IMS-enabled control channel for IPTV

An IMS-enabled control system for an IPTV service, comprising:

• means for receiving at a Serving Call/State Control Function (S-CSCF) a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) REGISTER message, the SIP REGISTER message identifying the originating user;
• means for receiving at the originating user a response from the S-CSCF indicating that the originating user has been authorized;
• means for sending a SIP INVITE message from the S-CSCF to establish a open persistent control channel between the originating user and a selected IPTV Application Server (AS);
• and
• means for sending and/or receiving control or information messages by way of the open persistent control channel,
• wherein the SIP REGISTER message is sent in response to receipt of a power-on message from a media transmitter/receiver (MTRX) including an IP address of the MTRX.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising non-transitory code adapted to be executed in an IMS-enabled control system, the computer code adapted to implement a method for providing an IMS-enabled control channel for an IPTV service, the method comprising:

• receiving at a Serving Call/State Control Function (S-CSCF) a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) REGISTER message, the SIP REGISTER message identifying an originating user;
• receiving at a SIP terminal of the originating user a response from the S-CSCF indicating that the originating user has been authorized;
• sending a SIP INVITE message from the S-CSCF,
• wherein the computer code is adapted to establish an open persistent control channel between the SIP terminal of the originating user and a selected IPTV Application Server (AS) and adapted to send and/or receive control or information messages by way of the open persistent control channel, and
• wherein the SIP REGISTER message is sent in response to receipt of a power-on message from a media transmitter/receiver (MTRX) including an IP address of the MTRX.