fuboTV Streams With Confidence Thanks To Sentry, the Scalable QoE Monitoring Solution from Tektronix
Beaverton, OR(20 Aug 2018)
Working in the hypercompetitive multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) space as a disruptive, OTT provider, means subscriber retention is critical. Month-to-month contracts, no requirement on hardware rentals, and constantly updated offerings from competitors necessitate the need for high-quality performance and delivery of your feed at all times. That’s why fuboTV, the leading sports-first live TV streaming service in the U.S., relies on Quality of Experience (QoE) monitoring from Tektronix solutions.
Tektronix, an industry-leading innovator of video test, monitoring and diagnostics solutions, provides fuboTV with confidence in its QoE through Sentry, a real-time video quality content monitoring solution delivering live and on-demand video quality assurance across cloud and virtual streaming workflows. Sentry simplifies quality monitoring across today's complex environments by offering visibility into streaming content quality along with in-depth analysis and compliance reporting for OTT/multiscreen services with global scalability.
fuboTV relies on the solution not only for today’s monitoring, but also to ensure it is futureproofing its workflow to remain at the forefront of MVPD technology offerings. The company was the first virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) to offer content in ultra-high definition and high dynamic range. It was also among the first live streaming services to launch dynamic ad insertion, Cloud DVR, 60FPS picture quality and in-app billing.
“Pushing cutting-edge content to our customers is huge for us,” said Billy Romero, Video Engineering and Operations Manager at fuboTV. “That's where Tektronix comes into play. As we moved to that 4K HDR10 level of broadcasting we could still use Sentry to evaluate exactly what we're offering to customers. It’s just so versatile. We’ve actually used it not only to analyze the QoE of our service, but also the CDN performance overall. It’s allowed us to select the encoder that performs best for us leading up to major matches that are critical to our audiences.”
Providing that visibility into content quality, and where problems are occurring, is critical to customer retention. By providing a single view that spans cloud, virtual and on-premise workflows, Sentry simplifies quality assurance compared to alternatives involving multiple monitoring platforms.
"We’ve built APIs for fuboTV to use that allow them to easily monitor quality and quickly react to any issues,” said Charlie Dunn, General Manager of the Tektronix Video business. “This is a swift moving industry and providers need confidence that their content is being delivered correctly regardless of the technology or scale they’re offering. Sentry provides that confidence while also saving troubleshooting time and cost.”
About Sentry
Sentry is a scalable QoE monitoring solution for streaming content. It can look at the actual content being provided to verify there are no major quality issues (blocking, audio drop out, frozen frames) and that content meets regulatory compliance requirements (SCTE35 Type testing, Closed Caption and Loudness testing). With Digital Rights Management (DRM) support, Sentry ABR can decrypt each program by applying DRM and can view and report on the content seen by subscribers.
Sentry capabilities for OTT streaming service monitoring that will be demonstrated at IBC 2018 include:
Ad Insertion Monitoring for ABR – Sentry provides advertising insertion analysis with programmatic control for OTT streaming content. Sentry ensures ads are correctly placed within the ABR stream and playing back with the same quality as other content.
Common Media Application Format (CMAF) support – An emerging standard allowing streaming providers to encode media in one common format versus multiple formats, CMAF greatly reduces the number of streaming variations needed to deliver services.
4K and HbbTV DASH streaming enhancements – Sentry ABR supports 4K HEVC DASH cloud streaming including HbbTV MPEG-DASH enhancements.
Other enhancements to Sentry include Video on Demand (VoD) ABR testing, HTTPS secure stream support, and cloud-based subscription support.
Availability
The latest version of Sentry is available now globally. For more information on Sentry, go to: tek.com/sentry.
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About Tektronix
Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix delivers innovative, precise, and easy-to-operate test, measurement and monitoring solutions that solve problems, unlock insights, and drive discovery. Tektronix has been at the forefront of the digital age for over 70 years. Join us on the journey of innovation at TEK.COM/VIDEO.