Switched Digital Video Solutions

Solutions for monitoring, testing and validating SDV components and networks.

Switched Digital Video solutions are critical for monitoring, testing and validating SDV components and networks used by cable operators. This technology promises to fundamentally change how digital video is delivered, enabling cable operators to offer consumers a wider variety of programming while effectively managing HFC bandwidth.

Prior to SDV, all channels were broadcast over the HFC network, irrespective of whether a channel is being watched or not. With SDV, only those channels are sent on the HFC networks that are actually being watched by a subscriber. This enables bandwidth reclamation and allows the cable operators to use this bandwidth for more digital channels, or more HD channels, or more high speed bandwidth for internet cable modem subscribers.

A key hurdle that has limited the deployment of SDV services has been the absence of an open architecture that offers the system availability, scalability, performance and cost required to enable the wide-scale rollout of SDV over HFC networks to the existing installed base of set-tops. Typical SDV deployment components are shown in the figure below with some variants in different vendor and operator implementations. Other challenges for SDV deployments include:

• Increased reliance on IP transport and IP Multicast unlike traditional broadcast
• Increased control plane overhead
• Complex architecture that varies from vendor to vendor
• Maturity level of technology, products, and integration is still at its infancy
• Multi-vendor solution makes it difficult to monitor and troubleshoot

Applications

• Timing, auditing and correlation of SDV signaling traffic
• Analyze captured or live traffic to quickly find and resolve IP and SDV problems
• SDV protocol compliance validation
• Visual confirmation of Mini-Carousel and Channel Change issues

Benefits

• True End-to-End solution for SDV monitoring : Visual representation of all aspects of SDV signaling with easy to understand color coding that does not require operational folks to have in depth protocol awareness
• Vendor agnostic third party solution: Monitors mirrored SDV traffic and gives a view of network as is and does not rely on individual devices or EMSs stats and reports
• Reconfigurable technology - upgradeable to support new services in the field without added capital expense
• Successfully field tested with leading vendor implementations
• Fits seamlessly in IQPinpoint solution portfolio
• Complete video (Broadcast, VOD, SDV) monitoring solution
• Leverage existing investment in IneoQuest probes and management platform
• Best in class support for emerging technologies that tend to change frequently