MassiveData, a division of FourthWall Media, has developed a tool cable operators can use to monitor their physical plant to detect problems in advance of any customer disruptions.
Precision Diagnostics requires FourthWall Media’s TV Collect 3.0 client application on the set top box (STB), which collects and delivers the data to the FourthWall Media data center for processing, analysis and reporting.
The client collects a range of data, including STB Model Info, current status of STB, signal frequencies and signal levels, plant identifiers that identify an STB’s location within the cable plant, STB network information for the STB including status and errors for multi-room DVR, hard drive temperature and usage metrics, VOD identifiers and VOD usage metrics, STB crash/reset status, Parental Control information, Energy Savings info, STB application status, language info, memory statistics and utilization.
Precision Diagnostics continually updates benchmarks for all key metrics and then checks these against operator-defined thresholds to provide alerts when devices are operating outside of normal thresholds for performance, according to Charlie Barnes SVP, Product strategy and management, FourthWall Media.
“Additionally, our reporting solution provides the operator with the ability to review the metrics across various time frames and provides alerts on devices and/or households that may be at risk, given STB performance indicators. And through continuous analysis, profiles can be defined for problem devices and/or households to allow for better alerts for action by the operator (for example, if several key diagnostic metrics begin to decline in parallel, there may be a specific cause that can be addressed quickly to correct the issue, based on an existing profile for that type of event crossing several key diagnostic metrics),” he wrote in an e-mail exchange.
When asked for an example of how specific data can lead to specific diagnoses, Barnes responded, “One example would be diagnosing failures with multi-room DVR. By providing key metrics on errors with signal levels or failures with the system, operators can proactively identify when a device may be approaching an acute failure and ship a replacement device to the customer. “Another example would be diagnosing failures with a particular node or area within the cable plant,” he continued. “By monitoring signal levels for key frequencies to the STB (in-band, out-of-band, etc.), the operator can more quickly identify key areas in the cable plant that could be failing and affecting more than one customer home. Through early detection, the operator can proactively pursue cable plant repairs and improvements to correct issues affecting portions of their footprint.”
“The market for cable system diagnostic data and reporting for set-top boxes is underserved as many operators have either limited access to diagnostic data or the tools to analyze it,” Barnes said. “The cost of an on-site truck roll for a cable customer is considerable, as is every customer support call. Imagine if some of these expenses could be headed off by an operator reporting tool that would flag problems prior to a customer disruption, allowing for remedial action in advance.”
According to the company, Precision Diagnostics is scheduled to enter service January, 2015.
