News

Volicon Enhances Capabilities of Powerful Observer® Loudness Monitoring Module

2012-02-16T16:06:00Z

Extension of Volicon’s Loudness Monitoring and Measurement Toolset Further Eases Burden of Compliance

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Feb. 15, 2012 — Volicon today announced that it has extended the capabilities of its Observer® loudness monitoring module with enhanced graphing, reporting, and real-time alert features that further simplify critical compliance tasks. Equipped with these tools, as well as A/V logging and an array of measurement functions, the Observer logging and monitoring platform provides a uniquely powerful and convenient tool for ensuring and demonstrating compliance.

“With commercial loudness being legislated in the United States, Europe, and across the world, broadcasters are under pressure not only to monitor loudness in real time, but also to provide a clear affidavit of compliance for regulators,” said Andrew Sachs, vice president of product management at Volicon. “The Observer module’s fully compliant integrated loudness monitoring not only simplifies ensuring and demonstrating compliance, but also adds value by combining loudness with logging and QoE monitoring for a complete logging, compliance, and assurance solution.”

Volicon’s Observer loudness monitoring module, available on all Observer product lines, allows users to measure AC3 dialnorm levels and to monitor their broadcasts’ compliance with ITU BS.1770-1 and BS.1770-2, ATSC A/85 RP 2011, CALM Act (FCC Report 11-182A1), EBU R128 (Tech 3341/2/3/4), and ARIB TR-B32 standards. Compared with competing loudness measurement solutions, the enhanced Observer module increases visibility of audio, video, and measurement data; enables more accurate selection of aired content; and supports faster, more practical access to any given piece of content.

Intuitive overlay controls within the Observer system’s Web-based interface allow users to maintain continuous measurements that identify program loudness and loudness range. The Volicon system measures momentary (M), short-term (S), and integrated (I) measurements, with adjustable short-form (< 2 minutes) and long-form time frames that make it easy to compare the ad’s loudness to surrounding channels.

In addition to providing graphing, reporting, and alarming capabilities that are invaluable in maintaining compliance, the Observer system enables users to view and export A/V affidavits with audio, video, and frame-accurate loudness measurements burned in, which facilitates fast resolution of loudness complaints.

Further information about Observer digital video monitoring and logging products is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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About Volicon
Volicon provides the broadcast and cable industries with the most efficient, reliable, and cost-effective automated multichannel video content logging and monitoring system for compliance, media analysis, content repurposing, and quality of service. Its Observer® real-time digital video monitoring and logging solutions are based on Volicon’s patented Video Monitoring Architecture (VMA). VMA is comprised of a multichannel video streaming engine, interactive search, content analytics, and service monitoring and alarming capabilities. Volicon products and services meet the demanding requirements of broadcasters, cable and IPTV service providers, and enterprise and government organizations looking to improve broadcast product quality, enhance video management, and lower costs. More information is available at http://www.volicon.com.

Volicon Names Jennifer Knutel Senior Director of Marketing

2012-01-31T19:51:00Z

New Hire Joins Company With Extensive Experience in Tech Marcom

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Jan. 30, 2012 — Volicon today announced the appointment of Jennifer Knutel as the company’s senior director of marketing. Knutel brings 16 years of professional marketing experience to this position, in which she will be responsible for planning, implementing, and directing all marketing and communications activities.

“Jennifer joins Volicon with a strong record as a marketing professional for technology-driven firms and a reputation as a resourceful leader,” said Russell Wise vice president of worldwide sales at Volicon. “With her background in tech sales and marketing, as well as her knowledge and experience in bringing innovative solutions to market successfully, she will be a valuable addition to the company.”

Knutel’s experience in marketing communications, business development, and sales support includes positions with both large high-tech and early-stage product companies. She most recently served as marketing manager at Application Security Inc. and earlier led marketing and communications at AirSprite Technologies, and Adaptive Instruments. Knutel also held a position in business development at Lernout & Hauspie.

“Volicon solves complex logging and monitoring challenges in the broadcast and cable industry with products that are well-designed, easy-to-use, and provide a definitive ROI,” said Knutel. “The combination of great products and an experienced, energetic team has made Volicon a success. I am excited about working with the talented professionals at Volicon and about leading the company’s marketing efforts.

Knutel will be based at Volicon’s Burlington headquarters and report to Eli Warsawski.

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Volicon Announces Biggest Release to Date With Observer® Enterprise Version 6.0

2012-01-03T19:07:00Z

Now Shipping, the Latest Observer Release Brings Valuable New Features and Award-Winning Functionality to the Enterprise

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Jan. 3, 2012 — Volicon today announced the release of the Observer® Enterprise version 6.0 video content logging and monitoring system. Enhanced with robust new features, this latest Observer Enterprise version not only simplifies critical processes with new loudness-monitoring capabilities, closed-caption support, and transport-stream monitoring and export, but also serves as a convenient and versatile platform for additional monitoring applications.

“We’re continually refining our Observer product line to meet the evolving demands facing broadcast and media companies,” said Eli Warsawski, president and CEO at Volicon. “While our Observer Enterprise system has always provided the reliable and straightforward monitoring capabilities our customers require, the 6.0 system release reflects significant advances that simplify compliance with new standards, regulations, and practices in the management and delivery of DTV services, and it opens opportunities to introduce new revenue-generating services.”

The Volicon Observer family of products captures, stores, and indexes broadcast content from multiple channels, offering users simultaneous 24/7 access to video from their desktop computers. Configurable alarms monitor video quality and provide early detection of audio and video issues across hundreds of HD channels, facilitating rapid resolution and helping to minimize downtime. The system also allows broadcasters to manage and compare content assets across multiple channels in a unified interface from any Internet connection.

Key enhancements in the Observer Enterprise 6.0 include the same transport-stream logging capability that earned Volicon’s Observer TS (transport stream) system a Broadcast Engineering Pick Hit award at the 2011 NAB Show. Now available in Enterprise 6.0, transport-stream logging gives broadcasters, networks, and cable operators the ability to handle MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 transport streams natively as high-resolution streams, or efficiently over the WAN as low-res proxies, while retaining the content and associated metadata within the stream. Dual-export functionality allows organizations to mark in and out points, clip content, and then export a full program and/or the full transport stream.

Using the system for compliance logging and air checks, operators can easily extract MPEG metadata and troubleshoot the MPEG transport stream live or from the Observer log. Because native transport-stream logging increases signal density and flexibility while enabling full-quality content logging, users also can employ their Observer Enterprise 6.0 systems to rebroadcast high-resolution data, provide interactive content, and offer dialnorm reporting for logged content.

Fully standards-compliant loudness monitoring also has been integrated into the Observer Enterprise 6.0 to enable real-time monitoring of broadcasts not only for regulatory compliance, but also to improve the overall listening experience for viewers. With intuitive overlay controls and browser-based loudness monitoring, Enterprise 6.0 users can maintain continuous measurement of program loudness and true-peak signal levels for instant verification, for review, or for export. These capabilities simplify the overall monitoring workflow and add value by eliminating the hassle and cost of working with external systems. The new Observer Enterprise release further simplifies operations by providing support for CEA-608/708 closed-captioning data within the transport stream.

Observer Enterprise 6.0 is now shipping. More information about Volicon and its Observer product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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Innovative Cable Purchases Observer® RPM for Efficient, Affordable 24/7 Monitoring

2011-11-16T18:35:00Z

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Nov. 16, 2011 — Volicon today announced that Innovative Cable, the market leader in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), has purchased Observer® Remote Program Monitor (RPM) systems to enable continuous monitoring of more than 600 channels distributed from the company’s St. Croix and St. Thomas/St. John facilities. Providing automatic and continuous evaluation of post-set-top box content, the Observer RPM systems will simplify the testing of signal integrity, record suspect content when channels do not conform to prespecified limits, and ensure that alerts are issued to appropriate staff and departments when errors are detected.

“As we upgrade our cable operations, we’re committed to enhancing the reliability and quality of the services we offer,” said Terry Falls, senior vice president of network operations at Innovative Cable. “The Observer RPM will help us do so, giving our facilities a cost-effective way to monitor signals being delivered to the set-top box and enabling our staff to be proactive in identifying and addressing issues rather than reacting to customer calls. The Observer system will significantly reduce the workload associated with monitoring, facilitate immediate notification of key staff across our business, and support faster identification of resolution of issues affecting the viewer experience.”

Volicon’s Observer RPM scans channels around the clock and automatically tests signal integrity, issues alerts (via email and SNMP), and captures the problematic content when channels do not conform to prespecified limits. The system can monitor linear content for video or audio errors such as closed captioning, audio levels, and static screen or black screen. In addition to giving staff across Innovative Cable convenient desktop access — local or remote — to monitored channels, the Volicon monitoring system allows users to clip and export full-motion, full-frame-rate recordings for evaluation and analysis of intermittent issues.

“The Observer RPM offers large-scale cable companies, such as Innovative Cable, a highly automated solution for improving quality of service while reducing the burden on engineering and support staff,” said Ken Rubin, Volicon’s director of sales. “Easy access to live monitoring and to recorded clips of impaired content simplifies and speeds the resolution of issues, thereby helping to maximize uptime across the channel lineup.”

Further information about the Observer RPM and other Volicon products is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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About Innovative
Innovative is the market leader in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), providing a broad range of telecommunications and cable TV services. The company’s family of services for both the business and residential markets includes local telephone, long-distance, Internet, cable TV, wireless, and business phone systems. Innovative prides itself on being the premier-quality service provider in the USVI. More information about the company and its services is available at http://www.innovativevi.net.

Module for Observer® RPM Creates ‘Proof of Experience’ Clips That Speed Resolution

2011-11-14T18:04:00Z

Triggered Recording Module Automatically Generates Clips of MPEG Impairments; Aids MSOs in Maintaining High Service Levels While Lowering Related Costs

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Nov. 14, 2011 — Volicon today announced that it has enhanced its Observer® Remote Program Monitor (RPM) with the addition of a new triggered recording module that aids cable operators in boosting service quality and customer satisfaction levels. The module, optional on new and existing Observer RPM systems, automatically generates full-motion video clips of MPEG impairments and provides cable operators with a visual “proof of experience” that speeds analysis and resolution of issues in the transport stream. These video/audio clips are “triggered” by popular MPEG transport analysis and ad systems from companies such as Mixed Signals, Arris, SeaChange, and IneoQuest.

“We’re continually refining the Observer RPM to give cable operators the tools they need to monitor their services more effectively, and to isolate and mitigate any service impairments more quickly,” said Andrew Sachs, Volicon vice president of product management. “By automating the recording of content affected by MPEG transport stream impairments and, in turn, generating clips that demonstrate the visual impact of those impairments, the Observer RPM enables engineers and customer care staff to respond promptly to any service issues that might affect the subscriber experience.”

The triggered recording module for the Observer RPM leverages SNMP alerts from an MPEG transport stream analyzer to identify stream issues, dials the affected channel, and creates an A/V clip highlighting the MPEG impairment. With access to these automatically generated clips, engineers can evaluate the severity of the issue and focus their efforts on the impairments that most affect the customer experience. The cable operator, as a result, can improve its service levels and reduce technician dispatch costs.

More information about the Observer RPM and other Volicon products is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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New Observer® TS MPEG (ASI/IP/QAM) Transport Stream Logging System Eases Handoff Monitoring

2011-11-09T14:28:00Z

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Nov. 8, 2011 — Volicon today announced that it is showcasing the Observer® TS (transport stream) MPEG (ASI/IP/QAM) logging system at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2011. With the ability to capture and record full-resolution MPEG transport streams natively, the Observer TS makes it easy for cable operators to monitor feeds from local TV stations, to identify faults within the transport stream, roll back video for review, troubleshoot errors, provide broadcasters and cable operators with clips illustrating the issue, and satisfy customer concerns about service quality.

“When loudness issues and other glitches in content arise, cable operators need a fast, easy way of isolating the source of the problem,” said Mike Asebrook, senior director of product marketing at Volicon. “The new Observer TS system answers this need, providing users with continual recording of the native transport stream, as well as an intuitive Web interface and familiar Observer features tailored to handling MPEG transport streams. By providing fast access to recorded content according to time and date, this new solution reduces the time and resources required to troubleshoot errors and address subscriber calls, thus reducing customer care costs.”

The Observer TS captures full-resolution MPEG transport streams and generates low-resolution proxy content and accompanying metadata. The solution incorporates complete stream, search, analyze, clip, and publish functionality — all from within the versatile Web-based Observer user interface — making it easy for customer care staff, engineers, and other users to access, store, and leverage both content and metadata compressed within transport streams. Automatic content monitoring and alarms for loudness levels, captioning, static screen, black screen, and other key parameters help to minimize the duration, impact, and reoccurrence of impairments.

Operators can easily extract flexible MPEG metadata and troubleshoot the MPEG transport stream live or from the Observer log. The availability of two configurable logs — either the high bit rate native ASI content or the low bit rate proxy for remote viewing — means logging and monitoring with the Observer TS supports an extremely network-efficient workflow.

More information about Volicon and its product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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Observer® 6.0 Eases Compliance for Cable Operators With New Integrated Loudness Monitoring

2011-10-24T19:13:00Z

Flexible, Frame-Accurate Loudness Measurements Enable Easy, Reliable Comparison of Local Ad Loudness to That of Surrounding Content

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Oct. 24, 2011 — Volicon today introduced the integrated real-time loudness monitoring capabilities of its Observer® version 6.0 video monitoring and logging system to the cable market. The Observer Remote Program Monitor (RPM) and MPEG Transport Stream (TS) systems offer loudness monitoring tools that help cable operators to maintain compliance with the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM Act) (ATSC A/85 RP) and the European Broadcast Union (EBU P/LOUD R 128) specification by monitoring and logging the audio, video, and BS.1770-2 loudness measurements, while providing an easy method to export a visual affidavit to address loudness complaints quickly and easily.

“The regulation of commercial loudness places a significant burden on the cable operator, which needs to ensure the loudness of local advertising matches its associated network,” said Andrew Sachs, Volicon vice president of product management. “Given the growth in local advertising, it is critical that cable operators can perform local ad insertion while maintaining compliance with loudness regulations, and increasing subscriber satisfaction. The Observer TS and RPM provide the cable operator an easy-to-use tool to monitor and review ad loudness along with a recorded and exportable A/V affidavit with frame-accurate measurements. The Observer products enable cable operators to monitor, troubleshoot, and address any loudness complaints quickly and easily.”

Observer provides a constant on-screen record indication of both loudness and loudness range measurements. Adjustable short-form (e.g. 10/15/30/60s) and long-form (hours/days) measurements enable quick comparison of ad loudness with surrounding content. To speed mitigation of loudness complaints, users can instantly access the conflicted area of the broadcast by date or time navigation; view loudness measurements; troubleshoot loudness according to an acceptable range; and then export ads — all with integrated audio, video, and measurements as evidence of compliance.

More information about Volicon and its product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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Observer® Supports Globe Track’s Leadership in Media Monitoring Services for Africa

2011-10-05T18:12:00Z

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Oct. 4, 2011 — Volicon today announced that Kenya’s Globe Track International (GTI) is using the Volicon Observer® digital video monitoring and logging system to offer market intelligence solutions for individuals and organizations seeking to make sense of information in the public domain. By streamlining the monitoring, recording, clip extraction, and export of video content from multiple channels, the Observer system allows GTI to provide its clients with custom services including on-demand clips, editorial electronic monitoring, and commercial electronic monitoring.

“We take pride in being the first media tracking company in East and Central Africa to provide real-time tracking for electronic and print monitoring, and the Volicon Observer system is critical to this service,” said Esther Kagiri, managing director at GTI. “The system gives our staff real-time access to high-quality video streams, records HD video, provides mass video storage with smooth playback, integrates well with third-party applications, offers an array of intuitive tools for efficient management and monitoring of live and recorded content, and supports a range of export formats. The flexibility of the Observer system will make it easy to expand the channels we monitor and to roll out new services in response to market demand.”

As the first company in sub-Saharan Africa to employ automated advertisement tracking technology, GTI is redefining accuracy and speed of delivering media tracking results in the Kenyan market. The company uses its Observer system to automate both news and ad monitoring and to deliver video streams to specific customers securely via IPTV.

The Volicon Observer family of products captures, stores, and indexes broadcast content from multiple channels, offering users simultaneous 24/7 access to video from their desktop computers. The Volicon system also facilitates audio/visual content identification, live and archived content detection, matched clip export, and alerting via SNMP, SMS, and email, all of which allow GTI to offer services including the monitoring of competitive networks and brands, regulated advertising, and rights and royalties.

“To differentiate itself from competing media monitoring solutions, GTI relies on superior technology, dedication to quality service delivery, and an internal culture that values reliability, impartiality, accuracy, and speed,” said Anant Khanolkar, senior director of international sales at Volicon. “The flexibility, performance, and scalability of the Observer system ensure that GTI can meet these high standards and maintain its competitive edge.”

More information about Volicon and its product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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Comcast SportsNet New England Builds Efficient Quality & Content Monitoring on Volicon Observer®

2011-08-22T13:47:00Z

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Aug. 22, 2011 — Volicon today announced that Comcast SportsNet New England (CSNNE) is using an Observer® Enterprise digital video monitoring and logging system for continuous off-air recording of its HD and SD channels, which are dedicated to local coverage of the Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, and New England Patriots successful sports franchises. Installed at CSNNE’s facilities in Burlington, Mass., the Volicon system is configured for 45 days of off-air recording and supports compliance and quality management tasks across the organization.

“Historically, we’ve had a number of disparate mechanisms in place for recording our off-air signal for content and sales validation purposes. It had become tedious and time consuming to locate the right content from the right day in order to confirm that we ran the right spot or included the right promo in a show,” said Sean McGuire, director of engineering at CSNNE. “We needed a much more efficient solution that would significantly increase the accessibility of recorded content. The Volicon Observer offered a reliable platform that met those requirements while also providing the monitoring functionality and usability we needed. Virtually every department here uses the Observer platform on a daily basis.”

Sales, traffic, programming, production, and engineering at CSNNE all rely on the Observer platform to resolve any quality and content issues such as discrepancies with airing of commercials or other promos. Users at their desktops simply log on via a Web browser interface, find and validate the appropriate content, and create and send clips to other internal users or customers as proof of delivery.

Because the Observer system supports text-based Boolean search queries through recorded closed captions, and CSNNE captions all of the programming it produces, staff can quickly locate even promo items that are simple reads, such as the name of a person or brand spoken during a broadcast. After a Boston Celtics game, for example, the sales department can perform a simple keyword search using the customer name. The Observer system immediately produces related clips from the broadcast. Fast delivery of these clips via email makes resolution of any queries simple.

“We have implemented many new technologies in recent years. Our investment in the Volicon Observer system is some of the best money we’ve spent,” added McGuire. “Every once in a while we come across a technology that fundamentally changes the way we work, and the Volicon Observer platform is one of those technologies.”

“The CSNNE is a perfect example of the value the Volicon Observer brings to large and complex sports video operations in the form of reduced costs, enhanced quality of service, and full compliance with broadcasting regulations,” said Mike Asebrook, senior director of product marketing. “As the CSNNE has shown, the Observer can bring improvements to many different facets of a sports media organization such as sales, traffic, production, and engineering.”

More information about Volicon and its product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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Volicon Announces Observer® Mobile for IBC 2011 Show

2011-08-02T19:23:00Z

Observer® Mobile Interface Supports iPad®, iPhone®, and Other Mobile Devices

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Aug. 2, 2011 — Volicon today announced the introduction of Observer® Mobile — a newly streamlined Web-based interface that supports H.264 on Apple® iOS devices using the Safari® Web browser with native support for iPad®, iPhone®, and other mobile devices.

Designed specifically for media executives on the go, Observer Mobile provides greater flexibility, unsurpassed portability, and the added convenience of accessing live Observer streaming along with back navigation of previously recorded content from both local and remote locations. The ability to play, pause, search, and create logged content on demand using smart devices will provide broadcasters with instant access to the final broadcast product to ensure quality, compliance, and communication within the media enterprise.

“We are excited to showcase the innovative Observer Mobile on the iPad and a variety of mobile devices at IBC this year. The broadcast industry has continued to show widespread adoption among mobile applications recently, and we expect that trend to grow significantly over the next few years. Having Observer Mobile’s logging and monitoring available for iPad and iPhone users at any time and any place will greatly improve our customers’ portability, responsiveness, and flexibility of supported devices, regardless of location or time of broadcast,” said Mike Asebrook, senior director of product marketing at Volicon.

Volicon will demonstrate Observer Mobile at IBC2011 in stand 7.J16. Personal demos of Observer Mobile can be made at http://www.volicon.com/ibc2011.

More information about the Volicon Observer product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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Volicon Simplifies Multichannel Monitoring & Compliance Tasks for Starz With Volicon Observer®

2011-07-12T17:13:00Z

BURLINGTON, Mass. — July 12, 2011 — Volicon today announced that Starz Entertainment, LLC installed the Observer® Enterprise video monitoring and logging system at its Englewood, Colo., facility to monitor 31 SD and 14 HD channels across the company’s premium STARZ , ENCORE, and MOVIEPLEX channels. The Observer system enables the Starz broadcast operations group to monitor off-air channels and gives engineers tools for both monitoring and troubleshooting. The Volicon system also supports compliance for closed captioning and for interstitials run on the Starz Entertainment premium channels.

“The Volicon Observer system was the best fit for our operations because it provided the monitoring and recording functionality we required, along with an interface that we felt was the most friendly for a broad group of users,” said Greg Luedke, senior broadcast engineer at Starz Entertainment. “The Observer’s Web-based interface and easy-to-use search capabilities allow staff to find record times or elements such as closed-captioning. Because it’s pretty well a turnkey system, it requires little intervention by engineering to get users up and running.”

The Observer Enterprise is a fully redundant, enterprise-grade, 24-7 automated record-and-search appliance targeted to broadcasting networks for media monitoring and compliance workflows. Unlike the previous recording system at Starz, which required client software to watch video, the Volicon automated logging and monitoring system gives staff throughout the company immediate desktop access to 90 days of recorded video and audio data through a single Web browser client application. Providing greater recording capacity at variable bit rates and resolution, the Observer offers higher-quality streaming and efficient use of network bandwidth, which makes it easier for Starz staff to quickly identify anomalies in audio and video.

The Observer also enables monitoring of all audio tracks, including Dolby®, PCM audio, and SAP audio, and allows operators to shuffle the languages identified as primary and secondary audio tracks. This will be a particularly valuable capability for Starz as the company introduces its first Spanish-language channel, along with two new HD channels, in August 2011.

“The Volicon installation at Starz demonstrates how the Observer Enterprise goes beyond the core mission-critical functions of quality and compliance monitoring to bring added value throughout the organization,” said Mike Asebrook, senior director of product marketing at Volicon. “The system’s versatility in supporting multichannel logging and monitoring tasks not only simplifies current monitoring tasks, but also gives Starz the flexibility to monitor new types of services, such as its upcoming Spanish-language premium channel, ENCORE ESPAÑOL.”

More information about Volicon and its product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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Luxembourg’s Eltrona Interdiffusion S.A. Ensures DTV Service Quality With Observer® RPM

2011-06-16T17:26:00Z

BURLINGTON, Mass. — June 15, 2011 — Volicon today announced that Luxembourg cable TV operator Eltrona Interdiffusion S.A. is using the Volicon Observer® RPM (Remote Program Monitor) to monitor more than 215 digital television services. The Observer system complements Eltrona’s global network management system by providing automatic and continuous evaluation of post-STB (set-top box) content, testing signal integrity, issuing alerts when errors are detected, and recording suspect content when channels do not conform to prespecified limits.

“The Volicon Observer RPM allows us to observe our broadcast products the same way they’re seen by customers,” said Ralf Werle, headend manager at Eltrona. “Rather than perform time-consuming manual ‘zapping’ through all of our services several times each day, we now allow the Observer RPM to evaluate the STB output and identify audio and video issues. In cutting down the time required for monitoring tasks, the Volicon system also has cut the cost of monitoring our DTV services.”

Using the same STBs used by Eltrona customers, the Observer RPM provides a single system and location from which the video output can be accessed and monitored 24/7. The system can autonomously check linear content for video or audio errors such as closed captioning, audio levels, and static or black screen. The Observer RPM also records content at full frame rate and full resolution and supports full STB command access, thereby facilitating immediate troubleshooting, as well as a historical review of content and services.

“In large-scale operations such as Eltrona, the Observer RPM provides monitoring and alerting capabilities that enable operators to respond proactively to faults, rather than waiting passively for customer complaints,” said Andrew Sachs, vice president of product management at Volicon. “When service quality is a key competitive differentiator, the Observer RPM serves as a valuable tool for improving cable TV service quality and lowering operational costs.”

More information about Volicon and its product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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Estonia’s Levira Simplifies Multichannel Monitoring With New Volicon Observer® Enterprise

2011-05-17T15:56:00Z

BURLINGTON, Mass. — May 17, 2011 — Volicon today announced that Estonia-based playout service provider Levira is using the Observer® Enterprise digital video logging and monitoring system for centralized off-air asset monitoring at the company’s Tallinn facilities. Levira operates a state-of-the-art facility that provides channel playout primarily for the Northern European markets. The company currently uses the system to monitor four of its channels.

“The Volicon Observer is the first multichannel browser-based recorder we tried at Levira, and with it we’ve been able to make a significant reduction in the cost and complexity of our monitoring operations,” said Indrek Lepp, director of the Multimedia Services division at Levira. “The easy-to-use system is a much less expensive solution than the single-channel recording servers we used previously, and it not only allows us to monitor all channels from one place, but also enables very convenient sharing of recordings with our customers.”

With unlimited scalability, along with its fully redundant and modular architecture, Observer Enterprise offers enterprise-grade, 24/7 automated record and search capabilities. The system provides Levira staff with an intuitive Web-based interface through which they can access a comprehensive range of compliance, media monitoring, quality management, and content verification tools that facilitate real-time multichannel media monitoring and ad verification, as well as compliance logging or programming evaluation. Levira uses the Volicon system primarily to access channels, check aired content for any errors, and ensure that commercials were aired correctly.

“The deployment of our Observer Enterprise at Levira is another key European installation that highlights the industry’s growing focus on content quality,” said Paul Dubery, director of EMEA business development at Volicon. “The Observer Enterprise provides the flexible, cost-effective monitoring so critical to quality of service, compliance, and competitiveness in expanding broadcast markets.”

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About Levira
Levira, owned by the Estonian state and the French telecom and broadcasting company TDF, provides media management and playout services, data-center facilities, operates various broadcast and wireless networks, provides outside broadcast (OB) and SNG services in the Baltic’s, Scandinavia, and beyond. More information is available at http://www.levira.tv.

ViewSat Proactive Monitoring for ‘Out-of-Footprint’ Channels With Observer® RPM

2011-05-11T17:20:01Z

BURLINGTON, Mass. — May 11, 2011 — Volicon today announced that ViewSat is using the Observer® Remote Program Monitor (RPM) to monitor “out of footprint” channels the company delivers to markets in the Middle East and North Africa. Now, rather than rely on alerts from local partners, ViewSat uses the Observer RPM to monitor 19 different channels delivered via satellite, enabling a prompt response to any audio or video quality issues.

“With features including auto scanning of channels, configurable audio, video outage parameters, audio bars, full-screen viewing, error logging, and remote control, the Observer RPM gives us the tools we need to monitor our services more effectively and to take a more proactive approach to maintaining service-level agreements,” said Awaes Jaswal, CEO of ViewSat. “The system’s Web-based interface supports convenient remote monitoring, making it easy for our staff to watch ‘out-of-footprint’ feeds. The Observer RPM’s error alerts ensure that our engineers can react and begin troubleshooting very quickly.”

From its network operations center in the U.K., ViewSat provides global broadcast and distribution services to Africa, the Middle East, and other areas of world. Monitoring remote broadcasts delivered by ViewSat via Atlantic Bird 4a, the Observer RPM scans channels around the clock and automatically tests signal integrity, issues alerts (via email and SNMP), and captures the problematic content when channels do not conform to prespecified limits. The Observer RPM can monitor linear content for video or audio errors such as closed captioning, audio levels, and static screen or black screen. Authorized ViewSat operators access video and monitoring tools through an intuitive and secure Web-based interface.

“Used in monitoring of ‘out-of-footprint’ services, the Observer RPM allows broadcast and transmission service providers such as ViewSat to eliminate time-consuming manual visual channel inspections,” said Mike Asebrook, senior director of product marketing at Volicon. “Rather than wait passively for updates from in-market partners, ViewSat now can monitor its services far more proactively and cost-effectively, using local staff to evaluate video according to the company’s own parameters.”

More information about Volicon and its product family is available at http://www.volicon.com.

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WGBH Uses Observer Professional to Establish Native Mac-based Client Video Monitoring & Logging

2011-04-27T18:36:00Z

Observer® System Integrates Smoothly With PBS Station’s Existing Automation Systems and Mac-based Workflow to Streamline Logging and Enable More Powerful Monitoring and Analysis

BURLINGTON, Mass. — April 27, 2011 — Volicon today announced that PBS station and public media powerhouse WGBH is using the Observer® Professional at its Boston facility for digital video content monitoring and logging. With the Volicon system, WGBH is achieving flexible, cost-effective, monitoring of its own broadcasts in concert with the as-run logs generated by the station’s existing automation system. The Observer’s interactive Ratings Import Module also allows WGBH to keep an eye on the popularity of content aired by other PBS stations.

“We are familiar with the installations at PBS headquarters and other sites where the Observer has been a reliable and cost-effective monitoring system,” said Michael Foti, director of engineering at WGBH. “When Volicon introduced us to the Observer Pro, which is not only compatible with our automation system, but also interoperable with our many Mac OS® X clients, it seemed like it would be a good fit for us.”

The Observer Professional is a cost-effective video content monitoring, logging, and compliance system that provides WGBH with two channels of 24/7 SD recording and 90 days of storage, along with Volicon enhanced support. The system’s Microsoft Silverlight framework has enabled smooth integration, eliminating the need for WGBH to update its existing inventory of Mac-based client workstations. The Observer Professional interface also supports import of as-run logs from the station’s Harris automation system, thereby giving WGBH the ability to segment the recorded content for simpler program access and clip creation.

The Ratings Import Module is designed to enable broadcasters to understand the popularity of aired content. At WGBH this capability allows the station to import viewer approval ratings data into the Observer system and then view multiple PBS channels with a synchronized ratings time-based graph. Operators can navigate to points of interest simply by clicking on any recorded point in time in the graph to view the content in real-time. In addition, there are several supported chart types, including demographic breakdowns, to gain a better understanding of the content’s effectiveness.

“By replacing DVR recording of content with the Observer Professional system, WGBH has gained a great deal more flexibility and efficiency in monitoring, logging, and analyzing digital video content, both for compliance and for competitive purposes. The ability to utilize their Mac OS X clients natively into their monitoring and logging workflow is a great fit for WGBH, thanks in part to our Microsoft Silverlight framework for Observer Professional,” said Mike Asebrook, senior director of product marketing at Volicon. “WGBH is home to some of today’s best-known PBS programming, and the Observer Professional provides the perfect mix of versatility, functionality, and affordability critical to ensuring the value of those broadcasts.”

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About WGBH
Public media powerhouse WGBH serves New England, the nation, and the world with educational content that informs, inspires, and entertains. WGBH is PBS’s single largest producer of Web and TV content (prime-time and children’s programs). Some of PBS viewers’ favorite series — Nova, Masterpiece, Frontline, Antiques Roadshow, Curious George, Arthur, and The Victory Garden, to name a few — are produced in WGBH’s Brighton studios. More information is available at http://www.wgbh.org.