Understanding how to objectively test and measure today’s digital TV signals is a key strength of an effective broadcast engineer. But with the rapidly changing digital landscape, staying up-to-date on the new signals and how to best evaluate them is a challenge.

Some of the best resources for insight into measuring signal health are the companies that design and build the gear that charts the performance of these new systems and signals. A good place to find these experts is at IBC. 

Part 1 of The Broadcast Bridge preview of test and measurement solutions at IBC 2017, Touring TV T&M at IBC 2017 Part 1, was published August 7th and was based on information available at that time. This, Part 2 of a 3-part series, continues that preview. Part 3, the concluding article, will go live on August 22nd. If you need test and measurement equipment, use these articles as your first stop.

Agama Technologies will demonstrate its end-to-end OTT Service Assurance solution. It provides a unique end-to-end understanding of all OTT services by creating insights throughout the delivery network; from the head-end, through CDNs and the ISP, to the apps in the phones, tablets and Smart TVs.

Agama’s full software-based head-end assurance solution supports linear, as well as on-demand services, video technologies such as HEVC, ad-insert and all major adaptive bitrate formats. High capacity Analyzer probes can be deployed on bare metal or virtualized, enabling full flexibility in deployment and centralized top-level dashboards and alarms providing real-time service transparency. The Agama solution fully supports automated configuration and deployment.

The Avateq AVQ1020DVBS is an ActiveCore RF Layer Monitoring Receiver for DVB-S/S2 that has been upgraded. It adds In-Band Interference Monitoring and Single Frequency Network (SFN) drift monitoring to the AVQ1020. The purpose of the upgrade is to strengthen the network on which mobile digital television is transmitted to smartphones and tablets.

Avateq Corp. has developed a state-of-the-art digital signal processing (DSP) technique that makes it possible to analyze the signal structure for detecting in-band interference of different natures. The technique uses sophisticated algorithms to separate the useful signal and underlying noise, under-carrier "ghost" signal or non-linearity products and visualize them on a spectrum plot.

This functionality is now a standard feature of AVQ1020DVBS ActiveCore RF Layer Monitoring Receiver for DVB-S/S2 standards, and provides additional powerful tools for enhanced "in-depth" analysis of the signal and potential factors of the signal quality degradation. The AVQ1020DVBS equipped with an intelligent alarm management system that can be instructed to trigger in case of the signal quality falling below a user defined threshold.

The company will also introduce a new generation of ActiveCore RF Layer Monitoring Receivers. AVQ1022 are cost-effective solutions for remote day-by-day 24/7 transmitter signal quality monitoring through SNMP, web interface and user-configurable alarm system. The products support all major terrestrial digital TV broadcasting standards including ATSC3.0, and have been designed to provide comprehensive monitoring capabilities of RF layer critical parameters (SNR, MER, etc.) The receivers feature a user-friendly GUI with rich plotting capabilities and data representation.

Bluefish444 is best known for its high-quality uncompressed 4K/2K/HD/SD SDI video cards. At IBC 2017, the company  will be demonstrating its new IngeSTore version 1.1, advanced 4K HDR support, and 4K SDI to NDI compatibility with NewTek Connect Pro.

The collaboration between Bluefish444 and NewTek enables input and output of SDI video signals up to 4K 60p as part of an NDI-based IP workflow. This allows Bluefish444 installations globally to implement interconnected, Ultra HD production workflows comprised of SDI and IP-based technologies.

DekTec offers a wide array of SDI, IP, ASI and RF interfaces, covering all signal formats used in professional broadcast systems, including 4K video.

The interface adapters are supported by a comprehensive and uniform SDK, enabling integrators to create PC-based broadcast equipment and solutions with fast time-to-market. For the end-users, DekTec provides a number of mature test and measurement applications. The company’s StreamXper analyzer, the StreamXpress player and Xpect monitoring solution have become a standard in the industry, and DekTec's ATSC 3.0 toolkit is being used to prepare for introduction of the terrestrial standard in South-Korea.

DekTec also offers a set of high-quality tools for creating and testing ATSC 3.0 solutions including high-end modulators and receivers. Developers can use DekTec’s playout and analysis applications to validate their own ATSC 3.0 products before releasing them to the market.

As an active member of the ATSC 3.0 Validation & Verification group, DekTec is at the forefront of implementing the standard and verifying interoperability. This position has enabled the company to add virtually all features of the latest ATSC Physical Layer Protocol specification (A/322), including multi-PLP, multiple subframes, Layered Division Multiplexing (LDM) and Hybrid Time Interleaving (HTI) in the DekTec SDK.

DK-Technologies will demonstrate the DK T7++, which now delivers ultra-fast and high-resolution waveform monitoring. It also includes the DK T7++ Audio & Loudness engine for simultaneous Video and Audio metering.

Every TV and Post Production editing suite needs the ability to monitor both video and audio quality parameters during every day production. The task calls for a simple and easy to operate solution that delivers instant overview of the relevant video and audio parameters and results. The DK T7 Waveform Monitor fulfills that need.

The DK T7 WFM combines the best of both worlds, by bringing together crucial waveform monitoring and Audio|Loudness displays in tight cooperation forming the ultimate at-a-glance working tool.

DVEO will show the Q Check IP: Head End, a professional multi-stream analysis and viewing tool. It is designed to monitor and analyze streams at headends, teleports or wherever many streams are brought together for distribution. It is a full ETR 290 I/II/III analysis tool with automated alarm generation. It is also a visual tool for monitoring many live streams with built in audio bars.

It simultaneously displays and analyses up to 65 transport streams and includes a comprehensive analysis tool of SI tables, PSIP tables, and other metadata errors. A DVB-ASI version is optional, and a new 300 IP stream analysis-only version will also be on display.

Flanders Scientific (FSI) will demonstrate how owners of its DM170, DM240, and DM250 monitors can stream real-time Waveform and Vectorscope from their monitor to any connected Mac or PC. A feature of ScopeStream is that video analysis happens on the display itself so scopes run as a low-load operation only requiring the computer to draw out the scope trace data being sent back.

The ScopeStream beta for BoxIO was released about two months ago. Pomfort recently released LiveGrade Pro 3.8 featuring ScopeStream integration for live video scopes from any BoxIO or DM series FSI monitor.

Linear Acoustic, together with Minnetonka Audio, forms the Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group of the Telos Alliance. Among Linear Acoustic solutions on display at IBC will be the AERO.10, AERO.100, and AERO.2000. The company will also show AERO.soft, which introduces the power and flexibility of Livewire+ AES67 audio over IP to the television world.

Also on display will be the recently unveiled Linear Acoustic AMS authoring and monitoring system, a comprehensive solution for real-time authoring, rendering and monitoring of advanced audio program streams for ATSC 3.0. It will also include support for MPEG-H.

MiraVid delivers quality assurance tools that allow broadcasters to deliver the best Quality of Experience (QoE) and Quality of Service (QoS) to their customers. MiraVid solutions on display at this year’s IBC range from real-time video monitoring solutions and multiviewers to in-depth MPEG test and analysis tools for codec development. MiraVid solutions are successfully deployed by IPTV and OTT providers, cable and satellite operators, government, and encoder manufacturers around the world.

On display will be TeleSight, which provides high-volume, real-time content verification and monitoring capabilities. Also on the stand will be AutoCheck the Automated High-Volume Media Tester delivering powerful and responsive analysis for optimum video. MSight, a fully optimized media file analyzer for fixing and resolving problems will round out the company's exhibit.

Murraypro Electronics was established in 1972 and today it supplies Test Chest, a tool for digital signal generation and analysis.

Tool Chest comes standard with a 10-bit precision signal generator, along with analysis utilities that are displayed on a crisp 5-inch high-resolution, touch-screen monitor. The test set is complete with sound in stereo when present. Ease-of-use and protection are important whilst in service and Test Chest is fitted with ‘Ez-Grip’ rubber end sleeves.

The auto-detect operation has now been extended even further, embracing PC-HDVI sources. The portable Test Chest automatically awakens from slumber, identifying any 3G, HD, SD, CVBS, HDVI, Tri-level/Mix Sync, AES or SPDIF signal that is applied to its input.

Test Chest automatically selects the optimum display mode for the applied signal on a built-in 800x480 pixel high-resolution LCD screen. A video image in TV mode, a sync signal in WFM mode, or digital audio as a histogram is displayed along with on-screen information about the the detected signal and its video standard.

Narda makes a wide variety of measuring equipment for RF analysis, EMC testing, as well as for environmental and occupational protection in electro-magnetic fields (EMF). The scope of RF test solutions stretches from interference detection, signal analysis and localization to spectrum monitoring – with portable and rack-mount versions being offered.

L3 Narda-MITEQ designs and manufactures a complete line of high-performance components and subsystems for the microwave applications. L3 Narda-MITEQ designs and manufactures both standard and custom products with stock delivery offered for an extensive offering of both passive and active components, systems, mechanical switches, IMAs, SATCOM solutions, spaceborne components, as well as RF safety monitoring equipment.

Stay tuned for Part 3. It covers Omnitek, PHABRIX, PLURA, Promax Electronica, Qligent, Quintech, Rohde & Schwarz, Sencore, Witbe, and Wohler.

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