New SSIMWAVE cloud tool targets, measures, ensures video quality at scale

SSIMPLUS VOD Monitor Production uses human visual system to validate viewer QoE

Waterloo, ON, Canada(30 Jul 2019)

SSIMWAVE, an innovator in the science of perceptual video quality measurement, today unveiled SSIMPLUS VOD Monitor Production, a new cloud-based tool that harnesses the power of the human visual system to optimize quality for high volumes of video assets across complex delivery chains.

SSIMPLUS VOD Production is a viewer-centric technology that allows video businesses – streaming services, MVPDs and content studios – to tune video quality for their exact needs and audiences. SSIMPLUS VOD Production can help:

• Improve content quality delivered to viewers;
• Optimize data rates to fit CDN budgets;
• Evaluate tech stack or vendor operations at any part of the workflow;
• Ensure Service Level Agreement (SLAs) compliance;
• Compare quality across different distribution chains; and
• Realize efficiencies in the use of network resources. 

The SSIMPLUS Emmy Award-winning algorithm gives a Quality of Experience 0-100 Subscriber Score based on software that mimics the human visual system. VOD supply chain managers can use the score to quickly set quality thresholds at multiple points in the delivery system. Based on these thresholds, the tool divides assets into Pass/Fail buckets; assets that Pass proceed down the delivery chain to the viewer while Fails can be fixed using the SSIMPLUS VOD Inspector tool. When used in tandem, SSIMPLUS VOD Production and Inspector enable unparalleled management of video delivery quality, from network configurations up to the end device.

“The explosion of new content sources, the availability of new devices and the need to connect the two have multiplied the complexity of the streaming ecosystem,” said Dr. Abdul Rehman, co-founder and CEO of SSIMWAVE. “Our mission is to give the industry the objective metrics and tools needed to navigate that landscape and deliver video quality that satisfies viewers and increases ROI.”

With on-demand viewing growing by 20% over the past five years, SSIMPLUS VOD Production’s cloud-based architecture gives content providers and distributors the agility to adjust computing power needs to consumer demand, optimizing resource use. The new tool evaluates and scores content at unprecedented speeds; HD video is delivered in real time while delivery of SD is 4X faster. Anticipated use cases include:

• Consistent measurement of asset quality across file-based workflows using a single measurement standard;
• Comparison of source video to different outputs, or between network elements, such as source to encoder, encoder to transcoder, or source to transcoder;
• Creation of an unlimited number of threshold variations to accommodate differing quality needs across content genres as well as device, codec and bitrate configurations. 

Earlier this year, SSIMWAVE launched SSIMPLUS VOD Inspector, a cloud-based tool that combines frame-by-frame and pixel-by-pixel analysis of video with the SSIMPLUS algorithm. “The two VOD tools work in tandem,” said Rehman. “SSIMPLUS VOD Inspector is a granular approach to understanding where video impairments in each frame occur, allowing optimization of video quality, fine tuning of settings and video quality thresholds, and selection of network equipment providers. VOD Monitor Production takes those learnings to the next level, enabling consistent delivery of the desired quality at scale, where no bad video gets through.”

The company will showcase demos of both SSIMPLUS VOD Production and SSIMPLUS VOD Inspector at its stand (1.B13) at the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam Sept. 13-17.

SSIMWAVE Inc.

At SSIMWAVE, science meets art to make sure each video stream delivered makes its way to a happy customer. SSIMWAVE tunes video content quality to balance feasibility with the best experience possible. Its entrepreneurial group of scientists, software engineers, and business professionals are fascinated with perfecting digital video delivery. SSIMWAVE leverages its Primetime Emmy Award winning technology to make the unknown, known; the subjective, objective; to reliably deliver video quality levels subscribers expect, and are willing to pay for. Viewers see and hear the results of SSIMWAVE’s work everywhere – while streaming the season finale on the big screen or watching the game-winning shot on a smartphone. Visit us at www.ssimwave.com.