Internet TV Broadcast: What Next?

The use of broadcast TV channels is growing considerably so that the number of users (scalability) and the need to manage traffic (bandwidth) are challenges for network design and dimensioning. Broadcast and live channels show strict requirements to operate on a continuous basis in content distribution scenarios in terms of delay, huge demand of bandwidth and characterized by very dynamic variations. There arises the need for more efficient applications and network solutions to meet expectations in quality and number of users and, at the same time, make feasible a high degree of penetration of services taken into account that ISPs and network operators infrastructures are increasingly saturated. This paper discusses the existing solutions to distribute video broadcast and describes new emerging concepts from the standpoint of efficient use of bandwidth and network traffic in the Internet environment. Theoretical solutions are proposed at various levels, from application to network, such as the introduction of location in peer-to-peer overlay networks, active provider P2P architecture or P4P which combines peer to-peer technology with information from the network topology and inter-domain multicast.