A Guide to IPTV Lingo for Beginners

When you decide to take control of your television viewing experience and make the change to IPTV, you might be confused by all the acronyms, abbreviations and slang words you find. Our guide will help you decode terms like IPTV, STB, CDN and more. Still have questions about something after you’ve read our guide to IPTV lingo? Give our team a call and we’ll make sure you have all the information you need to find the right content delivery system.

Why You Need to Know These Terms

When you start to consider how you want to bring internet television into your home, you’ll discover a multitude of different options and configurations that can help you do it. But sometimes that can become confusing, especially if you aren’t sure what exactly you are reading about. Just like most things on the internet, there are a lot of slang words, acronyms and abbreviations used in the terminology of internet protocol television. Knowing what those acronyms stand for and what they mean can help you make more informed, smart choices and get the content delivery system you actually need and want to use.

Abbreviations, Acronyms and Slang words for IPTV Explained

CDN

Content delivery network.

This is the system by which your content is delivered to your television. The network is made by servers placed around the world and delivers content to consumers based on where they live and where they are watching the content. The network includes where the content originates from, where it’s stored, and the final destination where it’s consumed.

IPTV

Internet Protocol TeleVision.

This is the method of delivering content to your television over the internet as opposed to via an antenna, radio signals, or cables. IPTV uses your home’s own internet signal to bring content to your television through some sort of content delivery system via a set top box or other plug in system.

OTT

Over The Top.

While you might be more familiar with this term as internet or teen slang. Internet slang word OTT is also a term that you’ll come across when it comes to internet protocol television. Over the top content is content that’s sent over the internet without the control of a distributor. This is becoming more common in the internet age, with more content available to view without the use of systems like video on demand through systems like set top boxes or even gaming consoles.

STB

Set Top Box.

A Set Top Box (STB acronym)  is often part of the content delivery system for internet television. These boxes typically plug into a consumer’s existing television, turning the television into a media entertainment center where you can access live television along with radio, on demand movies, catch up television and content from apps and websites like YouTube and Netflix.

VOD

Video On Demand.

This is video content that’s available to play whenever the consumer wants to watch it. This might include television shows, movies, or other video content. Video on demand puts the viewer in control of their watching habits, including start and stop times. It’s more convenient than live television for many users. It relies on the user’s internet connection to deliver the content when and where they want to watch it.