What does IPTV mean and how does it work?
One of the best alternatives among apps for watching movies and series is IPTV. But what does IPTV mean? How does it work and why has it been so sought after, especially in this age of the coronavirus pandemic?
The answer to the last question is the simplest: with the quarantine, more alternatives to have what to do at home have emerged. Thus, this Internet television service has become considerably popular in recent months.
Still not sure what it is and how it works? Then follow the next paragraphs and find out what IPTV means!
What is IPTV?
Acronym for Internet Protocol Television, IPTV simply means internet television. That is, you access the channels you are used to. But instead of television, you can also access it on your smartphone, computer and basically any device with Wi-Fi connection and access to IPTV applications.
That is, you can watch television without cables or antennas, depending only on your internet connection.
Some services even work directly from Internet browsers, greatly simplifying the lives of their users. It is worth mentioning here that smart TVs are also included.
What is IPTV for?
Now that you know what IPTV means, now let's talk about what this service is for. As you may have already noted above, the function of IPTV is quite simple: watching series, films, soap operas and variety shows without relying on cable TV services or antennas, which can be quite flawed.
Another advantage of IPTV is that, in addition to watching TV channels, you also have access to videos on demand, as if it were a Netflix. That is, if nothing good is happening on the channels, you may as well go to watch movies available in the IPTV service catalog you have hired.
Some services also have a function that allows you to record programs that will run when not available, allowing you to view them later.
Tip: See some of the best IPTV options in this article!
How does IPTV work?
The operation of an IPTV is also very simple and we have already answered throughout the article. When using an IPTV service, television channels are transmitted using your internet signal, instead of an antenna or cable TV.
You can use an IPTV in two ways. The first is directly from your browser, either on your computer or smartphone.
Some software also picks up IPTV signals and usually offers more options to personalize your experience when watching television, such as determining the numbering of each channel and taking lists of programming channels to know what will happen, among others. One of the most suitable is Kodi, which we have already covered here on AppTuts.
In addition to these two alternatives, you can also use the devices called TV Box. Usually, they already come equipped with some application to configure and use IPTV, in addition to YouTube and conventional streaming services.
Now, the question you must be asking yourself: do I need a robust internet connection to use IPTV? That's what we'll answer in the next section!
How many megs of internet do you need to run IPTV?
Knowing what IPTV means leads to another question: how many megs of Internet does it take to be able to watch IPTV without crashes and in HD quality? Well, even if doing everything to improve the internet connection, in fact not all speed will be able to run the programs easily.
Connections below 5 mbps make it possible to only watch IPTV in low quality, from 360p to 480p. If it is below 1 mbps, then it will be extremely difficult to be able to watch.
From 5 mbps on, things tend to change. With this connection, you can now watch your favorite channels in conventional HD quality, which is 720p.
Full HD will require twice that. Only connections above 10 mbps will be able to reproduce channels in 1080p.
4K will also only be reachable with a robust connection. We estimate that only connections above 35 mbps – preferably 100 mbps – will be able to reproduce programming at this level of quality.
Before that, however, it is interesting to check the model of your television. There is no use investing in an ultra-fast connection to watch the 4K channels of these services if your TV runs at full FullHD. In this example, a channel that is in 4K will display only the 1080p that the television is capable of playing.
So study well what you have available and what you can improve before investing in a complete setup for watching IPTV television.
Did you learn what IPTV means?
As you can see, IPTV is much simpler than you think. If you have no intention of being an expert and keep applying customizations, just have a good connection and an internet browser to watch TV right from your computer or cell phone.
Want to know more about TV programming and suggestions than watching? Then get to know these programs to watch movies and series online easily!
