CAMPBELL, CALIF.—Video Clarity has announced reduced reference operating mode, the newest enhancement to its RTM real-time audio and video monitoring system. In reduced reference mode, RTM systems can be used to provide continuous channel-monitoring and fault-recording, based on the actual original source program, from remote locations.
Reduced reference mode is intended for secondary content distributors such as cable, IPTV, direct broadcast, and satellite providers that receive programs from content originators and deliver them to the end viewing audience. Unlike content originators, distributors do not have access to the original source signal. With RTM’s reduced reference mode, they can now use RTM to measure the incoming signal against representative picture and audio source data sent from an RTM system located at the originator site.
When a content originator sends a satellite feed to its secondary distributors, an RTM system on the content originator end sends out data representing the original audio and video signal via the Internet or a dedicated network data path. Secondary distributors can subscribe to that data stream so that when they receive a distributed feed from the content originator, their RTM unit will compare the incoming video signal with the source data from the original signal before any processing takes place. The RTM uses this comparison to test for video and audio quality continuously and then also records error events such as picture breakups, freeze-frames, and black frames. RTM automatically records these faults based on user set error thresholds so that the content distributor can take appropriate action.
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