Volicon to showcase enhancements to Observer line

Volicon will debut Version 7.0 of its Observer MPEG transport stream logging and monitoring system, which is intended to accommodate an even broader array of inputs, including ASI, QAM, 8-VSB, and DVB-T MPEG TS interfaces. The company plans to highlight the system’s improved density for HD and SD programs and newly simplified user interfaces, enabling cable, satellite, broadcast, and IPTV operators to address the volume and complexity of broadcast and network services.

With this debut, Volicon will demonstrate how the Observer 7.0 system allows users to log MPEG transport streams continuously, as well as monitor A/V content including BS.1770-2 loudness and other correlations of data and video. Additionally, Observer 7.0 allows users to stream and export content to all stakeholders in the media enterprise. Because Observer TS logs the full transport stream, the user is able to go back an hour, a day, a week, or a month to examine and/or export content and effectively eliminate chronic issues with service handoffs. Low bit rate proxies, WMV or H.264, and DVR-like frame-accurate controls allow for content review, even when operating over an enterprise network or WAN. Its low-resolution proxy streaming functionality intends to give executives the benefit of desktop review of live and recorded content, enables engineering staff to monitor and maintain quality of experience, and gives sales staff a tool for rapid ad verification.

“By providing immediate access to live and logged content, the Observer system is becoming the basis for enterprise-wide content review and decision-making, from engineering to the C suite,” said Russell Wise, vice president of worldwide sales, Volicon. “We look forward to demonstrating at IBC 2012 the many features and capabilities that are expanding the Observer’s use cases and transforming this versatile system into a valuable video-optimized business intelligence tool.”

In addition to Version 7.0, Volicon will demonstrate its Observer Scout logging and monitoring solution, newly equipped with loudness monitoring. The Observer Scout is an A/V monitoring, logging, and troubleshooting system that intends to allows broadcasters and networks to perform proactive content-based monitoring. The new loudness monitoring module for Observer Scout allows users to handle loudness complaint issues quickly and efficiently, while troubleshooting loudness issues as they arise. By adding BS-1770-2, EBU R128, and ATSC A/85 compliant loudness monitoring into the Observer Scout logger, Volicon gives operators loudness management tools Volicon Modules.

For those charged with ad insertion and verification, 
Volicon’s triggered recording module offers functionality across a variety of applications. When implemented along with the Observer Remote Program Monitor (RPM), this module facilitates both ad verification and transport stream (TS). The module supports Volicon’s ad verification module, which allows operators to log and perform A/V quality checks on ad insertions or programs. The triggered recording module leverages the Observer RPM system to change channels and record an entire ad insertion window. With 24/7 recording, users can clip and export full-motion, full-frame-rate recordings of A/V ad assets for troubleshooting or proof of delivery.

The module enables operators to gather visual proof of experience related to MPEG impairments. It leverages SNMP alerts from an MPEG TS analyzer to identify stream issues, dial the affected channel, and create an A/V clip highlighting the MPEG impairment. With access to these automatically generated clips, engineers can evaluate the severity of the issue and focus their efforts on the impairments that most affect the customer experience. In the cable environment, this capability aids in improving service levels and reducing technician dispatch costs.

Volicon’s Observer system offers a combination of logging and loudness measurement that can be tailored for various market and regulatory environments. With this loudness module, the Observer system is intended to provide better visibility of audio, video, and measurement data; more accurate selection of aired content; and faster, more practical access to any given piece of content. As a result, broadcasters, networks, and video service providers can address commercial and program loudness regulations not only through real-time monitoring of loudness, but also with an affidavit of compliance for regulators and advertisers. New to the loudness module are graphing, exporting measurements, and integration and reports with as-run logs (ARL). Volicon’s logging plus loudness measurements allows both monitoring as well as troubleshooting. Overlay controls within the Observer system’s Web-based interface allow users to maintain continuous measurements that identify program loudness and loudness range.

The Volicon system measures momentary, short-term, and integrated measurements, with adjustable short-form (e.g., 10, 15, 30, 60 seconds) and long-form (days) time frames to compare the ad loudness to surrounding content. Users can view and export ad A/V affidavits with audio, video, and frame-accurate loudness measurements burned in, which facilitate fast resolution of loudness complaints. The system’s integrated loudness monitoring not only simplifies the overall monitoring workflow, but also adds value by eliminating the hassle and cost of working with external systems.