IPTV and Digital Headends: The Ideal Combination

Investing in video technology that enhances the patient experience is vital for today’s hospitals. Outdated analog TVs and coaxial cable infrastructure are no longer acceptable for achieving high patient satisfaction scores (and favorable government reimbursement levels). By adding a modern TV system that combines the powerful capabilities of digital headends with IPTV, your hospital can provide patient engagement, entertainment, digital signage, and much more.

The Impact of Digital Headends

In the past, hospitals relied on analog headends. This backend technology receives cable TV signals and sends them to its TVs throughout the facility, requiring greater bandwidth, offering limited services, and leaving hospitals at the mercy of rising cable bills.

The development of digital headends, however, has provided hospitals with a much-needed alternative to their obsolete predecessors. They not only offer more services and functionality, but they operate with a smaller data center footprint on less bandwidth, improve picture quality, and can support a higher number of channels. Plus, with a digital headend in place, you can expect that monthly cable bill to drop substantially.

At RTG, our digital headends are custom-engineered and pre-assembled for flexible, easy hospital installation. Designed with the highest quality, these headends allow for remote management and configuration, as well as modifiable on-screen program guides and channel lineups. To get the most out of digital headends, your hospital should pair this technology with a turnkey IPTV solution.

IPTV and Its Benefits

Internet-protocol television, or IPTV, is an all-in-one interactive television system. Typically transmitted through ethernet cabling connected to a digital headend, our IPTV platform brings digital TV capabilities to your hospital’s televisions, impacting your patients and your operations.

With digital television access through IPTV, patients experience high-definition picture quality in their rooms, as well as the live and on-demand content they’re used to at home. IPTV also does more than just satisfy your patients’ entertainment expectations. The interactive technology can help lower patient readmissions by providing personalized patient education content, on-screen patient communications, and more.

IPTV streamlines hospital operations as well. Easily managed from a central location, IPTV can deploy digital wayfinding signage throughout your facility to cut down on patient navigation issues. IPTV can also integrate with other hospital software systems and applications, simplifying delivery of care and reducing operating costs.

Seeking a Better Hospital TV Solution? RTG Can Help

At RTG, our digital headends and IPTV platform work together to give your hospital the right TV solution to meet the modern needs of both your patients and your facility operations. And unlike other vendors, RTG offers a variety of patient engagement systems and video hardware specifically designed for hospitals like yours. If you’re ready for a better solution, get a quote from RTG today to get started.