Volicon Observer(R) RPM Enhancements Deliver Next-Generation Video Service Assurance

BURLINGTON, MA–(Marketwire – October 12, 2010) –  Volicon, a provider of multichannel video content logging and monitoring systems for broadcast, cable and IPTV operators, today announced the next generation of its award-winning Observer^®Remote Program Monitor (RPM) video assurance solution. Observer RPM 5.5 fulfills the video industry’s growing need to assure the quality of critical, on-demand and interactive services and advertising by leveraging automated video monitoring tools that can emulate customer actions. 

Observer RPM 5.5 is a post-Set Top Box (STB) solution that allows operators to monitor hundreds of channels, troubleshoot real-time video issues and verify broadcast content and advertising in an exportable, 24×7 log. The new Interactive Services Module (ISM) and Interactive Services Wizard deliver scripting, pattern matching and advanced QoE detectors that enables operators to assure delivery of Video on Demand (VOD), start-over TV, interactive media guides, parental lockouts, channel mappings and other STB interactive content. By providing a remote view of the customer’s experience, at the point the customer experiences it, RPM 5.5 enables providers to identify and troubleshoot problems with linear, on-demand and interactive content quickly — before they turn into customer complaints — avoiding costly chronic troubleshooting sessions.

“With the Observer RPM, we can see exactly what our customers are seeing, and the system provides the specific functionality we needed, including an easy-to-use Web interface,” said Steve Mount, director of Wave Broadband’s network operations center. “Our customer service has significantly improved, because we’re now able to identify problems much more quickly. In some cases, we can resolve the errors before customers even notice. At the very least, our call centers are armed with information to provide an informed response when viewers do begin to call in.”

Volicon video QoE experts will be demonstrating Observer RPM 5.5’s powerful new features, as well as the completely new Observer Scout video monitoring and archiving solution, live at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, show booth #1909, October 20-22, 2010 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, La. To reserve your product briefing time at the show, please contact Mike Asebrook at [email protected].

Rather than dedicating an engineer’s expensive time to watching channel line-ups around the clock and logging errors, or waiting until the call center lights up with viewer complaints, Volicon’s Observer RPM 5.5 is designed to automatically and continuously scan the channel lineup and provide automatic notifications via e-mail or SMS text in the event of a transmission error. By automating the monitoring of remote sites from a central server, Observer RPM 5.5 eliminates costly and unnecessary service trips to headends and edge locations. While competitive media monitoring offerings use still frame captures as a video inspection source, only Observer RPM 5.5 offers network operators an intuitive, QoE-based set of features, including the power to monitor the true viewer experience through full-frame video capture, rather than static data with screen thumbnails.

Observer RPM 5.5 enhancements include:

• A new Interactive Services Module (ISM) for comprehensive testing of complex on-demand or interactive services such as replay-TV, interactive media guides, multi-view screens, and video on demand (VOD). The ISM enables operators to script up and reliably test post-STB interactive and on-demand content in a manner that distinguishes network and service errors from STB/IR faults.
• A new Element Management Services (EMS) option, enabling centralized configuration and alert management for multiple probes. The EMS module brings new administrative abilities to large scale deployments with easy-to-use system tuning and software upgrades.
• An Interactive Services Wizard, a desktop application for developing reliable interactive services scripts using graphical pattern matching.
• Improvements to the RPM’s “Virtual Remote Control” for faster and more error-free execution of common troubleshooting tasks.

“For today’s video service providers, delivering on-demand and interactive services is no longer a question of ‘if,’ but ‘when’ — and how to do so in a manner that ensures the highest-quality viewing experience,” said Andrew Sachs, VP of Product Management. “Version 5.5 is the most powerful release of the Observer RPM to date, with features that make monitoring and troubleshooting of interactive elements as comprehensive, easy, and cost-effective as possible.”

About Volicon

Volicon provides the broadcast and cable industries with the most efficient, reliable and cost-effective automated multichannel video content logging and monitoring system for compliance, media analysis, content repurposing and quality of service. Its Observer^® real-time digital video monitoring and logging solutions are based on Volicon’s patent-pending Video Monitoring Architecture (VMA). VMA is comprised of a multichannel video streaming engine, interactive search, content analytics, and service monitoring and alarming capabilities. Volicon products and services meet the demanding requirements of broadcasters, cable and IPTV service providers, and enterprise and government organizations looking to improve broadcast product quality, enhance video management, and lower costs. More information is available at www.volicon.com. 

id=”nav_links”>