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Chances are good that you are somewhat familiar with iPTV providers, even if you never knew it. iPTV stands for internet protocol television, and it simply means that instead of dealing with a cable company or satellite company, you will receive your television programming via the Internet. Watching videos online works via the same process – the video is delivered in packets. iPTV providers provide television service directly to your television, however.

How Does iPTV Work?

No Contracts or Credit Checks like the box that you have for satellite television, iPTV also features a box that is connected to your television and to a digital satellite link line that brings television programming into your home. And while you can watch iPTV on your home computer or laptop, most folks watch television on a regular television set, not the small screen of their computer.

Choosing an iPTV Provider

Although there are various providers of iPTV service, the top three in the United States are AT&T, and Verizon. Keep in mind that this type of service is not available in all states or in all locations at the present moment, but the trend to iPTV is not something to be overlooked. It is expected that this industry will skyrocket in the near future, and it is only a matter of time until it will be widely available everywhere.

AT&T’s version of iPTV is called U-Verse TV and features three hundred channels including favorite movie channels like Showtime, Home Box Office, Starz, and Cinemax, and you can activate features like VOD, HD, and DVR when choosing AT&T as an iPTV provider. Rates for iPTV through AT&T range from around fifty bucks to over a hundred dollars monthly, and there are customizable packages available from this provider. If you choose to use high definition (HD), you will pay additional for the privilege (around ten bucks).

If you go with Verizon’s FiOS TV, you will have access to over two hundred channels, with the major movie channels and a good selection of international channels, as well as multi-room control of DVR service. Packages run around forty dollars a month but vary according to your location.

When choosing an iPTV provider, the most obvious consideration for you will be availability in your area. Choose a provider that offers that features and channels that interest you and your family and that makes sense for your budget before committing yourself to a lengthy contract with an iPTV provider.