This report presents an in-depth analysis of the emerging market for quality assurance solutions that will enable content distributors of every description to pursue multiscreen service strategies that go well beyond traditional modes of operation in the Over-the-Top Video market.
MRG has interviewed and surveyed leading suppliers of video quality assurance technology and their customers to ascertain the challenges, product strategies and scale of demand for solutions that can support premium service-level performance monitoring and analysis in the multiscreen service environment. This is a market set to explode, but also beset with confusion about technology and what the pace of investment in quality assurance (QA) should be when so little is known about the potential return on investment in multiscreen services.
Strong consumer response to early “TV-Everywhere” offerings of long-form video for access on portable devices like tablets, laptops and smartphones has awakened network programmers, movie studios, Web-based aggregators and Network Operators across the globe to the business opportunities associated with making their high-value content available to people wherever they are whenever they want it. Adding to the perceived urgency of delivering live and on-demand content over Broadband connections is consumers’ growing use of smart TVs, IP set-tops and game consoles to bring Internet-based entertainment to the TV set.
Findings in this report include:
· The annual global demand for AR QA solutions between now and 2016
· The market drivers of various AR QA solutions.
· Which types of devices are getting the most attention in early QA implementations.
· Which AR modes are deemed most important for QA.
· The importance of end-to-end QA versus focusing on key points in the network.
· What types of functionalities and performance metrics are essential for QA in AR environments.
· Which content distributors have the greatest need for QA solutions.
1 Executive Summary 6
2 Market Demand for Multiscreen Service Quality Assurance 9
2.1 Use Cases for Adaptive Rate Streaming Source 9
2.2 Monetization Strategies – Multiscreen Services & Providers 12
2.3 SPs – North America 12
2.4 SPs – Global 15
2.4.1 HbbTV MSV Juggernaut Reaching Beyond Europe 18
2.5 OTT Distributors – TV Networks & Studios 18
2.5.1 Disney: Case Study of Aggressive MSV Strategy 19
2.6 Advanced Rights Management is Key 19
2.7 Global Streaming Platforms for International Markets 21
2.8 OTT Distributors – Aggregators 21
2.9 OTT Distributors – CE Manufacturers 23
2.10 Looking Ahead 24
2.11 QA Imperatives and Variations within Content Distributor Segments 26
2.12 SPs’ Perspective on Multiscreen Service QA 28
2.12.1 Cable 28
2.12.2 Telco/IPTV 29
2.12.3 Mobile 30
2.12.4 DTH Satellite 30
2.12.5 Content Originators and Aggregators 31
2.13 Projected Global Demand by Region and Distributor Sector — 2012-2016 33
2.14 Projected Global Demand by Device Segment — 2012-2016 33
2.15 Projected Global Demand by Network Segment — 2012-2016 34
3 Technical Dimensions of QA in the AR Streaming Environment 35
3.1 AR Functionalities and Modes 35
3.2 QA Requirements in the AR Environment 37
3.2.1 Quality-of-Service Components in AR QA 38
3.2.2 Quality-of-Experience Components in AR QA 38
3.2.3 Other Points of Quality Assurance Associated with Multiscreen Services 39
3.3 The Impact of AR Standardization on QA Requirements 41
3.4 QA Requirements at Key Points in End-to-End Distribution 43
3.4.1 Source & Origin Servers — Encoding, Transcoding and Fragmenting 43
3.4.2 Public and Private CDNs 44
3.4.3 Access Networks 46
3.5 End-user Devices 47
4 Vendor Solutions for AR QA 48
4.1 Overview of Competing Approaches to AR QA 48
4.2 Individual Vendor Approaches 52
4.2.1 Agama Technologies 52
4.2.2 Alcatel-Lucent 54
4.2.3 Cheetah Technologies 58
4.2.4 IneoQuest 60
4.2.5 Ixia 64
4.2.6 Mariner Partners 66
4.2.7 Miranda Technologies, Inc. 68
4.2.8 Pixelmetrix 71
4.2.9 Sencore 73
4.2.10 Shenick Network Systems 75
4.2.11 Tektronix 78
4.2.12 Triveni Digital 82
4.2.13 Witbe 84
5 AR QA Requirements & Strategies for Multiscreen Services 87
5.1 Unmanaged Network Provider Requirements — Content Owners, Web Aggregators 88
5.2 Managed Network Provider Requirements — Cable, Telco, Satellite, Wireless 91
5.2.1 Cable MSOs 91
5.2.2 Wireline and Mobile SPs 93
5.2.3 DTH/ DBS 95
5.3 Calibrating AR Scaling Strategies to Solutions Costs and Multiscreen Service ROI 95
6 Vendor Profiles 98
6.1 Agama Technologies 98
6.2 Alcatel-Lucent 98
6.3 Cheetah Technologies 99
6.4 IneoQuest Technologies, Inc. 99
6.5 Ixia 100
6.6 Mariner Partners 100
6.7 Miranda Technologies 101
6.8 Pixelmetrix 101
6.9 Sencore 102
6.10 Shenick Network Systems 102
6.11 Tektronix 103
6.12 Triveni Digital 103
6.13 Witbe 104
7 Index of Companies 105
Not Applicable
Table 1.1: Global Demand for AR QA 2012-2016 (US$)… 8
Table 2.1: Global Consumer IP Video Traffic Trends… 10
Table 2.2: U.S. Consumer Online Video Consumption… 11
Table 2.3: The Growing Impact of Connected TV… 11
Table 2.4: U.S. SP TV-Everywhere Revenue Potential (US$)… 12
Table 2.5: Global Demand for AR QA by Region 2012-2016 (US$)… 33
Table 2.6: Global Demand for AR QA Solutions by Distributor Sector — 2012-2016 (US$)… 33
Table 2.7: Demand Trend by Device Category (US$)… 34
Table 2.8: AR QA Demand by Network Segment (US$)… 34
Table 3.1: QA Breakdown for QoS, QoE & AR Functions… 41
Table 3.2: Percentage of Solutions Serving Different AR Modes… 43
Table 4.1: Platform Variations among QA Products… 49
Table 4.2: Prevalence of End-to-end Analytics… 49
Table 4.3: Characteristics of QA Analytics at Content Sources… 49
Table 4.4: Characteristics of QA Analytics at Origin Servers… 50
Table 4.5: Characteristics of QA Analytics at CDN Servers… 50
Table 4.6: Characteristics of QA Analytics in Access Networks… 51
Table 4.7: Client Software for QA Analysis on CE Devices… 51
Adobe……….. i, 35, 36, 41, 64
Agama Technologies……….. 52, 54, 98
Akamai……….. 31, 32
Albertis Telecom……….. 16
Alcatel-Lucent……….. 54, 98, 99
Amazon……….. 25
Android……….. See Google
AOL……….. 22
Apple……….. i, 13, 16, 25, 36, 41, 42, 62
iOS….. 16, 42
iPad….. 13, 16, 21, 23, 36, 51, 76, 84, 85
iPhone….. 13, 16, 21, 51
Mac….. 16, 51
Astro Malaysia Holdings……….. 16
ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee)……….. 82
Avail-TVN……….. 27
Azuki Systems……….. 27
B
Belgacom……….. 16
Boxee……….. 26
Broadband Forum……….. 29
BSkyB……….. 95
B-Stream……….. 21
C
CableLabs……….. 28
Cablevision……….. 14
Cheetah Technologies……….. 58, 59, 99
Chunghwa Telecom……….. 16
Cisco……….. 10, 11, 65, 90
Cogeco……….. 84
Columbus Communications……….. 16
Comcast……….. 13, 14, 26, 59, 84, 93
D
DISH Network……….. 84, 95
Disney ESPN Media Networks……….. 20
Disney-ABC……….. 19, 20
E
Edgeware……….. 91, 92
Envivio……….. 93
ESPN……….. 20, 65, 70, 79
Eurosport……….. 21
F
Fox……….. 19, 20
G
GlobeCast……….. 22
Google……….. i, 22, 25, 36
Android….. 13, 16, 23, 25, 37, 51
Google TV….. 21, 22
YouTube….. 22
H
Harmonic……….. 93
HbbTV Consortium……….. 17
HBO……….. 26
Hulu……….. 20, 22
I
IneoQuest……….. 60, 61, 62, 63, 99, 100
IPWorldTV……….. 22, 23
Ixia……….. 64, 65, 66, 100
K
KBS……….. 18
L
Level 3 Communications……….. 27
LG Electronics……….. 20, 24, 103
M
Mariner Partners……….. 66, 68, 100, 101
Maxisat……….. 52
Microsoft……….. i, 25, 26, 35, 36, 37
Xbox….. 26, 36, 51
Miranda Technologies……….. 68, 70, 101
N
NBC-Universal……….. 19
Netflix……….. 22, 26, 65
Nielsen Co………… 13
O
Open IPTV Forum (OIPF)……….. 29
P
P&G……….. 20
Pixelmetrix……….. 71, 72, 101, 102
R
RealNetworks……….. 35
RGB……….. 93
Roku……….. 23
Rovi……….. 23, 24
S
Samsung……….. 23, 24, 25
Samsung Electronics……….. 23
Scripps Networks……….. 21
Sencore……….. 73, 74, 75, 102
SES Astro……….. 71
Shenick Network Systems……….. 75, 76, 77, 78, 102
Sony……….. 22
PlayStation….. 51
Sony Entertainment Network……….. 22
StarHub……….. 16
Stofa……….. 15
T
Tektronix……….. 78, 81, 103
Mixed Signals….. 78
The Virgin Group……….. 25
thePlatform……….. 14
Time Warner……….. 19
Time Warner Cable……….. 13, 24, 82
Triveni Digital……….. 82, 83, 103
V
Velocix……….. 54
Verizon……….. 25, 26, 93, 94
Viacom……….. 19
Virgin Media……….. 25
W
Witbe……….. 84, 85, 95, 104
X
Xbox……….. See Microsoft
Y
Yahoo!……….. 21, 22
YouTube……….. See Google
YuMe……….. 24