There’s a new standard that could have a significant effect in the IPTV world.

“Network Attachment and Initialization of Devices and Client Discovery of IPTV Services” has been released by the ATIS IPTV Interoperability Forum (IIF). The document specifies the initial set of activities that prepare devices in the consumer domain to receive and consume IPTV services. It is a foundation specification addressing fundamentals such as the initialization and attachment phases for the Delivery (home) Network Gateway (DNG) and the IPTV Terminal Function (ITF), which includes the set top box. Comprehensively, it covers network attachment, service provider discovery, service provider attachment and services discovery procedures.

“By providing the critical groundwork to coordinate the efforts of virtually every element of the IPTV ecosystem, this standard brings the next evolutionary step in entertainment television ever-closer to wide-scale deployment,” said Susan Miller, president and CEO of ATIS.

Through addressing basic issues such as how an IPTV terminal connects to the network, helping the system know which service providers are available and the services they offer, as well as allowing connection to these providers and offerings, ATIS says this is the beginning of a suite of standards that will enable interoperability starting with a simplified user experience for IPTV service attachment. Soon to follow will be a specification enabling access to linear television services — television as we know it today — through a managed IP network.

Source:xchangemag