For a video services provider, ensuring the highest quality of streaming video experiences is essential. As video consumption continues to increase across different platforms, maintaining seamless performance becomes a challenge and video service quality management (SQM) becomes “a must have”.
Enter End-to-End Monitoring and NPAW Probes — innovative solutions designed to optimize video monitoring, replicate end-user device behavior, troubleshoot issues efficiently, and automate quality assurance (QA) processes.
By simulating network conditions and automating event detection, NPAW Probes and E2E Monitoring enhance the overall monitoring and quality evaluation process, making it a game-changer in video streaming services.
What is End-to-End Monitoring
End-to-End Monitoring is a tool that allows video service providers to analyze the entire video delivery chain on the client and network sides to correlate users, error, and infrastructure root causes in real time. With monitoring points all along the delivery chain, from content ingestion to end-user device playback, you can track anomalies, create alerts and mitigate issues.
By combining the probes KPIs and alerts info with that of the NPAW plugin, this creates a unique approach whereby every issue is reported knowing not only which elements of the infrastructure are affected but also how many users and how. This allows the operations to properly qualify how critical the issues are at a glance.
What are NPAW Probes
NPAW Probes offer an all-encompassing solution for video engineers, enabling them to collect, analyze, and present audiovisual data while simulating various network conditions. NPAW Probes are a combination of independent E2E monitoring software, device and network probe solutions for faster, holistic video SQM from an end-user perspective.
NPAW Probes consists of the following key components:
- E-2-E Monitoring module: A hub to control service quality from ingestion to playback in one place
- NDP: NPAW Device Probes for last-mile monitoring and automated QA
- NWP: NPAW Witness Probes, network probes for headend and CDN
- NPAW Plugin: Perceived playback quality insights collected at the end-user level
- External Data and Probes (optional): 3rd-party probes and external data can easily be ingested
Alarms Dashboard in E-2-E Monitoring
How NPAW Probes Work
NPAW Probes primarily target end-user devices such as set-top boxes and Android mobile devices to validate, monitor, and troubleshoot video solutions. They gather extensive data from these devices, including video/audio output, network events, and device logs, and present them on a customizable web dashboard. This dashboard can be tailored to highlight relevant information, ensuring that the right data is available for the task at hand.
Key Features
What can you do with an end-to-end video SQM solution? Here are some of NPAW Probes’ key features:
1. Monitor
NPAW Probes allows continuous monitoring of live TV, Video on Demand (VoD), and network performance by deploying probes at fixed locations. The solution provides comprehensive end-to-end assistance throughout the delivery chain. Its ability to identify, record, and store potential issues at the earliest stages enables more effective monitoring and troubleshooting. Support engineers can replicate the end-user device – just as it is viewed by a customer (Set-top-box, SmartTV, Smartphone etc.).
2. Troubleshoot
NPAW Probes simplify troubleshooting with access to comprehensive trace logs. This enables service providers to quickly identify and replicate the root cause of issues, whether manually or through custom scripts. The efficiency of the NDP troubleshooting process ensures quick responses and minimal service disruption.
3. Automate QA
One of the most critical capabilities of NPAW Probes is its ability to automate QA testing. The probe allows engineers to simulate network conditions and use flexible scripting to test and validate services in a systematic, time-efficient manner. This automation frees up valuable engineering time and improves the overall reliability of video services.
4. Remote User Interaction and SDK Support
Engineers can simulate end-user actions, such as pressing infrared keys or sending Bluetooth commands, to test how devices respond under various conditions. Additionally, the NPAW Probes platform includes a Software Development Kit (SDK) and scripting capabilities, making it highly customizable.
Our scripting approach uses Javascript which is one of the most extended programming languages in the world. You can benefit from this language’s characteristics, such as the asynchronous event handling or the fact that our SDK is open.
The NPAW advantage for video Service Quality Management
E2E Monitoring together with NPAW Probes create an indispensable tool for video service providers looking to optimize their streaming performance, automate QA processes, and efficiently troubleshoot issues. By centralizing control, offering powerful automation capabilities, and providing real-time monitoring, the NPAW Suite revolutionizes how video quality assurance is conducted. With the ability to integrate into existing systems and customize workflows, it ensures a smoother and more reliable video experience for end-users. It’s an essential tool for modern video service providers.