Standardization Activities for IPTV Set-Top Box Remote Management

IPTV services are gaining widespread use, requiring service providers to have effective methods for remotely configuring and managing IPTV set-top boxes (STBs). Solutions for such remote management are becoming standards-based. This article examines published specifications and ongoing activities on IPTV STB remote management in four standards organizations: the Broadband Forum, the Digital Video Broadcasting Project, the Open IPTV Forum, and the Alliance for Telecommunication Industry Solutions IPTV Interoperability Forum. The authors compare the protocol and data model definitions, investigate interoperability test events, and comment on possible future directions for standardization.