ABSTRACT
An understanding of IPTV depends on knowledge of basic television concepts and the Internet Protocol (IP) used to transport television as a sequence of packetized frames. In this chapter we turn our attention to obtaining an understanding of television concepts; the next chapter will focus on the IP. First we will reacquaint ourselves with analog television concepts and the evolution from analog to digital television. As we examine basic television concepts we will become familiar with a variety of terms associated with the technology, including pixels, frames, and interlacing and how they affect bandwidth. By obtaining an appreciation for the bandwidth requirements of standard-and high-definition television, we will note the need for lossy compression. Thus, in concluding this chapter we will examine several data compression techniques whose use enables IPTV to become a reality.
