Sensor Newsletter January 2011

Concerned with channel availability, true channel change time, channel performance from end user’s perspective, and getting the right content on the right channel?

Begging to turn that customer’s frown into a grin? We have the solution for you - the Electronic Couch Potato^TM (ECP).

Unlike traditional service analysis performed to only check the service health, the ECP evaluates signals ready to be consumed by a subscriber: signals out of the STB.

The ECP connects after the STB and provides feedback on various service quality parameters to a central site. It can emulate an end-user changing channels on a STB via a built-in infrared (IR) transmitter. As a programmable test robot, it provides feedback on various service quality parameters from a remote end point of the content delivery chain to a central Consolidator. This flexibility means numerous, customer-specific applications, such as the Automated Channel Package Audit and Parental Control Audit, can be quickly developed and easily implemented.

With valuable insight into viewer experience, television operators can optimize service delivery and minimize end-user problems while controlling OPEX.

Automated Channel Package Audit

Multi-channel operators have to prove to content owners that the correct channels appear in the correct tiers, yet challenges abound. As multi-region networks with central headends and channel options multiply, error-prone manual scanning is tedious and ineffective.

Automated Channel Package Audit performs automatic, unattended verification of channel packages, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual audit. The ECP, deployed at a central or regional headend, continuously scans through all channels and confirms the availability of subscribed-to channels.

Parental Control Audit

You can lock the set of X-rated DVDs from your kids in the cabinet, but how would you lock a channel? With Parental Control Audit, the ECP can now provide automatic verification of parental controls on adult channels.  
Set to scan through the channels, the ECP first checks for a locked screen message on adult channels, then verifies the correct playout with a PIN code input via the IR controller.

Product of the Year Award

The Electronic Couch Potato^TM outshined competitors with its unique solution set that benefits the end users and the operators. Despite the stiff competition, the ECP clinched the Highly Commended Product of the Year Award for Best Monitoring & Network Management Solution from Cable & Satellite International at IBC 2010.

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