Qligent Expands the Spectrum of Software-Defined Monitoring for Linear TV Services

At the 2015 NAB Show, Qligent, a specialist in cloud-based, enterprise-level media monitoring and analysis, will demonstrate how linear TV services can generate deeper insight into signal performance across the air chaindown to the last milewhile transitioning to simpler software-defined platforms. On its NAB booth (N3621, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 13-16), Qligent will exhibit new multichannel visualization capabilities for its infinitely scalable Vision platform, and introduce a local solution for deep on-site monitoring.

Linear TV systems remain the bread and butter of our industry, and require a more effective way to extend signal monitoring, determine the root cause of performance issues, and accelerate response time and problem resolution, said Ted Korte, COO, Qligent. These are the tenets that help broadcasters and multi-video program distributors minimize financial loss and improve viewer satisfaction. Qligent is working hard to automate these tasks to help our customers free up their resources to work on more creative activities.

Vision is Qligents enterprise-level platform, offering previously unforeseen clarity of signal performance in multiplatform delivery. Through a customizable, single-screen dashboard, Vision enables user-generated intelligible KPIs, graphics and trend lines to produce a true picture of media quality through the last mile. The result is a complete understanding of the TV viewing experience across over-the-air, cable, satellite and IPTV systems, without the costs or complexity associated with bandwidth-heavy backhaul or component-driven monitoring strategies.

New capabilities in Vision amplify its value for multichannel video program distributors (MVPDs). Through its new multichannel visualization feature, Vision users can now procure and analyze multi-channel data from many sites on a single screen. This effectively allows a single operator to monitor a high density of signals network-wide from one spot, instead of working across many screens; and quickly articulate performance issues to management and engineering for troubleshooting. Since Vision is software-defined, Qligent can also offer end-to-end monitoring as an outsourced managed service for customers that want to completely free up and allocate staff to more creative, production-oriented tasks.

While Vision scales to any size, many local broadcasters and TV services only need local performance monitoring and analysis limited to a few points at most. At NAB, Qligent will introduce Point, a standalone version of Vision for monitoring many co-located signals. Point delivers the same depth as Vision, with a focus on deep on-site monitoring, baseline performance and troubleshooting of intermittent issues through extensive trending and recording capabilities. Point serves as an ideal solution to tame transitional challenges, including analog to digital TV; and baseband to IP conversions. Additionally, Point is ideal for terrestrial broadcasters facing transitions connected to advanced standards (like ATSC 3.0, ISDB-T rollouts, or DVB-T2 conversions) or government-driven initiatives, like the impending Spectrum Repack in North America and international countries.

Vision and Point both excel at improving quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) through comprehensive media analysis, with insight into signal integrity and performance up to the point where signals reach consumers. Qligent brings additional power to each system through its unique microprobes, called uProbes, which allow users to economically test, measure and troubleshoot performance issues in close proximity to the consumer. Qligents uProbes feed the central dashboard in Vision and Point systems, collecting data from every connection point and saving customers a lot of money and headaches tied to service issues over the last mile.

The effort to collect, aggregate and analyze data across the multiplatform delivery chain increases exponentially as you inch closer to the last mile, where connection points escalate, said Korte. Qligents exacting software architecture can effectively gather data from any number of points and report that information back to the central dashboard, all while minimizing costs through a lightweight and intelligent infrastructure. Used as part of a Vision or Point solution, centralized monitoring of current performance naturally extends to predictive analytics and performance trends over time, helping our customers recognize potential issues that could affect signal integrity and the consumer experience before they happen.

Ultimately, Qligents network-enabled uProbes further reduce the total cost of ownership of a Vision or Point solution. In addition to eliminating the cost of traditional expensive legacy componentsand ensuring no intrusion on the end consumeruProbes can be deployed anywhere across a network or delivery architecture of any scope or size without geographical limitations.

ABOUT Qligent

Qligent architects complete monitoring and visualization solutions for broadcasters, content distributors, ad agencies, regulators and network operators. Based in Melbourne, Florida, Qligents software-defined approach provides an open, vendor-agnostic platform to monitor performance, integrity and compliance of multiple signals, streams and systems across enterprises of any size. Its solutions provide the same consistent quality of content and service across multiple delivery platforms simultaneously.

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