IneoQuest offers video network probe for European QAM standards

IneoQuest Technologies, Inc, which supplies quality, service and revenue assurance solutions for video providers, has announced the availability of its Cricket video network probe with support for European QAM standards (as used by cable operators). The company says the QAM Cricket Video network probe helps ensure a high-quality subscriber viewing experience, while reducing operational expense.

Commonly used as a quality probe at the network edge, the QAM Cricket can also be used for customer premise monitoring - enabling service providers to capture and troubleshoot intermittent, reoccurring problems. “Unlike traditional tools that are designed to troubleshoot active problems with a technician on-site, the IneoQuest QAM Cricket remotely monitors all of the services on a particular Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) signal simultaneously,” the company explains.

The QAM Cricket empowers providers to analyse, debug and resolve video quality and MPEG issues in the QAM network. When used in conjunction with IneoQuest’s IP Video Management System (iVMS), the QAM Cricket sends real-time fault alerts to the service provider at the network operating centre. These alerts allow providers to be proactive in correcting the situation, potentially leading to reduced call centre traffic volume.

The European QAM Cricket provides an RF QAM interface; 10/100 Ethernet management port, and plug-and-play USB with DVB ETR 101 290 MPEG analysis built-in at no additional cost. Supported standards include DVB-C (all modes), ITU-J.83A, ITU-J.83C. The unit supports 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256 point constellations; 100 pre-defined aliases and simultaneous programme analysis of up to 128 PIDS.