Reducing Channel-Change Times with the Real-Time Transport Protocol

In a multicast IPTV distribution network, each channel is offered in a different multicast session, and the IP set-top box joins the respective session when the viewer tunes to a new channel. Due to delays associated with network components and encoding schemes, the time difference between the channel-change request and when the new channel shows up on the screen can be annoyingly large. This article examines the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) in IPTV networks and describes how RTP and its control protocol can help reduce channel-change times.