The first IPTV service was used in 1994 for the broadcast of ABC’s World News Now. There are three main components of IPTV: the television, delivery network and set top box. The service works by converting a television signal into computer data, so channels are encoded in IP format and delivered to the television through a set top box.

Some advantages of IPTV include video quality, as it is often superior to traditional analogue television. It provides additional features and can allow interactive viewing or scheduled recording to take place. By using set top boxes with broadband internet connections, video can be streamed to households more efficiently than cable. But because IPTV is based on internet protocol, it is sensitive to packet loss and delays if the connection is not fast enough.

On the other hand, Video on Demand (VoD) allows users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand. It goes hand in hand with IPTV in that you can watch digital television over the internet, but VoD has that “demand” factor to it, so viewers can watch a program at a time that best suits them.