IPTV Distribution Technologies in Broadband Home Networks

Understanding the pros and cons of different distribution technologies is the first step in designing efficient future broadband home networks for IPTV service delivery. In this paper, we survey the emerging wired and wireless communication technologies, including powerline, phone line, UltraWide Band (UWB), millimeter wave (MMW), etc., which are promising candidates for distributing broadband signals in home networks. Their characteristics such as data rate, QoS support, deployment cost, etc., are compared. The comparison can provide important guidelines for future home network architecture and protocol design.