In spite of the increasing deployment of IPTV services, various functionalities still need to be improved. One of the main challenges is a reduction in startup delays, especially in channel switchings, a problem which is quite relevant in P2P IPTV systems. This paper evaluates the iPeer TV, a P2P IPTV architecture with fast channel switching. Our contribution is threefold. Firstly, we propose how our P2P IPTV architecture can be integrated with a previously evaluated channel switching scheme. Secondly, we propose a simple yet effective optimization for such scheme which is capable of improving the system performance. Thirdly, we provide an analysis of the minimum bandwidth requirements for the infrastructure layer of the architecture to ensure the best system performance.

In spite of the increasing deployment of IPTV services, various functionalities still need to be improved. One of the main challenges is a reduction in startup delays, especially in channel switchings, a problem which is quite relevant in P2P IPTV systems due to bandwidth limitations, as well as the employment of buffers and overlay structures. This paper presents and compares four novel schemes for providing fast channel switching that reduce the occurrence of latency. The results suggest that, in general, the proposed schemes are all capable of performing 68% of all channel switchings instantaneously on average. Moreover, the Fast 2 scheme, which presented the best performance, reduces the overall stream quality received less than 19%, on average.

One of the main challenges in IPTV systems is the reduction of startup delays, especially in channel switchings. While this problem does not exist in traditional television, in IPTV systems it is relevant, due to bandwidth limitation as well as to buffering. This paper proposes three novel schemes for fast channel switching that reduces the occurrences of latencies caused by buffers and overlay structures.

One of the main challenges in IPTV systems is the reduction of startup delays, especially in channel switchings. While this problem does not exist in traditional television, in IPTV systems it is relevant, due to bandwidth limitation as well as the employment of buffers and overlay structures. Since the possibility of switching channels quickly is appreciated by users, the reduction of startup delays is an important issue to be addressed in IPTV systems. This paper proposes a novel scheme for fast channel switching that reduces the occurrences of latencies caused by buffers and overlay structures.

Although peer-to-peer networks are more scalable than client-server ones, they face efficiency challenges. One of them is the selfish behavior of non-cooperative peers. Another challenge is the short time peers stay connected to the system, which causes disruptions of the delivery of time-constrained content. This paper introduces an incentive mechanism to address both problems in peer-to-peer networks with live streaming.