A unified session control protocol for IPTV services

IPTV services are being and will continue to be a main driver in the rollout of next general networks. In the IPTV functional architecture, service control functions and content delivery control functions are most important elements in realizing the IPTV services. SIP, RTP and RTSP protocols are commonly used in the IMS-based IPTV. Using many protocols in the implementation makes the system complex and proves less flexible in the integration and creation of new services. Besides, SIP is a session protocol and can, with limited impact on standards, extendable to carry RTSP messages. In this paper, we propose a unified session control protocol based on SIP, which can be used for control of sessions and media in IPTV services. Consequently, new features for services can be developed using the proposed unified session control protocol. For example, when a user interrupts IPTV services, advertisement or recommendation of relevant video can be displayed on the screen.