ISMANING - zafaco, an independent and neutral network test specialist with its own measurement infrastructure, has tested the IPTV products of providers in Germany. After analysing more than 400,000 test connections, it is clear that Deutsche Telekom with its MagentaTV Smart 2.0 product consistently delivers very good results. 1&1 TV performed similarly well. Other nationwide providers were Telefónica with O2 TV in third place and Vodafone with GigaTV Net in fourth place. Among the regional providers, NetCologne took first place with NetTV, while Deutsche Glasfaser came second with Internet TV.
The test results are likely to cause some movement in the market, as the service charge privilege, according to which landlords could pass on the costs of cable connections to tenants in the service charge bill, expires at the end of June. This is now a thing of the past. For the first time, more than twelve million cable TV customers will be able to choose their own TV provider. The traditional cable providers are facing increased competition.
Christoph Sudhues, founder and managing partner of zafaco GmbH, explains: "The test provides an important decision-making aid for all consumers who are now looking for an alternative to their current TV contract. Whether they want to be able to choose their TV provider for the first time due to the abolition of the service charge privilege for cable connections, or they want to ensure the best possible transmission quality for upcoming major sporting events such as the European Championships 2024 and the Olympic Games." zafaco also provides providers with detailed information on how to optimise their products.
Loss of quality with multi-use of IPTV, Internet and telephone
In order to achieve the most realistic results possible, zafaco's team of experts analysed the quality of offers in the IPTV, Internet and telephony service areas.
The results showed that if you want to watch TV, surf the Internet and make phone calls at the same time, you have to reckon with some considerable performance losses with the lower-ranked providers.
This affects multi-person households in particular. In these scenarios, the television experience and the quality of the telephone connections suffer in particular. Christoph Sudhues comments: "Our tests with a very elaborate methodology reveal clear differences between the providers. They make it clear that price should not be the sole decision criterion when choosing an IPTV service."
In a special investigation, zafaco tested the pure IPTV apps waipu.tv and Zattoo, which function independently of the type of Internet connection. Both services delivered satisfactory to good results in the various test categories. However, due to the limited scope of the test, they cannot be compared with the services offered by internet providers. And: even when using them, restrictions on parallel telephone and Internet use must be expected.
About the test
The IPTV network test conducted by zafaco GmbH in co-operation with IMTEST, Germany's leading consumer magazine, is the most comprehensive and sophisticated of its kind in Germany to date. zafaco GmbH continuously analyses the performance of IPTV networks in three dimensions (IPTV, Internet and telephony) with more than 50 quality parameters. The extensive test methodology is based on scientifically recognised methods.
A detailed list of all measured values can be downloaded here.
For more information about the test, please contact netztest(at)zafaco.de.
About zafaco GmbH
zafaco GmbH, based in Ismaning, specialises in recording, checking, safeguarding and optimising quality aspects in convergent networks and Internet-based applications. The company carries out independent comparative measurements and quality assessments objectively, expertly, neutrally and using recognised methods with its own measurement infrastructure.
The products and services provide clarity and greater market transparency, which benefits suppliers and consumers alike.
About IMTEST
IMTEST offers reliable weekly consumer tests on products ranging from coffee machines to smartphones and internet connections in all daily newspapers of the FUNKE Media Group. These tests are available daily online at www.imtest.de.
Background
For more than 15 years, zafaco GmbH has been offering trustworthy and reliable network tests, which it carries out in accordance with national and international standards. Among other things, the company developed the broadband measurement for the Federal Network Agency (https://breitbandmessung.de) and has been operating it ever since.
The tests are based on a high-performance infrastructure: the customised platform has won multiple awards and consists of flexible, future-proof hardware and software. zafaco's products receive intensive scientific support from universities and scientific institutions.
The reliability of the results is based, among other things, on continuous measurements - around the clock, 365 days a year. zafaco GmbH is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and stands for quality, reliability and customer satisfaction.