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coverstory1012_cover story 10/12/2015 18:22 Page 2 monitoring? Yes, of course, in the same way we have always had ‘hybrid’ monitoring of RF and Transport Stream. But the transition to IP transport of content does dramatically lower the complexity of the system and, therefore, of the challenges to monitoring. based infrastructure, timing can be a major issue. Packets don’t always arrive in the same time frame. This makes having an IP-based video analyser crucial. Hybrid networks absolutely require a hybrid monitoring solution, as migrating to IP is a gradual process for most operators. In a hybrid environment, operators need to choose a video quality assurance solution with the ability to simultaneously monitor multiple inputs helping the operator in locating impairments and remit the issues faster to ensure superior quality of service (QoS) for viewers. VeEX: As you transition from DVB to IP the bandwidth is different. Think about it as a train. DVB uses reserved seating where you are guaranteed a seat, whereas IP uses a first-come first-served basis. In DVB the bandwidth is aligned at a designed phase, in IP it is a totally different ball game with the same bandwidth or available bandwidth “If the signals are in the cloud, so must be the systems which monitor them.” More and more solutions are possible strictly in software, and do not require customised and expensive hardware platforms. The real challenge is likely to be the learning curve for the ‘television’ engineers out there who now must contend with different cabling, routers, and an abundance of non-television traffic being carried by their newly minted videoover-IP systems. Triveni Digital: In the compressed domain, operators migrating from a DVB to IP distribution approach may still be transporting MPEG transport streams over IP but they face new challenges. With an IP- being shared among the different medias. So yes, the monitoring of IP-based video is quite different than DVB. The DVB QoE (Quality of Experience) is often based on the quality and performance of the medium, while in IP Video the QoE is based on everything. Euromedia: As service provision moves to the Cloud, must T&M also? Bridge: It can make sense depending on the configuration and circumstances of the service being monitored. Any service is going to include some broadcast technologies like RF for satellite receivers as well as the IP technology, which may be based in a data centre without a shred of broadcast kit. For the broadcast components, which are often in remote locations, hardware probes are a good fit. If some of the infrastructure is virtualised in a data centre (or an on-site server-based implementation) then a virtualised monitoring capability makes Test & Measurement rental grows Over the past couple of years, the European share in the electronic test equipment market has reduce