Agama Technologies Introduces Analyzer eQAM for Real-Time Quality Assurance of Cable TV Architectures
IBC Launch of Agama DTV Monitoring Version 3.6 Provides Enhanced Quality Assurance for Cable Operators
Launch of v3.6 includes tailored edge QAM monitoring as part of Agama’s solutions to monitor Quality of Service and Experience from the cable head-end to the set-top box
Agama Technologies, the quality assurance expert, today announces that it is to extend its offering to cable operators through the introduction of its Analyzer eQAM product, a key part of the IBC launch of version 3.6 of the Agama DTV Monitoring Solution. The Agama Analyzer eQAM is a tailored monitoring probe for real-time quality assurance of cable TV architectures with edge QAM locations deployments and mixed cable/IP environments.
The Agama DTV Monitoring Solution is a complete solution for automated, 24/7 real-time end-to-end monitoring of live TV and VoD service quality. The Agama solution customized for cable operators includes the following components:
- Agama Analyzer FLEX – enables real-time monitoring of DTV service quality throughout the delivery chain. This advanced monitoring solution has been specifically tailored to meet the monitoring and quality assurance requirements of advanced digital cable networks, including detailed analysis within the cable head-end
- Agama Analyzer eQAM – launched at IBC2010 to provide real-time quality assurance of cable TV services through and at edge QAM’s and for hybrid cable/IP environments
- Agama Embedded Monitoring – provides operators with the final link in monitoring service quality for the DTV chain by providing real-time monitoring of quality of experience, quality of service, service usage and system parameters on each and every set-top box
- Agama Enterprise Server – the central hub of the Agama DTV Monitoring solution, it centrally correlates and presents monitoring information to provide users and business support systems throughout an operators organization with customised views of the information that they need.
“The Agama solutions enable all cable operator personnel to see both real-time and historic customized views of service and network performance. This data is very powerful, for instance it enables operators to cure faults before they become customer care issues. The combination of data from edge QAM, head-end and set-top box monitoring enables our Enterprise Server to much more easily diagnose faults, so that the operator can act decisively to solve technical issues, reducing cost and increasing customer satisfaction,“ says Mikael Dahlgren, CEO, Agama Technologies. “Our solutions are also perfect for hybrid IP/cable networks, as we can monitor both the IP and cable domain, as well as how a service passes from the head-end, through edge QAMs and how it is finally received at the set-top box. This is true end-to-end monitoring, important functionality for cable operators looking to deploy complex hybrid networks.”
New at IBC 2010, The Agama Analyzer eQAM provides real-time quality assurance of digital TV services in edge QAM locations and other mixed cable/IPTV environments. It monitors up to 200 channels on one 1G IP interface and two RF interfaces, with full QoS and QoE analysis and comprehensive real-time TR 290 P1, P2 and P3 evaluation. The solution analyzes a large set of technical Quality of Service parameters and persistently classifies their impact on the viewers’ Quality of Experience. This enables the tracking of quality for individual services through edge QAM locations and correlation with monitoring throughout the entire delivery chain.
Johan Görsjö, Strategic Product Manager at Agama Technologies, explains: “Traditional monitoring solutions in the cable space have only met parts of the monitoring need. With the new Analyzer eQAM, Agama has created a true end-to-end monitoring solution comprising head-end monitoring with content analysis such as black screen, freeze frame and silence detection; in-home STB monitoring for each and every subscriber and the Analyzer eQAM that monitors on both IP and RF sides of the edge QAM.”
“By having metrics such as full ETSI TR290 P1, P2 and P3 parameters monitored in real-time, for all muxes on a fully loaded gigabit interface, the operator can be confident that even short intermittent problems and deviations are detected. This is not possible with the traditional round-robin approach commonly used for Transport Stream monitoring. Correlated views in the Analyzer eQAM provide direct comparison between the IP input and the RF outputs of the edge QAM. Together with the extensive alarm capabilities and the flexible triggered recording possibilities, the Agama Analyzer eQAM is an ideal component for hybrid cable network operators,” concludes Görsjö.
About Agama Technologies
Agama Technologies AB is based in Linköping, Sweden and is privately held. For more information, please or visit www.agama.tv.
