASs to meet various requirements of carriers.

3.2.1 TV Services

BTV

BTV is similar to the traditional cable TV or satellite TV. In terms of

subscriber experience, subscribers watch BTV programs in the same way

as they watch traditional TV programs. In terms of signal transmission, the

IPTV system transmits audio and video signals to terminals over the IP

network after encoding and transcoding the signals.

TSTV

When watching a TSTV program, a subscriber can perform

interactive operations on the program, such as, pause, fast rewind, and


switch from the time-shift state to the live state.

Compared with the traditional broadcast TV, TSTV brings

subscribers a brand-new experience. Subscribers can control the playing

of BTV programs actively in addition to watching the BTV programs.

TVOD

The IPTV system records BTV programs in real time and stores the

recorded programs in files. By using the TVOD service, subscribers can

watch the programs that have been recently played at their convenience.

When watching TV video on demand (TVOD) programs, subscribers can

pause, fast rewind, fast forward, and seek the TVOD programs.

VOD

Subscribers can play movies or TV series that interest them in the

IPTV program library. When watching VOD programs, subscribers can

pause, fast rewind, fast forward, and seek the VOD programs. For

subscribers, VOD is like a self-help video library.

NVOD

The IPTV system arranges a group of programs in order of time,

and then multicasts the programs to subscribers. Subscribers watch NVOD

programs in the same way as they watch BTV programs.

For carriers, NVOD relieves pressure on the network bandwidth

resulting from numerous requests for VOD programs and provides high-

quality streaming services for subscribers.


3.2.2 Communications Services

The system provides various IP-based communications services,

such as, TV short messages, TV mails, point-to-point messages, voting,

and guessing.

3.2.3 VASs

Based on TV services, the IPTV system provides subscribers with

various personalized services, such as games, remote education, e-

commerce, electronic advertisements, information browsing, and Karaoke.

3.3 System Components

HUAWEI IPTV Solution provides a variety of services, high-quality

streaming services, and powerful operation management functions. It

consists of the following components:

Headend

Conditional access system (CAS)

Media entertainment middleware (MEM)

Media delivery network (MDN)

Set top box (STB)

Figure 3-1 shows the components of HUAWEI IPTV Solution.


Figure 3-1 Components of HUAWEI IPTV Solution

MEM Media Entertainment Middleware CAS Conditional Access SystemMDN Media Delivery Network STB Set Top Box

The main functions of the components in HUAWEI IPTV Solution

are as follows:

Headend

As the platform for preparing program content, the headend

provides the following basic functions:

Receiving programs

Distributing content

Processing media formats

Playing out programs

Managing program material

CAS

As the content protection platform, the CAS protects media content


and authorizes subscribers for IPTV services.

MEM

As a core component of HUAWEI IPTV Solution, the MEM provides

the following functions:

Quickly integrating with multiple management platforms or components

of HUAWEI IPTV Solution

Providing diversified service experiences for subscribers

Supporting interactive operations through the electronic program guide

(EPG)

MDN

The MDN is a core component of HUAWEI IPTV Solution. As the

content distribution and service platform, the MDN publishes, transmits,

stores, and manages media content, dynamically routes subscriber

requests, and provides streaming services for subscribers.

STB

As the terminal, the STB decodes audio and video streams, plays

programs, and controls the playing of programs. In addition, the STB works

with the TV set to display EPG pages and program content.

3.4 Network ArchitectureFigure 3-2 shows the network architecture of HUAWEI IPTV Solution.


Figure 3-2 Network architecture of HUAWEI IPTV Solution

BOSS Business and Operation Support System MDN Media Delivery NetworkMEM Media Entertainment Middleware CAS Conditional Access SystemEPG Electronic Program Guide MS Media ServerSTB Set Top Box

Background Support Layer

The background support layer mainly consists of the content

management platform of each CP or SP and the broadband operation

support system of a telecommunication carrier, for example, the content


management system, BOSS, and customer service system. The

background support layer provides the following functions:

Service management

Subscriber management

Product management

Charging and accounting management

CP or SP management

Statistics collection and analysis

Content aggregation

Content arranging and publishing

The components at the background support layer are described as follows:

Content management platform

The content management platform mainly aggregates content, edits

metadata, and injects content and metadata into the IPTV system.

Broadband operation support system

The broadband operation support system mainly manages

subscribers and products, generates statistical reports, and

performs charging and accounting, and delivers services. In

addition, this system synchronizes subscriber data to the IPTV

system and processes call detail records (CDRs) generated by the

IPTV system.

Service Management Layer

The service management layer mainly consists of the management

subsystem of MEM and network management system (NMS).

The service management layer mainly manages content, services


and subscribers, and performs accounting and charging. The service

management layer can generate and maintain content data, service data,

subscriber data, and coupling relationship between data. In addition, this

layer processes subscription requests from subscribers and charges

subscribers. In addition, the service management layer configures and

manages all the core components of the IPTV system, for example,

extracting device logs and receiving alarms of network elements (NEs).

By interconnecting with multiple operation and management

platforms at the background support layer, the service management layer

provides consumption records, bills, and other statistical data for the

background support layer. In addition, the service management layer

functions as an interface through which the background support layer

manages IPTV services.

By interconnecting with the service control layer, the service

management layer provides original data for the service control layer.

Service Control Layer

The service control layer mainly consists of the headend, CAS,

service subsystem of MEM, and MDN devices on the central node.

In HUAWEI IPTV Solution, the MDN adopts the distributed

architecture. The MDN devices on the central node are at the service

control layer, and implement management, control, and content backup.

The MDN devices on edge nodes are at the network service layer, and

provide streaming services.

After receiving original data from the service management layer, the

service control layer controls services and subscriber behavior by using the


data.

Service control

This layer mainly provides the following service control functions:

Content distribution management

Controlling areas in which content is to be published and

managing the content lifecycle

Service request routing management

Routing service requests (including content requests, EPG

requests, and STB upgrade requests) to proper MSs for load

balancing

CA management

Controlling program scrambling and managing scrambling

authorization

STB upgrade management

Publishing STB upgrade packages

Controllable multicast

Controlling the permissions of subscribers to join multicast

groups

Subscriber behavior control

This layer mainly provides the following subscriber behavior control

functions:

Access authentication

Checking whether a subscriber is authorized to access the IPTV

system

Authorization control


Checking whether a subscriber is authorized to use a specified

service

Subscription management

Processing subscriber requests for subscribing to products

under the control of the service management layer

Network Service Layer

The network service layer is composed of devices on edge nodes of

the IPTV system, such as MSs, EPG servers, and STB upgrade servers.

Under the unified management of the service management layer, the

network service layer provides EPG services, streaming services, and STB

upgrade services.

The access authentication servers and broadband access devices,

which implement access authentication, are also at the network service

layer.

The network devices at the network service layer and the service

control layer comprise a complete network support layer, which provides

network support for the IPTV system. The network support layer mainly

provides the following functions:

Network-wide multicast

Controllable multicast

Virtual private network (VPN) support

Network address translation (NAT) traversal

Quality of service (QoS) guarantee

Protection through firewalls

Unified network management


The network support layer can improve the security, reliability,

maintainability and QoS of the IPTV system.

Terminal Presentation Layer

The terminal presentation layer consists of access devices and

STBs.

Terminal access device

Terminal access devices enable STBs to access the IPTV network.

STB

An STB consists of software and hardware. The common browser,

audio and video decoding module, and media player are embedded

in the STB. By working with the TV set, the STB provides diverse

services for subscribers.

STB configuration

Setting parameters for the STB to access the IPTV network

Authorization control

Controlling service presentation of STBs according to

authorization information

STB upgrade

Querying for, downloading, and loading STB upgrade packages

EPG pages browsing and service authentication

Content playing

Decoding and playing audio and video programs

The STB interacts with the upper-layer platforms of the IPTV

solution through network access devices to display the EPG on TV.

Through the EPG, subscribers can browse service information, subscribe


to products, play audio and video programs, and query for consumption

records and bills through self-services.

The five layers work with each other to form an end-to-end IPTV

solution from service data generation to service subscription and

experience.

3.5 Solution Features

HUAWEI IPTV Solution adopts components developed by Huawei,

such as the MEM and MDN, and also integrates with third-party

components, such as the CAS and headend. By using industry-leading

products, HUAWEI IPTV Solution has the following features:

Solution integrity

Networking flexibility

Favorable subscriber experience

Device reliability

System security

Solution Integrity

End-to-end solution

HUAWEI IPTV Solution covers the background support layer,

service management layer, service control layer, network service

layer, and terminal presentation layer, and implements fine

operation, management and maintenance of IPTV services in full

process. HUAWEI IPTV Solution provides an end-to-end IP digital

entertainment platform, thus addressing the requirements for quick


deployment and rapid expansion.

Seamless integration between components

By using the MDN and MEM as the core components, HUAWEI

IPTV Solution provides powerful functions of content distribution,

content delivery, service management, and service control. In

addition, the seamless integration between components can be

quickly and flexibly implemented through simple and standard

interfaces.

Diverse service operation schemes

When the BOSS is unavailable, subscriber management, product

management, content management and service charging can be

implemented through the MEM.

The MEM can interconnect with the existing BOSS through a

standard charging interface. The IPTV system thus has complete

and uniform service operation functions.

Networking Flexibility

Flexible networking

HUAWEI IPTV Solution supports two networking modes: centralized

and distributed.

When subscribers are distributed centrally and the service traffic

is light, the centralized networking is adopted.

When subscribers are spread widely and the service traffic is

heavy, the distributed networking is adopted. Edge nodes

provide services for nearby subscribers, thus preserving the

bandwidth of the backbone and core networks, and improving

the quality of streaming services.

Support for Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and

management information base (MIB)

Thus, the NMS in HUAWEI IPTV Solution can integrate with


products from third-party vendors to implement unified network

management.

Support for multiple transmission modes:

Network-wide multicast

Network-wide unicast

Multicast relay

You can adopt one of the transmission modes according to the

actual networking environment.

High scalability

HUAWEI IPTV Solution can be smoothly expanded to support

thousands of to millions of subscribers.

Favorable Subscriber Experience

High-quality streaming services

The solution reserves bandwidth and optimizes the storage

policy to ensure that resources can address service

requirements.

The RRS selects the optimal MS according to the preset routing

policy to provide the requested service for a subscriber. This

thus ensures the quality of experience (QoE) of the subscriber.

Powerful program navigation function

The EPG displays various programs and service information to

subscribers through subject classification, program ranking, posters,

bulletins, and program query.

Custom EPG

Carriers can customize and load different styles of EPG templates

without changing the service processes. Subscribers can choose

different styles of EPG templates according to their preference.


Device Reliability

The IPTV system adopts the Sun servers and advanced

telecommunications application environment (ATAE) servers

developed by Huawei as the hardware platform. The key

components of an ATAE server support redundancy, and the

reliability of the ATAE server reaches 99.999%.

The key components of the IPTV system feature high performance,

high throughput, and high concurrent rate, and thus can quickly

respond to subscriber requests.

The key devices on the central node are deployed in active/standby

or load balancing mode to prevent a single point of failure.

On an edge node, cluster deployment and rerouting after failure are

combined. This ensures that the system can provide services

normally even when some servers are faulty.

The STB supports tolerance to network errors and operation errors,

thus reducing the impact on subscriber experience during failover

and improving reliability.

System Security

Networking security

Firewalls and the intrusion detective system are used to improve

the security of the network.

The antivirus software and security tools are used to ensure the

security of devices.

Security of content transmission

The CAS encrypts program content to prevent unauthorized access

to program content during the transmission over the IP network. In

addition, the encrypted program content stored in network devices


or terminals is also protected effectively.

Security of subscriber access

Both access authentication and service authentication are

performed to prevent unauthorized access to the IPTV system.

Through the controllable multicast technology, only subscribers

that are successfully authenticated by the DSLAM and join

related multicast groups can watch related program content.

Security of content access

The uniform resource locator (URL) validation of media content

is supported to improve the security of content access.

The login information of subscribers is encrypted, thus improving

the security of login.

06b chapter 03 solution overview development of iptv (smart tv ptcl)

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