Technology Evaluation of future IPTV Services

Abstract: The next home entertainment platform to receive an upgrade is the television. As one of the most important devices in the home today the struggle to provide TVs successor continues. On its journey through the modern world the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) provides new technology, cheaper transmissions and a better TV experience. Telefonaktiebolaget L. M. Ericsson, being a major part of the telecom industry provides underlying technology for IPTV as well as end-user solutions via service providers. Ericsson is looking towards the future in an effort to improve IPTV as a platform for end-users. This thesis aims to evaluate Ericsson’s current IPTV solution towards the new services that the platform will provide. The thesis sets out to find a new service designed to take advantage of the technology of the platform and meet the needs of the customers with interactivity and personalization. The resulting service then serves as a base for two prototypes implemented using technology provided by Ericsson in an attempt to evaluate the platform as well as to demonstrate requirements for how future services should be designed. From the implementation of the prototypes the thesis reveals potential issues with the current platform in regard to future services. Such problems include the complexity in how more advanced services are developed and the need for in-house knowledge to create them. Ways to solve the problems on different levels are presented, some that adds additional value to the platform in the process. The thesis also presents a way for how to create new services for IPTV called Content Interactive Widgets and how they affect the requirements on the technology.