Qligent, a specialist in cloud-based, enterprise-level content monitoring and analysis, is partnering with GatesAir to rollout a QoS/QoE monitoring and compliance verification platform for Ethiopia’s second-generation DVB-T2 network. The comprehensive deployment will allow operators to access detailed performance data and compliance recordings from 26 transmitter sites at central and regional headends, without the need for complex and expensive hardware.

GatesAir last year introduced StreamAssure to help broadcasters and network operators better understand overall DTV network performance through end-to-end visibility of transport streams and over-the-air signals. Powered by Qligent, StreamAssure is optimized to process, record and analyze performance data from GatesAir transmitters, exciters and related signal processing gear as content moves through the RF chain.

The StreamAssure deployment in Ethiopia will cover nine monitoring points at each transmitter site, with all performance data and compliance recordings accessible on local dashboards. Using StreamAssure’s multiviewer at the central headend and 11 regional monitoring facilities, operators can monitor performance live, and access recorded files, to understand baseline performance and establish long-term trend analysis. StreamAssure also automates content monitoring and compliance logging to strengthen visibility into proof of air and content quality.

StreamAssure will also simplify troubleshooting through the entire RF chain. Using Qligent’s IP-based intelligence, operators can troubleshoot over the network with ease, removing the need for expensive legacy monitoring equipment and complex, point-based systems. The lightweight architecture requires minimal rack space at each transmitter site, with direct hooks into the network to enable a continuous flow of information – including recordings of raw transport streams – to local and regional headends.

According to Qligent COO Ted Korte, StreamAssure is designed to give DTV broadcasters a broader perspective of their RF operation outside of just the health and status of the transmitter.

“StreamAssure looks beyond the transmitter to identify quality and technical issues with on-air content and multi-layered streams as they move through the entire RF chain,” said Korte. “With more than 20 channels to monitor in the Ethiopia DVB-T2 network, the ability to quickly and easily access that information will greatly reduce the time and labor spent troubleshooting issues and visiting transmitter sites, while removing the mystery associated with quality of service and experience. The fact that StreamAssure natively captures and records all content and raw transport streams will empower operators with the detailed information they need to fully understand network conditions and perform in-depth trend analysis.”

Rich Redmond, Chief Product Officer for GatesAir, adds that StreamAssure’s scalable footprint will enable simple expansion to new transmitter sites as they are added to the network – with Qligent’s networked intelligence also enabling simple migration to a full cloud-based monitoring platform via a simple software upgrade.

“StreamAssure is a network management system architected for the digital television age, where broadcasters are tasked with the challenge of monitoring a far greater number of streams and locations than was required for analog TV,” said Redmond. “It is without question the industry’s richest toolset for multi-channel content monitoring, compliance, and rapid analysis and isolation of quality issues to optimize network performance.”

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