Today at NAB in Las Vegas, Imagine Communications is introducing the Selenio Video Delivery Edge (VDE), an HTTP-to-User Datagram Protocol (UDP) gateway. Selenio VDE is reportedly designed to enable cable operators and other content distributors to improve the efficiency, performance and revenue-generating potential of video delivery and ad insertion infrastructures, while paving the way for the transition of operations to a fully virtualized environment based on generic computing and networking resources.
The company points out that to accommodate shifting video consumption patterns, pay TV operators are building out HTTP-based networks that use adaptive bit rate (ABR) technology to stream video programming and commercials to Internet connected devices, including smart phones, tablets, PC and connected TVs. These networks often run in parallel to legacy networks that use QAM technology to deliver programming to set-tops. Selenio VDE is said to enable distributors to use the same HTTP-based core infrastructure to support both sets of customer devices, enabling ABR streaming and software-based dynamic ad insertion capabilities to deliver signals to set-tops using the traditional QAM-based RF transmission infrastructure.
In addition to helping to accelerate the consolidation of multiple networks into a single, next-gen infrastructure, the deployment of Selenio VDE also is said to make it possible for cable operators to accelerate the deployment of a next-generation ad insertion platform, enabling the retirement of hardware-dependent ad insertion and video delivery equipment.
Tektronix is demonstrating new Sentry ABR capabilities at NAB 2016 this week. Adaptive bit rate streaming (ABR) is the underlying technology used with multiscreen, on-demand streaming services for PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets and TVs. Also called TV Everywhere or OTT (over the top), multiscreen video services use ABR to break content into small fragments of compressed content for transmission to viewing devices. Tektronix points out that with the increased amount of content delivered via ABR, service providers need to be able to pinpoint errors in the network quickly to reduce operational expenses related to trouble calls and mean time to detect and repair (MTTD, MTTR) issues.
Tektronix Sentry products are used to provide QoE (Quality of experience) and PVQ (perceptual video quality) information to network operators concerned about the experience they are providing their customers. With the addition of decryption and decode functionality, Sentry ABR is said to gives service providers “the breadth and depth of monitoring they are accustomed to with linear-based services.” After transcoding in a typical ABR workflow, a video stream is fragmented into fixed time duration fragments, encrypted and digital rights management (DRM) applied. Sentry ABR is now capable of viewing this encrypted content to evaluate the actual viewing experience, or QoE as well as determining PVQ, according to the company.
Verimatrix is formally launching its Verspective Operator Analytics solution, a suite of subscriber intelligence tools that reportedly “emphasize data security and integrity as a foundation for actionable intelligence.” Verspective Operator Analytics is said to enable multi-source instrumentation, transformation, organization, analysis and distribution of census-based video service data, providing a combination of real-time and historical perspectives of service and subscriber usage. The Operator Analytics solution also offers the option to integrate with the cloud-based, globally interconnected Verspective Intelligence Center.
The company says that the key to the Verspective Operator Analytics suite is a comprehensive, secure approach to data aggregation from a variety of instrumentation points. Verimatrix reports it enables crucial data collection from set-top boxes and CE devices – which is a valuable data source, but one that requires critical attention to issues of data integrity and privacy. This information is enriched through additional headend subsystems data sources, including VOD platforms, operator CDNs and metadata systems. “Working together, these data sets enable correlation of multiple operational viewpoints, creating an ideal analytics platform for multi-network and multiscreen service providers,” Verimatrix states in a press release. “A number of Tier I operators are operational with early profiles of Verspective Operator Analytics.”
In Las Vegas this week at NAB 2016, Cisco is unveiling its Media Blueprint , which it says is “a set of infrastructure and software solutions that powers cloud scale media experiences, accelerating the creation, delivery and monetization of immersive content.”
Cisco Media Blueprint solutions is said to enable content providers and broadcasters to produce, store, distribute and secure premium video. It is based on open standards and is reportedly supported by many of the media industry’s key software providers. These solutions are being implemented by customers including NBC Olympics, CBS News Digital and more.