IPTV has grabbed the world with its ability to deliver movies on demand along with live TV and sports streaming in HD quality. With so much to offer, more and more people are flocking to this fresh system that entertains on demand.

However, there are still those bent on sticking with traditional cable TV, mostly because they are acquainted with it and don’t want to try anything new. After all, cable has been around for so long that it’s become the norm for most viewers. But with IPTV offering a fairer alternative, we ask ourselves whether sticking to the norm makes sense or if it’s time for us to choose a better option.

Cable TV Vs. IPTV

Cable has been a substantial part of TV-owning households since the late 50s. Those were the times when families would hurdle in front of the TV just to catch that re-run of their favorite show. Cable has always been reliable whether you want to watch another wacky episode of Family Guy or catch the latest seasonal baseball game live.

But today’s era isn’t about reliability; we’re way past that. Today is all about convenience and quick access, being able to watch what you want, wherever and whenever you want. For example, what if you want to watch TV on your laptop? Or binge-watch the Lord Of The Rings trilogy without waiting on your cable schedule? Well, that is precisely what IPTV delivers.

IPTV puts you in the control seat; it lets you watch live TV and sporting events and stream tons of movies and shows from various networks. With IPTV, you don’t have to wait weeks for a channel like HBO to finally broadcast that particular movie you’ve been waiting for; just watch it whenever. It’s like having Netflix but with the added option of watching live TV and sports.

Difference between Cable and IPTV

Cable TV works by transmitting signals directly into the household TV through fiber optic cables. Cable TV’s more recent counterparts, Digital TV and Satellite TV, also transmit digitally encoded signals, with remote differences in the approach and transmission route. Either way, the result is the same, and viewers get to watch scheduled TV programs of decent quality.

On the other hand, IPTV uses the internet protocol to download the content you want to watch and stream it on the go. Using the internet gives IPTV the added flexibility of storing data (Shows, movies) and accessing them at the viewer’s demand. While IPTV delivers on this hype, cable lacks the technology to do so, and that’s where we see the key difference.

Getting cable is somewhat limiting, as you have no freedom of choice. You will only get the number of channels included in the package you pay for and won’t have the freedom to choose what content you want to watch at your convenience.

So, if you want to rewatch Thor: Ragnarok, you can only do so when a channel actually broadcasts that movie. In other words, you have to adjust to the timeline of the channel.

Meanwhile, if you buy iptv online, say, subscribe to an iptv provider like Roomba TV, you’ll get to stream any movie from an inventory of thousands. On top of that, you’ll also have access to tons of live TV channels, including all your favorite sports channels. So, to simplify, IPTV delivers what TV does, plus so much more.

How does IPTV work?

IPTV features an interactive interface similar to a website where you can see the list of content available for streaming along with all your favorite TV channels. The streamable content typically consists of pre-recorded media stored in the platform’s database and live TV, which you can only view after production.

When you choose a particular pre-recorded content to watch, the video file is encoded in the correct streaming format and is embedded with advertisements that play in between. The platform will also encrypt the video file to check whether or not you have paid for the service before playing the content.

The internet protocol downloads each pre-recorded content that we stream in speedy packets ready for delivery. The data is typically converted into a format that is relatively low in size, such as MP4. Using a light video format prevents buffering when there are issues with speed and bandwidth, allowing for smooth playback.

IPTV achieves this process by employing technology similar to the one used during web browsing. Surfing works by establishing a temporary link between your computer and the server and transmitting necessary files and data over that link. The process is also known as IP Unicasting.

However, using this same method for IPTV would be too taxing for the server due to the monumental load needed for streaming. To tackle this issue, IPTV uses a process called IP multicasting, where each packet leaves the main server only once and spreads out to multiple destinations. Once the viewer changes channels or tunes in to different content, the packets from the previous content hop onto another device.

So basically, IPTV already has the packets for whatever pre-recorded show or movie you want to watch. Your device simply pulls those packets while you’re streaming and releases them back once you’re done. This catch-and-release technique ensures that you have quick access to seamless streaming without having to store any data on your device.

Should you choose IPTV over Cable?

Unless you still want to live under a rock, the answer is an astounding yes. Top iptv platforms like Roomba TV offer high-quality streaming for stored content and live TV. The platform includes more than 18,390 channels and 51,160 movies available for streaming and is easily the largest and best iptv provider in the U.S, U.K, Canada, and Latin America.

Roomba TV also offers iptv reseller programs that let you earn a commission on your referrals. Signing up as an iptv reseller is simple and comes with great benefits that you might want to check out.

If you aren’t sure about switching over from cable to iptv yet, why not sign up for a free iptv trial? Having an iptv trail will give you access to some of the best content at lightning speed. It Beats cable any day!