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OverviewCricket ModelsApplications & FeaturesSupported Software

Cricket™ Family

Coverage to the Subscriber

The Cricket™ family extends the coverage of video quality management and service assurance from video source to subscriber. In the industry today, there is no tool available that has such a comprehensive feature set as the Cricket™. It offers the most cost effective way to audit, monitor, analyze and troubleshoot across different video transport technologies. The Cricket™ family provides a means to connect to a wide variety of interfaces; ASI, IP, QAM, 8-VSB, and more.

Remote Troubleshooting

Multi-dimensional video quality management™ is a necessity in any digital video distribution network to help reduce operational expenses and improve subscriber experience through rapidly isolating and troubleshooting video quality issues. For video distribution networks, multi-dimensional video quality management can be achieved by using a combination of IneoQuest Cricket hardware probes, along with the iVMS™ Video Management System.

Power in a Small Footprint

Because the Cricket is small and easy to deploy, it can be mailed overnight to the subscriber premise to automatically begin measuring and logging live video statistics remotely that are sent back to the iVMS™ Video Management System. In many cases, service providers can start measuring issues faster than it takes to issue a work order and "roll a truck." Not only is the Cricket useful for last mile video quality management, the Cricket can also be used to troubleshoot issues at the video source.

Cricket QAM Plus: Advanced QAM Analysis

Need powerful QAM analysis capability in addition to MPEG monitoring and analysis in a compact value-priced package? The new Cricket QAM Plus is for you. Cricket QAM Plus is a powerful QAM video quality and service assurance troubleshooting tool for Cable System operators that need to monitor, analyze, debug, and resolve video quality issues at the network edge. It is designed for use in remote monitoring and troubleshooting applications of the QAM. With advanced QAM measurements such as Constellation Diagram, MER/BER, Carrier offset, Symbol rate offset and much more, Cricket QAM Plus is perfect for monitoring each service group within an RF network. With the Cricket QAM Plus offering two tuners, the probe provides more monitoring coverage and continuous scanning of the QAM channels quickly alerting operators to RF outages and MPEG issues.

Cricket FrameGrabber™: Composite Baseband Video Content Monitoring, Auditing and Troubleshooting

Cricket FrameGrabber is a powerful cost effective baseband video content monitoring and auditing tool for operators to monitor, validate and troubleshoot QoE via composite video and audio connection. Cricket FrameGrabber is perfect for continuous monitoring of the video content applications either at the headend, distribution plant or at the customer premise. Combined with the IneoQuest iCMS™ Content Monitoring System and integrated with iVMS, in addition to the rest of the IneoQuest hardware portfolio, Cricket FrameGrabber and iCMS completes the video quality monitoring and analysis solution.


Cricket FrameGrabber

Composite Baseband Inputs

  • Real-time monitoring and alarming on every frame
  • Black screen and freeze frame detection, Audio level measurements
  • Thumbnail capture
  • Thumbnails, video and audio metrics stored for historical analysis
  • IR Control to STB
  • Remote visual inspection

Cricket QAM Plus

QAM Analyzer

  • Best price / performance for Advanced RF Features
  • Dual Tuner support remote monitoring of up to two QAM channels simultaneously
  • Supports QAM annex A/B/C, and more…
  • Constellation diagram, RF Power Levels, MER/BER, Carrier offset, much more

Cricket QAM

  • F Type coax connector
  • RF signal-to-noise ratio monitoring & alarming
  • Reed-Solomon error (corrected/uncorrected) alarming
  • Auto-learn RF channels
  • Tuner Signal loss alarm
  • Supports 64 and 256 constellations

Cricket QAM Europe/Asia

  • DVB-C (All Modes)B
  • ITU-J.83A, & C
  • F Type coax connector
  • RF signal-to-noise ratio monitoring & alarming
  • Reed-Solomon error (corrected/uncorrected) alarming
  • Auto-learn RF channels
  • Tuner Signal loss alarm
  • Supports 64 and 256 constellations

Cricket IP

  • 2 x 10/100 Ethernet ports
  • TAP functionality
  • Emulate Endpoint - STB
  • Monitor and analysis up to 10 simultaneous IP flows

Cricket ASI

  • 75 Ohm BNC coax connector
  • Supports 150Mb/s MPEG2-TS
  • ASI link status verification

Cricket 8-VSB

  • Confidence monitoring of 8-VSB signal
  • F Type coax connector
  • Signal-to-noise ratio monitoring & alarming
  • Reed-Solomon error (corrected/uncorrected) alarming
  • Auto-learn 8-VSB RF channels
  • Tuner Signal loss alarm
Applications Features
All Models
  • Remotely measure and analyze video content in real-time
  • Real-time monitoring and measurements of video programs
  • Remote video verification with IQtv™
  • Compact Design
  • Viewer feedback button
  • Video trigger / capture
  • Seamless integration into iVMS™
  • USB connector for local management with PC
  • 10/100 MB Fast Ethernet management interface
  • Field Upgradable
Cricket FrameGrabber
  • Distributed Content Validation
  • Ad Insertion Verification & Auditing
  • Remote visual Inspection of video content (Slingbox replacement)
  • Headend Confidence Monitoring
  • STB Testing
  • Real-time Monitoring and alarming
  • Blackscreen, freeze frame detection
  • Audio and luminance levels
  • Video and audio metrics stored
  • Thumbnail capture
  • Analyze and troubleshoot the the QAM RF signal
  • Subscriber Experience auditing and monitoring
  • Audit video content delivery network
Cricket QAM Plus
  • Analyze and troubleshoot QAM signal
  • Monitor and analyze RF and MPEG video quality issues in real-time
  • Service group monitoring
  • QAM confidence monitoring
  • Debug and troubleshoot IPTV network quality issues at the QAM
  • Validate QAM frequencies
  • Supports SD and HD video content over SPTS and MPTS
  • Monitoring and analysis to the PID level
  • Customizable RF Frequency maps and alarm thresholds
  • Dual QAM tuners
  • 1 GHz plant ready
  • Powerful QAM analysis features including Constellation diagram, BER/MER, Carrier offset, symbol rate offset
Cricket QAM
  • Monitor and analyze RF and MPEG video quality issues in real-time
  • Service group monitoring
  • QAM confidence monitoring
  • Debug and troubleshoot IPTV network quality issues at the QAM
  • Validate QAM frequencies
  • Measure and analyze video content in real-time
  • Supports SD and HD video content over SPTS and MPTS
  • Monitoring and analysis to the PID level
  • Customizable RF Frequency maps and alarm thresholds
Cricket QAM EU/Asia
  • Monitor and analyze RF and MPEG video quality issues in real-time
  • Service group monitoring
  • QAM confidence monitoring
  • Debug and troubleshoot IPTV network quality issues at the QAM
  • Validate QAM frequencies
  • Measure and analyze video content in real-time
  • Supports SD and HD video content over SPTS and MPTS
  • Monitoring and analysis to the PID level
  • Customizable RF Frequency maps and alarm thresholds
Cricket IP
  • Ethernet edge confidence monitoring
  • Debug and troubleshoot video edge on Ethernet interfaces
  • Measure MDI IP flows performance
  • IGMP measurements and performance
  • Validate MPEG transport stream
  • Measure and analysis video content in real-time
  • Supports SD and HD video content over SPTS and MPTS
  • Real-time media loss measurements of transport stream
  • Analysis to the PID level
Cricket ASI
  • ASI confidence monitoring
  • Monitor and troubleshoot video headend ASI feeds
  • Validate MPEG transport steam
  • Measure and analysis video content in real-time
  • Service group monitoring
  • Supports SD and HD video content over SPTS and MPTS
  • Supports SD and HD video content over SPTS and MPTS
  • Real-time media loss measurements of transport stream
  • Analysis to the PID level
Cricket 8VSB
  • Confidence monitoring of 8-VSB broadcast signal
  • Verification and troubleshooting of studio to transmitter link and RF coverage area
  • Cost effective solution for 24/7 unattended off air monitoring
  • Reports signal-to-noise ratio and Reed-Solomon errors, corrected and uncorrected
  • Real-time monitoring and measurements of video programs
  • Auto scan and discovery of VSB RF frequencies
  • Tunes to any UHF/VHF channel
  • Supports SD and HD video content over SPTS and MPTS