Telestream has brought together streaming and linear analytics under a single pane of glass with the integration of Sentry (from its merger with Tektronix) and Youbora (from a partnership with Nice People at Work) into its IQ Monitoring system.

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Telestream: End-to-end video monitoring and management for OTT and IPTV

The company claims this will enable “operators to find and fix faults faster than ever”, and combine average bit rate (ABR) and linear video workflow analytics and correlated diagnostics. The Sentry linear probes and Surveyor TS probes have now been integrated, as well as NPAW’s Youbora player analytics, for complete end-to-end monitoring of OTT streaming and IPTV distribution networks.

The update includes the new release of iVMS ASM (Intelligent Video Management System), which expands the range of probes, monitoring points and automated diagnostics correlation available to increase visibility across linear and ABR video workflows to reduce time to repair. To enable operations teams to manage a complex and growing network more efficiently, the new release is claimed to improve operational efficiency and reduce issue identification and resolution time while automating processes whenever possible.

“OTT streaming workflows typically run on hybrid networks with on-prem linear video ultimately streaming out as cloud ABR services,” said Joel Daly, VP product management, Telestream. “OTT providers can now seamlessly monitor linear and ABR video content distribution in the cloud, virtual and on-prem with IQ Solutions’ new enhanced single pane-of-glass management to simplify operations. It’s truly the most comprehensive video monitoring and management platform available.”

Video Operations Centers (VOC) that monitor for alerts 24/7 need to be able to triage issues quickly, so it’s imperative that staff have monitoring that can automatically correlate information and clearly indicate problem specifics and location to reduce mean time to repair. All information is correlated so operators can see exactly where and what a problem is without having to log into multiple systems manually. New alert aggregation helps highlight the most important issues, while enhanced northbound API supports integration with VOC operations dashboards.

In the latest release, users can create a Custom Topology View which allows operators to load their video network diagram into the IQ management system so staff can view video network and programme status or issues on the network diagrams they’re used to.

Sentry users will also see various enhancements, such as SCTE35 Ad Insert diagnostic details, IDR alignment alerts, GOP structure display and API improvements, while Surveyor TS enhancements include IPv6 for Remote PHY applications, dual homing of management systems and API enhancements.

Telestream has also introduced Glim, a new remote media player that plays mezzanine and professional-grade media files from anywhere over the internet from a web browser.

It was built to solve remote work challenges where employees can waste hours downloading mezzanine grade media files just so they can be played back. Many collaborative video production applications require transcoding prior to uploading to the site, but Glim allows users to play files immediately, from a browser interface, without any delays caused by transcoding and uploading. It supports playback, frame scrubbing and stepping, and display of file properties and metadata.

“Without Glim, seeing, hearing and understanding the technical properties of media libraries from remote locations has been nearly impossible. With Glim, you can now play the unplayable,” claimed Scott Matics, Telestream’s director of product management. “Our customers tell us they’ve wanted a product that could do this for years.”

The Glim engine is built for remote playback of common broadcast-quality containers, codecs and resolutions including varying frames per second, audio channels and colour space combinations. It can play back high-resolution and high-bitrate media files over bandwidth-constrained internet connections such as working from home while connected to a VPN, and allows users to inspect containers, video, audio and metadata properties.

It requires no additional software to be installed by the client and plugs into Vantage and other third-party systems via web service (REST) calls. This allows users to customise how Glim works within their specific environment.

Look inside IBC Showcase (8-11 September 2020) ibc.org/ibcshowcase