LAS VEGAS -- Test and measurement equipment continues to evolve in the new world of IP, streaming and over-the-top video. With the recent emphasis on the CALM Act and audio measurements, there’s plenty going on at the NAB Show with test and measurement products.
CONTENT MONITORING
Bridge Technologies will show the first full implementation of its end-to-end monitoring for OTT services, with data analysis from ingest to viewing device. Bridgetech’s OTT monitoring capabilities can be integrated with conventional digital media delivery services under the company’s easy-to-use GUI.
Digital Nirvana will highlight its flagship Monitor IQ broadcast monitoring system, MediaPro content repurposing system, and repeat audio detection systems (RADS) for song tracking and ad tracking.
DVEO True Check IP analyzer DVEO will debut the True Check IP analyzer that verifies the quality of MPEG- 2/H.264 audio and video services delivered over IP networks. True Check IP provides detailed analysis and error monitoring of IP layers and MPEG transport stream layers, as well as key frame decoding and service profiling.
Hamlet will feature its VidScope monitoring software, now bundled with the StreamLabs MH2B capture card. VidScope is a Windows PC-based video monitoring, measurement, display and capture tool that provides real-time analysis of HD, SD, HDV and DV, as well as offline measurement of AVI, VOB, MPEG and Windows Media files.
IneoQuest will spotlight its iVMS 5 intelligent video management system, a scalable, end-to-end monitor that pinpoints faults in video networks. The iVMS 5 works with the company’s Cricket ASI and IQMediaMonitor probes to enable monitoring, analysis and troubleshooting ASI and IP content.
Manzanita Systems will be on hand to discuss its Transport Stream Analyzer, which can be used to verify compliance with MPEG, ATSC and DVB specifications. The Transport Stream Analyzer monitors more than 500 parameters, including buffer levels, timing, jitter and bandwidth consumption.
MiraVid will highlight its TeleSight mutiviewer/analyzer that can test up to 256 channels for conformance, loss of video/audio and freeze frames. TeleSight pinpoints where a problem exists and provides information on signal traffic to help operators troubleshoot the fault.
Pixelmetrix will roll out upgrades to its OTT Media Grinder (OMG), a system that simulates thousands of OTT clients (such as smartphones and tablets) with multiple user-defined behaviors. With the OMG, users can test to see what happens when thousands of viewers access your video streams at the same time.
Promax Electronics will spotlight its new HD Ranger+, a universal analyzer that covers a mix of international broadcast standards that include DVB-T2, DVB-C2, DVB-S2, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. With a seven-inch LCD display, the HD Ranger+ is a portable unit that can also be used as a spectrum analyzer.
Snell Hyperion Snell will demo Hyperion, a signal monitoring technology that helps operators review content more efficiently and ensure that contractual and legal obligations are met. The system’s combination of subjective and objective monitoring includes lowbitrate IP video confidence thumbnails and user-definable alarms.
Sencore will show its range of test equipment, including the CMA 1820 compressed media analyzer. The CMA 1820 analyzes H.264, MPEG2, VC-1 video and a variety of audio formats, and can be used to verify standards compliance, identify media interoperability issues and troubleshoot transmission problems.
Nevion/T-VIPS will showcase the latest developments to its nSure product line that features monitoring solutions for transport streams, RF signals and SDI signals. The new TNS460 HD/SD-SDI monitor provides continuous video signal monitoring and is targeted for use at handover points where signals may be delivered from one party to another.
Triveni Digital Streamscope Triveni Digital will demonstrate its StreamScope MT-40 transport stream analysis and monitoring solutions, which now include advanced audio loudness monitoring capabilities. StreamScope MT- 40 provides end-to-end MPEG-2/MPEG-4 transport stream analysis and monitoring for DTV services, and can monitor multiple ATSC M/H transport streams.
Video Clarity show its RTM line of digital monitors. An RTM can look at both upstream and downstream samples and will record A/V sequences surrounding any quality degradation point.
Volicon Observer Mobile Volicon will debut Observer Mobile, which gives users access to content anywhere, anytime through an iPad or iPhone. The Observer Mobile on an iPad can play, pause, search and create content, and its newly enhanced interface supports multichannel viewing and multiple audio tracks. Also new from Volicon, v7.1 of its Observer TS MPEG transport stream logging and monitoring system, now enhanced to accommodate an even broader array of inputs.
VIDEO
DK-Technologies will show its PT0760M waveform monitor, which can display up to four simultaneous waveforms on a single screen. The PT0760M has user-definable gamut error settings, A/B parade display and optional loudness metering, and fits in a half-rack-width chassis.
Harris/Videotek will introduce the VSG-4TSG test signal generator, which is designed to confirm video and audio integrity through 3-Gbps HD/SD. Harris will also debut the DL-870 video legalizer to evaluate and correct signals for 3-Gbps HD/SD formats. Also new is loudness monitoring and enhanced multi-image display for the company’s MSA series of software centric, multisource analysis products.
Leader Instruments LV5837 Leader Instruments will unveil the LV5307, a compact seven-inch monitor/rasterizer with internal cross-conversion from 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI to HDMI and vice versa. Also new: the LV5837 audio and loudness signal monitor, LV7770 rasterizing signal analyzer, and the LV5980 17-inch screen SDI waveform monitor.
Phabrix will debut enhancements to its Rx 2000 rasterizer that lets the unit “borrow” instruments from the rasterizer output to be displayed on the two in-built TFT screens. This enables the Rx 2000 to be installed by an engineer in one section of an OB truck, while allowing the rasterized 1920x1080 output to be used within the OB interior at the CCU station.
Tektronix WFM8300 Tektronix will show the WFM8300 waveform monitor that can be used for advanced compliance testing such as 3G eyepattern analysis with jitter, ancillary/metadata confirmation, error logging and gamut. The WFM8300 includes ITU 1770/1771 audio measurement for analog and Dolby E.
RF
Broadcast Devices will show its RF Dashboard Global Monitor software, which allows the user to monitor hundreds of the company’s DPS-100D RMS power sensors anywhere in the world. It can view multiple sites in different geographic locations on a single screen, and alarms alert an operator in real time of events such as high VSWR, high/low temperature and low pressure.
Coaxial Dynamics will feature RF Wattmeters and termination loads for both analog and digital applications. One example is the 81000 series of Wattmeters, which uses transmission line probes to measure forward and reverse power.
Rohde & Schwarz PR100 portable receiver Rohde & Schwarz will introduce the PR100 portable receiver, designed for interference hunting and field monitoring applications. The PR100 portable receiver can identify and locate sources of radio frequency interference issues to avoid service interruptions and reduce viewer complaints.
TeamCast will highlight a new software release for the RQX-1410, a Qualityof- Service RF measurement probe for the DVB-T2 and DVB-T market. TeamCast will also bring back its Odyssey RF test system, which can provide real-time readings for MER, S/N, BER and frame error rate.
Worldcast Systems/Audemat will showcase its Goldeneagle ATSC RF/MPEG test set, which now has updated software with new features. One of these new features is the ability to view a slideshow of video content from any monitored channel, providing a bandwidth-friendly alternative to video streaming.
Z Technology will show an updated version of its R-507 programmable field strength meter that provides NIST-traceable signal strength measurements over a range of 5 to 1000 MHz. With the R-507 and a calibrated antenna, a broadcaster can quickly verify VHF and UHF signal coverage.
