In Broadcast - September 2013 - 56

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 23 - SEPTEMBER 2013

N E W S

InFILE

What’s New In Broadcast Quality Assurance
Quality assurance starts at the point of ingest and continues right through to viewer’s set-top-box.
The following summary looks at recent developments in QA from the studio output onwards as
distinct from traditional test and measurement...

By David Kirk
Contributing Editor

dtec Digital’s iOS MultiViewer allows users to monitor
and control real-time video
transmission and manage multiple
Adtec encoders and IRDs locally or
remotely. The Multi-Viewer mobile
application can be accessed from
internet connected devices on
demand. Available for use on the
Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch,
the Multi-Viewer is free on iTunes
and in the Apple Store. It requires
iOS 5.0 or later, and is optimised
for iPhone 5.
Agama Technologies’ Omnia
DVB-C monitoring probe monitors
up to 48 multiplexes and all
individual services, all in real-time,
with complete transport stream
analysis and a full ETSI TR290
parameter set. It allows real-time
monitoring of all TR290 Priority
1–3 parameters for every individual
service. Omnia is optimised for
use in cable operators’ headends, local ofﬁces or edge QAM
sites, and is available in different
versions ranging from 12 up to 48
input conﬁgurations for 1U and 2U
server packaging.

Agama Technologies’ Omnia
Analyzer - Dashboard view

Anritsu has introduced wireless
remote tools for its touchscreen
PIM Master, Site Master, Spectrum
Master and VNA Master handheld
instruments. With the software
installed, field technicians and
engineers can view screens and
control the instruments remotely
using a Microsoft Windows-based
laptop, PC or tablet, simplifying
the deployment, installation,
and maintenance of 2G/3G/4G
wireless networks. It makes ﬁeld
measurements such as sweeps,
spectrum analysis, PIM, and
S-parameters, easier and more

efﬁcient. Operators can remain on
the ground and use a Site Master
cable and antenna analyser to
conduct sweeps on jumpers at
the top of a tower. The handheld
instruments can be connected
remotely from the Ethernet port on
the analyser via the Internet or over a
wireless link using a pocket wireless
router for local remote control.
Bridge Technologies has
launched PocketProbe, an iPhone
iOS app that enables objective
analysis of real network performance
of streaming media. It employs the
same processing as the company’s
VB1, VB2 and 10G VB3 series digital
media monitoring probes, allowing
conﬁdence validation and analysis
of http variable bit-rate streams
from any location. PocketProbe
is available in two versions from
Apple’s App Store: the free
application can validate ﬁve HLS
streams, provide analysis and
manifest consistency alarms, play
back media at various proﬁle bitrates, and display the actual chunk
download patterns and bit-rates.
The full version also offers the ability
to validate HDS and SmoothStream
manifest ﬁles and store 25 streams
with all profiles.
Cisco’s Video Assurance
Management Solution 3.1 provides
the framework for assurance
management of video services
such as linear broadcast and
video on demand (VoD) based on
MPEG-2 transport streams and
uncompressed flows. Service
providers can monitor all video
ﬂows directly from the data plane
of the router without having to pull
the video ﬂows to a dedicated card
or appliance. Cisco’s Multicast
Manager 3.1.2 monitors any change
in the multicast trees that might
affect video performance. Cisco Info
Center 7.3 manages network events
to help maintain video service
uptime and quality. ROSA NMS 4.2
provides tools for fault management,
configuration management, and
performance management. These
are designed speciﬁcally to manage
complete IP television, broadcast,
and cable networks. Cisco Active
Network Abstraction 3.7.2 supports
correlation and aggregation of

Volicon’s Observer STB

events in the core, distribution,
and aggregation networks. Bridge
Technologies, Ineoquest, Mixed
Signals and Tektronix MTM400
video probes are supported.
Eyeheight’s LE-2M-K logging
legaliser maintains a timed log of
every non-compliant video or audio
event requiring correction in the
course of a 24-hour transmission
schedule. This enables broadcasters
to archive a record of as-run
conformance data in countries
where government legislation or
transmission authority regulations
make this compulsory. Each
action is logged complete with its
linear timecode identifier. Video
legalisation and loudness correction
timelines can also be monitored onscreen. The LE-2M-K incorporates
Eyeheight’s clobberRing automatic
luma overshoot and undershoot
suppression together with luma and
chroma gain, black level adjustment,
hue rotation, adjustable clipping
levels and soft-clipping-knee levels.
An ‘out-of-gamut’ indication feed
displays overshoot or undershoot
severity and shows the user where
on the picture any signal correction
is being performed. In the audio
domain, the LE-2M-K provides
automatic real-time control of
perceptual loudness and true peak
level using ITU-R BS.1770 multichannel loudness and true-peak

estimation algorithms. These are
coupled with proprietary correction
to ensure compliance with loudness
and peak-programme level
requirements. Embedded stereo
or surround audio loudness are
continuously monitored, system
gain being seamlessly adjusted
across all channels to stay within
the loudness limit while preserving
audio imaging.
IneoQuest Technologies has
upgraded its IQDialogue ASM probe
with the ability to monitor adaptive
streaming video at full line rate. It
has also introduced a new video
analytics software platform, cPAR.
This enables providers to investigate
problems by programme, time,
location and error.
Leader’s LF 6800 is designed
for use by transmission service
providers, cable television network
operators and broadcast systems
integrators. It allows measurement
of the channel signal corresponding
to a range of globally-used
broadcast signal formats. These
consist of the digital terrestrial
television broadcasting standard
(ISDB-T/Tb), BS digital broadcasting
(ISDB-S), CS digital broadcasting
(DVB-S/DVB-S2), plus the CATV
digital broadcasting (ITU J.83 B/C)
used in Japan.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 58

Eyeheight’s LE-2M-K logging legaliser incorporates real-time loudness
correction to ensure full conformity with industry-standard signal levels

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