Over the past few years, we have consumed television in a completely different way, with Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) emerging as a popular option to the more traditional cable and satellite services. In Montreal, a city recognized for its rich culture and diverse citizenry, IPTV has captured the interest of residents seeking a more flexible, varied, and cost-effective alternative to viewing television.
Internet Protocol TV is the medium through which television programming is sent to viewers using the Internet rather than older formats like terrestrial and satellite television, or cable. With IPTV, a fiber or some other high-speed Internet connection is brought into the home. Users can watch live television, get on-demand content, and even access high-tech interactive features. The shift to IPTV has been fueled by technological advances that have made high-speed Internet ubiquitous, as well as by people’s seemingly insatiable hunger for more control over how and when they watch TV.
The popularity of IPTV services in Montreal can be assigned, in part, to the city’s multicultural makeup. With a population that boasts a bilingual French and English proficiency, as well as a significant number of speakers of an impressive array of other languages, IPTV providers in Montreal appear to have quite happily settled on the multicultural nature of the city as a basis from which to develop and promote their services. And tune in they do—among Montreal’s many populations, even those who speak languages not found in Montreal’s programming offerings (think of all the dialects spoken within the city) can find something on an IPTV provider’s service menu that speaks to them.
In addition, the key selling point of IPTV is its flexibility. When using IPTV, it is indeed possible to recreate a viewing experience that parallels the old-fashioned one. However, unlike in the past, when watching television pretty much required being in the living room at a specific time, the contemporary viewer can scroll through the channels, plop down in front of the screen at any time, and still be almost guaranteed to find something to watch. Most people probably do not even realize that some of these channels are broadcast on a delayed basis.
Although IPTV has many benefits, it does have some drawbacks. The most significant drawback is the reliability of the internet connection. Because IPTV depends on a broadband connection that is stable and robust, IPTV users in parts of the country that do not have access to good internet service may find that their IPTV service freezes or stops for a bit and then resumes when the bandwidth problem is resolved. Even areas with “okay” internet service might have service interruptions during peak usage times for either the customer or the provider when the demand is too great for the available bandwidth. Accessing IPTV legally is another issue. When you use an illegal service, you’re breaking the law, and you might not understand the complexities of your situation. If you’re caught using an illegal service, and you will be if the service you use is busted, you have to contend with your local authorities and the service providers whose rights you infringed.
IPTV’s future in Montreal looks bright as the technology continues to develop. Its potential has much to do with the evolution of internet infrastructure; as that gets better, so do the services that derive from it. Meanwhile, the number of IPTV providers has of course risen. Quite a few now operate in Montreal. The arrival of the smart TV, not to mention that of the simple streaming device, has done more than anything else to make IPTV readily available.
To sum up, IPTV embodies a major move in the way the inhabitants of Montreal watch TV. A great many now find it a better and more varied and cheaper choice than ordinary cable services. For them, IPTV equals freedom—freedom of content, technical freedom, and even (though this is under dispute) legal freedom. Yet viewers who subscribe to an “IPTV service” might be in for a rude awakening, especially if they choose a service for which the Montreal police have not yet issued a cease-and-desist order.