ITU Approves New IPTV Standard, ITU-T H.770

Standards body, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said Tuesday that it has given first stage approval (consent) to a new standard that enables an IPTV end-user to locate and subscribe to content coming from different, independent service providers. According to the organization, the standard--Recommendation ITU-T H.770-"Mechanisms for service discovery and selection for IPTV"--describes the mechanisms for service provider discovery, service discovery and selection. Services such as linear TV and video-on-demand are addressed, with metadata that describes programming and delivery protocols detailed, the ITU says. According to the ITU, the new standard will "enable a greater deal of choice for end-users and will help service providers offer a more competitive package." ITU members can find more information about the new standard at: http://www.itu.int/md/T09-SG16-090626-TD-WP2-0168/en