Maritime IPTV & CATV Distribution System
From one satellite feed to every cabin TV — CATV or full IPTV.
- CATV route: decode + re-modulate onto vessel coax, up to 58 channels
- IPTV route: encode, store, stream over the ship LAN
- Sources can mix satellite TV, CCTV, VOD and in-house programming
- Menu customization, user management, welcome screen, information insertion, catch-up
A working TVRO system on a ship is not one box: it is an antenna, an ACU, a receiver, a multiswitch and then a distribution layer that reaches the cabins. Two distribution routes are supported — CATV, where the satellite feed is demodulated and re-modulated onto a coaxial network, and IPTV, where the channels are encoded and served over the ship LAN.
On the CATV route the headend decodes the satellite signal and modulates it onto the vessel coax. In the multi-room configuration documented in the catalogue, each left- and right-hand polarization can carry a different set of channels, giving up to 58 channels without the services interfering with one another.
The IPTV route takes the same sources — satellite TV, CCTV, video-on-demand and self-produced programming — encodes and stores them, and streams them as a digital bitstream to the cabin TVs. The documented feature set includes menu customization, user management, a dynamic boot screen, information insertion and catch-up playback.
Full specification
Maritime IPTV data sheet
| Layer | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | TVRO antenna | Tracks the satellite and outputs L-band |
| Rack | ACU | Power, control and satellite parameters |
| Rack | Receiver | Demodulates the selected transponder |
| Rack | Multiswitch | Routes selected polarizations to receivers |
| Rack | Encoder / IPTV server | Encodes sources and serves streams over IP |
| Room | Decoder / smart TV | Plays the stream on the cabin display |
Layer order follows the TVROVSAT Dual TVRO Solution wiring diagram (Outdoor / Rack / Room), catalogue page 3; CATV channel count from the 2026 manual, pages 23–24.
Drawings and detail
Mounting envelope
Buyer questions
Maritime IPTV
The three questions that come up most often on this platform. Anything else — write to sales@tvrovsatantenna.com.
CATV or IPTV — which one should a ship use?
CATV is simpler and cheaper to retrofit because it rides on existing coax. IPTV scales better when you also want VOD, CCTV channels, per-cabin menus and catch-up, because everything becomes a stream on the ship LAN.
How many channels can the multi-room system carry?
The catalogue documents up to 58 channels in the multi-room configuration, with the left and right polarization each carrying a different channel set so services do not interfere.
Can I keep my existing TVs?
On the CATV route, yes — any TV with an analogue or DVB tuner that matches the headend. On the IPTV route the cabin TV needs either a built-in IPTV client or a set-top decoder.
Selection guide
CATV or IPTV: coax versus ship LAN
Also in the range