SIP based IPTV architecture for heterogeneous networks

This paper presents an IPTV service architecture using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for session and media control and based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) concept. The proposed IPTV architecture is suitable for scalable converged networks, like flexible multimedia delivery of personalized streams over a variety of channels and networking infrastructures, including mobile networks. A new Quality of Service (QoS) adaptation method allows dynamic updates of session parameters, in order to maximize the Quality of Experience (QoE) and turning the solution suitable for live multimedia streaming, independently of the cast mode (unicast or multicast). The details of both the IPTV Application Server and the IPTV Client prototypical implementations are described, as well as the results of field tests carried out across different Fixed and Mobile access networks.