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Switched Video, also called Switched Digital Video or SDV, is a telecommunications industry term for a network scheme for distributing digital video via a cable with limited capacity. Switched video sends the digital video in a more efficient manner so that additional uses may be made of the freed up bandwidth. The scheme applies to digital video distribution both on typical cable TV systems using QAM channels, or on IPTV systems.

However, the advantages of SDV enabled networks come with a significant increase in network and video delivery complexity including:

Increase in required network compute resources
Increased communication overhead
Real-time association and switching of video flows to the home

Cable MSOs across North America and Europe are already aware of the potential benefits and rewards of implementing Switched Digital Video (SDV) networks. By implementing SDV, cable MSOs will be better positioned to compete against the telcos and their promise of advanced services which will be delivered to the home at bandwidths greater than 50Mbs. But these forward-thinking MSOs also realize that quality—of subscriber features, customer service and picture—are going to be the true differentiators in this increasingly competitive market. How will cable MSOs roll out SDV networks and all the features that go with them while reducing the OPEX associated with a new delivery model?

Figure 2. Example SDV test setup with Singulus G1-T, G10 and Singulus Lite Crickets

Figure 2 outlines an example SDV test setup. In this scenario the Singulus™ G1-T is being used to generate up to 2Gb/s of video test traffic emulating hundreds of switched video and VOD streams for the Edge-QAM devices under test. Another SingulusTM G1-T can also be used to either monitor the performance of the Edge-QAM device or optionally replace up to 6 Edge-QAMs for testing of the video content IP network. The SingulusTM Lite Crickets can also be used to optionally replace STBs for SDV transport tests.

Example use cases of the Singulus™ G1-T and Singulus™ Lite Crickets:

Generate hundreds of SDV and VOD test streams
Emulate SDV server requests to the Edge-QAM
Emulate IGMP requests to the edge router
Emulate STB channel-change requests to SDV server
Monitor Edge-QAM stream performance

IQPinPoint™ Supports SDV from the Test Lab to Network Deployment

IneoQuest’s IQPinPoint™ is a quality and service assurance solution for SDV networks. IQPinPoint, is comprised of the powerful Singulus Lite family of network probes and the award-winning IP Video Management System (iVMS), and is the only quality and service assurance system on the market today with the purpose-built capability to provide continuous testing, monitoring, reporting and troubleshooting for providers using SDV technology anywhere in the network. With IQPinPoint the service assurance model can finally reduce OPEX.

Figure 3: IQPinPoint™ Solution

IQPinPoint for the SDV Network: From the Test Lab to the Field

Since there is not a standard methodology for deploying an SDV network, it is important that there exists a testing and management solution that is cost effective and flexible enough to be adaptive for each MSOs needs. IQPinPointTM is such a solution that incorporates early SDV features that customers have specifically requested such as:

Mini Data Carousel Monitoring and Analysis with the presentation of such information as the carousel’s status, bit rate, service group assignment, multicast address, and more.
QAM Band Census displaying QAM utilization based on fixed, switched-static, and switched-dynamic types for services such as VOD and broadcast
Complete SDV Performance and Trending Analysis of SDV solution across the entire network allowing for analysis based on individual programs, service groups, and more
SDV QAM and Services Configuration allowing for the association/aliasing of QAM frequencies to channel types such as switched-static, switched-dynamic, fixed, for application of alarm thresholds and settings; and the configuration of services such as SD-MPEG2, HD-MPEG2, HD-MPEG4, etc., to specific programming channels.

IQPinPoint™ was designed with the mechanisms to allow for the quick integration of new features and will continue to evolve with the traditional and SDV needs of the MSOs.