needs of a smart thermostat . Trends from our Plume IQ Smart Home Market Report , which compared data points from the 1H 2021 to the 1H 2022 , showed a huge increase of 34 % in data consumption , and a 27 % increase in ‘ busy hours ’ for smart TVs . As one of the most bandwidth-hungry use cases in the home , it ’ s critically important that service providers address QoE through intelligent solutions to prevent a reduction in NPS scores and avoid churn . Quickplay : Managing a wide array of devices , regions , and network paths is challenging , especially when you consider constant hardware and software releases . Moreover , video and sound quality expectations keep increasing ( e . g ., 4K , Dolby Atmos ) while a significant number of devices in the market are either under-powered or too old to perform . One strategy that has worked for the industry is what we call the granularity of distribution – targeting specific device families and determining the best video quality for an optimal user experience . You should be able to say , for this X generation of Y device , we will take this CDN route and provide this set of video renditions to match the device ’ s available performance . And you have to do it over an unmanaged network , which means you need excellent telemetry , cloud-native workflows , and automation to pull it off . It ’ s not for the faint of heart . R & S : Adding intelligence to multi-viewing and monitoring means you can monitor by exception . A single operator can view a large number of streams on a complex multi-view display , confident that attention will be forced to any channel that needs it . One way of doing this is the ‘ penalty box ’ – a stream that passes a user-set threshold for errors will pop up as a larger PiP ( Picture in Picture ) to alert the operator that it needs action . The software platform must accommodate all the signal types which are in use , today and in the future , and be scalable as new formats are added , like for example Dolby Atmos , which is now moving into broadcast outputs . SSIMWAVE : Subscribers make service choices based on the quality and depth of the content , as well as the perceived overall experience . Contextual , actionable QoE data and incorporation of automated processes are key drivers to addressing the complexities and financial challenges for any service provider , regardless of budget or company size . Service providers must invest in business intelligence and automation tools to deliver lean workflows using the least bits while providing the desired quality . Telestream : Service providers ’ main challenges are to maintain quality of experiences ( QoE ) not only related to the key metrics on how the content looks and sounds , but also the delivery of video content through the network as well as availability and performance of content in the network . Service providers need to include video quality monitoring as an integrated part of the change control process on the video network . They need to use quality monitoring to baseline where things are , and then after making the changes required , they proactively validate that the changes have had no negative impact . They should not wait for their end-customers to discover a problem . Torque : Network capacity exists to easily deliver ultra-high resolution content , so delivering a wide range of resolutions ( for a wide range of end devices ) is not a network bandwidth issue . It is a transcoding issue in the headend . VeEX : Although larger investments are being made globally with fast Internet access network technologies , such as G-PON , XGS- PON , Extended Spectrum DOCSIS ( ESD ), 5G fixed , etc ., there is still a huge gap in network infrastructure investment due to cost . On the subscriber side , older network equipment may limit new services > 400 Mbps , which in turn may cause some churn on the ISP side . Since residential consumers are not expected to be highly tech savvy to resolve the problems themselves , ISPs can be blamed for the poor experience . Consequently , ISPs may have to prove they are delivering the service as promised , but with facts subscribers can understand . Zixi : The best content in the world will struggle to engage viewers if the audience experience is bad . This is a significant challenge today , with so many discreet devices and platforms . Live video is especially sensitive to disruption , with requirements for low latency often conflicting with best practices on resilience . Incorporating network , video and delivery metrics to drive selfoptimising distribution is essential . With modern software-defined video platforms , video operations teams can now easily build congestion aware resilient delivery routes with the ability to dynamically route around difficult networks . With their ability to support end-to-end operational visibility and selfhealing live video streaming , real-time analysis of QoE and automated responses to ensure that quality standards are always met , on every device is more easily achievable , even as the complexity and scale have increased . Is service provider packaging of third-party OTT channels a challenge for QoS and QoE as there is limited access / control ? Accedo : Packaging third-party OTT channels together without proper integrations and a unified UI can put a strain on the QoS and QoE leading to a disjointed and fragmented user experience . The key to overcoming this challenge is to utilise strong partnerships with video infrastructure providers to ensure OTT services can be packaged to meet that video business ’ needs without unnecessary technicalities . Broadband Forum : This virtualisation and disaggregation of the network can help operators build their network based on their unique and varying requirements , and they can rest assured that these components can interoperate with each other . The challenges of QoE can be alleviated , and operators can be sure that customer complaints and on-site maintenance can be kept to a minimum . InCoax : Pay-TV services that typically utilise the existing infrastructure in the building are still keeping pace with streaming alternatives , as viewers remain eager to watch live coverage . OTT has helped to meet consumer demand and offers a tangible alternative to those offered by cable and satellite pay-TV providers . By utilising the best of both worlds and adopting a hybrid approach , it could present the most suitable option for subscribers . Interra Systems : Being in control of transcoding and packaging means that the best encoding strategy , based on the content type , can be decided . For example , profiles for premium or popular content can be created at optimum bit rates so that video quality is maintained even at low internet speeds . However , QoS and QoE issues aren ’ t just limited to video quality — accurate closed captioning and subtitling are equally important . One of the best ways to offer consistently good QoS and QoE is to monitor video at critical points and have centralised video monitoring tracing the quality of the stream throughout the delivery chain . When video is packaged by a third party , however , there isn ’ t access to critical QoS and QoE stats such as unavailability of content , download delays , video freeze , and other issues that might affect a viewer ’ s experience . Mediaproxy : Software-based monitoring systems are able to check along the whole distribution chain , which gives greater control over all streams . Remote operations are also more possible today , with third party channels monitored from a central MCR that is not part of the OTT channel . The challenge is in coordinating operations properly , so everything is monitored to ensure it meets compliance standards . Quickplay : Most OTT content is from third parties , meaning that at some point in the lifecycle transcoding into digital takes place . When that conversion happens outside a service provider ’ s sphere of influence , it ’ s important that channel specifications match the target system and quality expectations . The other key is telemetry at multiple stages of the video pipeline . It ’ s essential that providers have visibility into source feeds , after transcoding and packaging , and as users
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