Drogon TV: What Is IPTV and How Does It Work?

What is IPTV? The short answer

What is IPTV? It is television delivered over an internet connection instead of a cable line or a satellite dish. Drogon TV is an IPTV service, so the easiest way to explain the idea is to walk through what actually happens when you watch it: you sign in to a portal with a username and password, a player app on your TV or phone pulls the channel list and the TV guide, and each channel you pick streams to you as data, the same way a web page or a video call reaches your home.

This guide explains IPTV through that real example rather than in the abstract. If you want to compare it with a cable package, read how IPTV compares with cable TV afterwards.

What does IPTV stand for?

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television. "Internet Protocol" (IP) is the set of rules computers use to address and send data across networks, including the internet. Television delivered with it is IPTV. The International Telecommunication Union, the UN agency that sets telecom standards, puts it like this:

"IPTV is defined as multimedia services such as television/video/audio/text/graphics/data delivered over IP-based networks"

Source: ITU (International Telecommunication Union), IPTV-JCA Terms of Reference

The definition is broad on purpose. It is not tied to one company, one app or one kind of screen. What makes something IPTV is the delivery route: IP networks rather than broadcast airwaves, coaxial cable TV signals or a dish pointed at a satellite.

How Drogon TV delivers IPTV over the internet

With traditional pay TV, the signal comes into your home through equipment the provider controls: a cable box on a dedicated line, or a dish on the roof. Here there is no cable box or satellite dish. The pieces are:

1. Your internet connection, the one you already use for everything else.
2. A device you already own, such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick, an Android TV or Android box, an Apple TV, iPhone or iPad, a Samsung or LG Smart TV, a MAG box, or a Windows or Mac computer.
3. A player app on that device: the Drogon TV app or a standard IPTV player such as TiviMate or IPTV Smarters Pro.
4. Your login: a portal URL, a username and a password, sent to you by email.

The app uses your login to connect to the portal, downloads the list of channels and the guide data, and then requests whichever stream you choose. Because the stream is ordinary internet traffic, the service is not tied to one wall socket or one room. Your login is not tied to one device either: you sign in on whichever device you're using, within the number of devices your plan covers. It also works anywhere in the world with a stable internet connection.

Live channels and on-demand titles

IPTV covers two kinds of viewing, and the service offers both:

• Live TV: more than 20,000 live channels from the US, the UK, Canada and worldwide, including live sports, news and local channels grouped by state and province. Live channels play as they are broadcast.
• On demand: more than 120,000 movies and series that you start whenever you want, as with any video library.

Pay-per-view events are part of it too: every plan includes all PPV events. The sports side has its own guide, the live sports and PPV guide.

What is an IPTV service, and what does it include?

An IPTV service is the company that supplies the channels, the on-demand library and the login. The player app is only the screen you watch through. That distinction matters: an app such as TiviMate or IPTV Smarters Pro provides no content on its own; the content comes from your subscription. (More on players in the app guide.)

So "what does IPTV include?" depends on the service. Here is what a Drogon TV plan includes, as published:

Prices for each length and device count are on the subscription page.

How do you get IPTV with Drogon TV?

Getting IPTV is mostly paperwork-free, because nothing needs to be installed in your walls. The order runs like this:

1. Choose a plan: 3, 6 or 12 months, for 1, 2 or 3 devices.
2. Message the team on WhatsApp. They confirm the plan with you and send a secure payment link. All major credit and debit cards are accepted.
3. Check your email for the welcome message with your portal URL, username and password (look in the spam folder too).
4. Install the app and sign in. On a Fire TV Stick, the setup guide shows how to install the Drogon TV app with Downloader, using the code or link in that welcome email. On other devices, tell the team which device you have and they tell you which app to use.

Setup takes less than 5 minutes. You must be at least 18 to buy a subscription, and the login is for your household only. Signing in on several screens is covered in detail in the login guide.

Want to try before you choose? A 24-hour trial may be available at the team's discretion, one per household: see the free trial page and ask on WhatsApp. Drogon TV doesn't publish refund terms, so ask on WhatsApp before ordering; the refund policy page explains this.

The TV guide and catch-up: how Drogon TV IPTV works day to day

Two features show what IPTV can do that an antenna cannot.

The EPG (electronic program guide). Because the app is connected to the internet, it can load schedule data alongside the channels. You get a 7-day EPG: you can scroll forward a week to see what is on and when, instead of flicking through channels.

Catch-up. Broadcast TV is gone the moment it airs. On IPTV, programs can be kept on the server side and replayed from the guide. The service offers 7-day catch-up on major channels, so a program you missed on one of those channels earlier in the week can still be watched from the guide.

Parental controls round this out for households with children.

What you need at home for IPTV

IPTV depends on your connection more than on your TV. Drogon TV recommends at least 15 Mbps for HD viewing and 30 Mbps or higher for 4K. A few practical points:

• Test on the device you watch on. A speed test on your phone next to the router says little about a TV in another room.
• Wired is usually steadier than Wi-Fi. If your TV or box has an Ethernet port, a cable to the router avoids most wireless interference.
• Count the screens. Each device streaming at the same time uses its own share of your bandwidth, and your plan sets how many devices can watch at once (1, 2 or 3).
• No smart TV? No problem. A streaming stick plugged into an HDMI port turns an ordinary TV into an IPTV screen.

If you are weighing several services rather than just learning the term, the checklist in how to choose an IPTV provider helps.

Drogon TV IPTV FAQ

What is IPTV and how does it work?

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) sends TV channels and videos over the internet as data. You sign in to a service in a player app, the app downloads the channel list and guide, and the channel you choose streams to your device. With Drogon TV, your login is a portal URL, username and password sent by email.

What is an IPTV service?

An IPTV service supplies the live channels, the on-demand library and your login. The app you install is only the player. Drogon TV is the service; the Drogon TV app, TiviMate or IPTV Smarters Pro are players you can watch it through.

What does IPTV include?

It depends on the provider. A Drogon TV plan includes 20,000+ live channels, 120,000+ movies and series on demand, all PPV events, HD and 4K, a 7-day EPG, 7-day catch-up on major channels and parental controls.

How do you get IPTV?

You need a subscription, an internet connection and a compatible device. With this service, choose a plan, message the team on WhatsApp to get a secure payment link, then sign in with the details from your welcome email. Setup takes less than 5 minutes.

What does IPTV stand for?

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television: television delivered over IP-based networks such as the internet, rather than over cable lines, a satellite dish or broadcast airwaves.

Conclusion: what is IPTV, in one line

So, what is IPTV? It is TV that arrives as internet data and plays in an app, which is exactly how Drogon TV works: a login by email, an app on a device you own, a 7-day guide, catch-up on major channels and plans of 3, 6 or 12 months with no auto-renewal. To see it for yourself, check the Drogon TV free trial page, or compare plans on the Drogon TV subscription page.