Development of IPTV Solution Overview

PTCL 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

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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

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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-
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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.

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Figure 3-1 Components of HUAWEI IPTV Solution

MEM Media Entertainment Middleware CAS Conditional Access System

MDN 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
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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 Architecture

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Figure 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 Network
MEM Media Entertainment Middleware CAS Conditional Access System
EPG Electronic Program Guide MS Media Server
STB 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
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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).
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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.
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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
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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
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 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
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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
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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
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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.
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 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
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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.