IPTV——IPTV(Internet Protocol Television) also named broadband television, which means television broadcasting service based on Internet protocol. IPTV service made the television and personal computer as the display ends, provide broadband service such as digital broadcasting and television service, video service, information service, interactive community service, interactive entertainment and electronic business through broadband network. Its system structure mainly include sub-system, such like streaming media service, program choose and edit, storage and attestation billing. The main contents of storage and transmission are streaming media documents, which based on IP network, generally, content distribution service node will be set up around network, and streaming media service and storage equipment also should be deployed. The customers end can be IP top-box plus television, or PC.

Broadband TV (IPTV) is emerging as the future of television around the world. IPTV is unconstrained by the technical limitations of broadcast media as customers can choose what they want, when they want it. It creates a one to one relationship with customers - the foundation for value creation - and enables operators to generate revenue and give users a real interactive experience. IPTV is a new medium that streams a wide variety of video and audio content into consumer homes. Compared to television and radio, where limited channels are available, the space for Internet television is boundless.

Within IPTV, there are two broad market approaches to service delivery: the open systems approach and the single provider approach. Almost all of today's successful network deployments have followed the open systems approach.。Under an open systems approach, the various elements of the solution are sourced from a range of providers, each conforming to open standards. In contrast with the open systems approach, the single provider approach relies on a single company to provide most elements of the end-to-end solution.

IPTV is very real and is already available from leading telecommunications companies around the world. Not as trials and lab-tests, but as a practical solution that is fully integrated and proven to work, with many good examples deployed during the last few years. France Telecom, the leading telecommunications supplier in France, launched its first IPTV product in Paris during December 2003. The MaLigneTV service utilizes the Thales SmartVision TV solution combined with set-top boxes from Sagem and Thomson. This IPTV service relies solely on ANT browser-based user interface solutions for interactive TV and consumer electronic devices. France Telecom predicts that more than 10 million homes will have the capability to access MaLigne TV during 2005. Chunghwa Telecom announced. In addition, Chunghwa Telecom and SaskTel in Canada also successfully launched IPTV products and services.