Advanced Television

Farncombe ships 23 OpenTest systems in first 12 months

February 17, 2014

Media technology services provider Farncombe has shipped 23 OpenTest automated consumer device testing systems in the last 12 months. Systems have been delivered worldwide to customers including pay-TV operators and CPE manufacturers.

Farncombe attributes OpenTest’s success to its simple cost model. It requires a fraction of the capital investment needed for similar offerings and the use of industry-standard hardware means operating costs are less than half the industry average. Furthermore, it includes key features at no additional cost such as OpenTest’s Optical Character Recognition.

Farncombe is also unveiling OpenTest version 4 which features an unlimited audio and video recording function that allows customers to record the AV outputs from simultaneous tests and keep a record of results. Using the GStreamer open source multimedia framework, remote users can now see the progress of tests from anywhere in the world. In addition, faster control of infrared signals is resulting in higher throughput testing. This is particularly important as customers are increasingly testing multiple devices simultaneously.

With a new Python interface, OpenTest can now run scripts that have been written for other automated platforms with no re–writing required. This gives customers an easy, low-cost way to migrate to OpenTest.

“OpenTest has far exceeded our original expectations,” said Gary Marshall, Managing Partner for Engineering Services at Farncombe. “Our policy of low pricing, partnering with customers to determine strategy and enhancing support services, has resulted in positive feedback from existing and new customers around the world.”

The OpenTest automated testing system is available either as a managed, outsourced service in Farncombe’s Test Lab in Vauxhall, London, or deployed in-house on CPE vendors’ and operators’ platforms. Its script-based automated test system removes the manual effort from test execution, vastly improving test efficiency and coverage. It also frees up test teams to focus on analysis and fault investigation.

OpenTest enables realistic stability endurance and stress testing, which are impractical to execute manually. Features such as video analysis, motion detection, region comparison, and optical character recognition (OCR) replace the need for manual recognition and verification. Customers can integrate OpenTest with their own defect management, continuous integration and management reporting systems.

Categories: Press Releases, Test & Monitor