For the last few years, television consumption has been rather different because Internet Protocol Television has now emerged as a prominent option for more traditional options, which are cable and satellite. In Montreal, for example, which is highly renowned for its rich cultural activities and diversified citizenry, there’s now interest in the community wanting a more flexible and diversified option at a competitive cost for watching 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. This is fueled by technological advances that make high-speed Internet ubiquitous and the apparently insatiable appetite of people for more control over how and when they watch TV.
The popularity of IPTV services in the city of Montreal may be ascribed to the multicultural nature of the city. With a population that boasts bilingual French and English proficiency, as well as a significant number of speakers of an impressive array of other languages, IPTV providers in Montreal seem 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. Besides, flexibility is the major selling point of IPTV. Indeed, in using IPTV, it is actually possible to recreate a viewing experience that parallels the old-fashioned one. But unlike the earlier situation, in which watching television pretty much required one’s presence in the living room at a specific time, the modern viewer can zip through the channels, plunk down in front of the box at almost any time of day or night, and still be virtually assured of finding something of interest. In fact, most viewers probably don’t even know that some of these channels are broadcast on a delayed basis.
Although IPTV has many benefits, it has some drawbacks. The most significant drawback is the reliability of the internet connection. Since IPTV relies on a broadband connection that is stable and robust, users in certain parts of the country without good internet service may find their IPTV service freezing or stopping for a little bit before continuing when the bandwidth problem is resolved. Even areas with “okay” internet service might experience service interruption when usage peaks for either the customer or the provider when that usage spikes the available bandwidth too high. Accessing IPTV legally is another problem. When you use an illegal service, you are breaking the law, and you may not understand how complex your situation is. 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. Of course, the number of IPTV providers has increased in the meantime. Many operate now in Montreal. The smart TV, to say nothing of the simple streaming device, has done more than anything to make IPTV accessible.
In short, IPTV embodies a major shift in the way that the residents 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.