Today's broadcasters face continued consolidation, centralization of staff, and ever-increasing pressure to improve efficiency challenges that can take their toll on quality of experience (QoE) for customers. Fortunately there are affordable, reliable, flexible solutions for remote monitoring that can help overcome these challenges. These solutions perform all-important proactive quality checks at audio/video service handoffs to ensure maximum QoE.
Gary Learner
The latest generation of compact, low-cost remote monitoring solutions has an expanded range of functions such as QoE-based content monitoring with recording, remote viewing and troubleshooting of A/V feeds across linear, on-demand and interactive services. This functionality is especially important given the addition of over-the-top (OTT) and Internet streaming services content to broadcasters' already long list of services requiring monitoring.
A Complicated Monitoring Landscape
Just as content distribution has evolved in recent history from over-the-air to digital and now to OTT and Internet streaming services so too has the need for and complexity of content monitoring. It used to be that aired content was recorded and watched afterward to look for faults, which was an inefficient, tedious, time-consuming task that often took hours or even days to detect problems. It was never a practical approach, to be sure, but at least it was possible. Today, given the scope and complexity of services requiring monitoring, that manual method would be impossible even for the most well staffed, well funded operations.
The introduction of OTT and streaming services boosts the number of portals through which content can be consumed. Add to this the wide range of viewing devices PCs, tablets and smartphones and associated flavors of content they require, and the challenge of assuring the best possible experience (within the constraints of all components) can be enormous.
OTT and Streaming Services Present Special Challenges
With media being delivered directly to viewers, who might be scattered across the country or around the world, there is no longer a middleman to share responsibility for QoE. Thus every operation, regardless of size, must be able to monitor the availability and quality of services across platforms, CDNs and video service providers all from a single location in order to offer a high standard of quality. Such solutions are especially important for operations that lack dedicated monitoring staff and budgets.
Sophisticated Tools for Proactive Remote Monitoring
Fortunately the industry has already addressed remote monitoring of linear, on-demand and interactive services, eliminating the need for expensive, time-consuming manual and visual channel inspections. With these tools, broadcasters can proactively identify and respond to faults rather than waiting for customer complaints.
With media being delivered directly to viewers, who might be scattered across the country or around the world, there is no longer a middleman to share responsibility for QoE.
Advanced monitoring solutions today can scan hundreds of channels around the clock and automatically test signal integrity, issue alerts (via e-mail and SNMP), and capture the problematic content when channels do not conform to preset limits. Positioned behind the set-top box (STB), such solutions give operators a single system and location from which to access and monitor the video output continuously. Remote monitoring capabilities enable engineers to review video and audio for issues such as static or black screen, as well as errors in closed captions and audio levels.
In terms of on-demand content, today's sophisticated monitoring systems can ensure content availability and system capacity, record DPI ad insertions to prove ad conformance, or monitor interactive STB guides to ensure a customer's experience. With complete STB command access, broadcasters can perform troubleshooting more effectively and use a historical review of content and services to address intermittent yet chronic issues. Refined for intuitive use, such systems often combine familiar, VCR-like controls with color cues that clearly indicate the channels being displayed, whether they are live or recorded. Layouts and source selection are managed with simple mouse clicks, and a built-in clock facilitates navigation to the desired time stamp.
Remote monitoring technology is already deployed in applications ranging from competitive news analysis to monitoring of out-of-footprint broadcast and distribution channels. Now broadcasters are applying the technology to OTT services.
A New Challenge: Remote Monitoring for Streaming and OTT Services
Long gone are the days of monitoring the quality of a single, linear broadcast. Now broadcasters must not only assure video quality for multiple content streams in multiple formats to multiple devices, but, through OTT services, they must also deliver a personalized user experience alongside that video content. It's a scenario that effectively multiplies their outputs. On top of that, they're working with a variety of distribution platforms and might need to deliver content via a number of CDNs. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the groups of files delivered to each CDN will need to accommodate a wide range of devices, each with its own profile. It's easy to see why it's a significant QoE challenge. There is no plausible way to monitor all of these outputs and versions all the time, but today's monitoring solutions make it possible for broadcasters to institute OTT service monitoring strategies that work.
Monitoring Content at Every Key Point
The most viable monitoring strategy makes assessments at key points in the delivery workflow: ingest, encoding, packaging, delivery and distribution to
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
03/05/2024
A new survey indicates that U.S. businesses and consumers had an overall positive attitude towards their technology spending plans in the first quarter of 2024,...
03/05/2024
Sony and Apollo Global Management have sent an offer letter to Paramount Global's board of directors making an $26 billion all cash offer for Paramount Glob...
03/05/2024
EMG / Gravity Media has appointed Charlie Cubbon chief operating officer (COO) and Jamie Hindhaugh regional CEO for the U.K., U.S., Australia and the Middle Eas...
03/05/2024
Final 2024 Season Games to Air Saturdays on WRAL at 10:30am in May, Championship on June 1
Taping for the final episodes of the 2024 season of WRAL-TV's Br...
03/05/2024
Estrella MediaCo said it is expanding its connected TV portfolio by launching three new channels with Curiosity that will first appear on Samsung TV Plus....
Today's broadcasters face continued consolidation, centralization of staff, and ever-increasing pressure to improve efficiency challenges that can take their toll on quality of experience (QoE) for customers. Fortunately there are affordable, reliable, flexible solutions for remote monitoring that can help overcome these challenges. These solutions perform all-important proactive quality checks at audio/video service handoffs to ensure maximum QoE.
