Video Breakthroughs

Netrounds today announced the availability of Netrounds Free, a feature-limited yet fully functional version of its cloud-based IPTV testing and monitoring service. As a forever-free offering, Netrounds Free is targeted to IPTV providers as a much more user-friendly and powerful alternative than traditional open source command line tools, often used during initial IPTV introductions.

Netrounds Free includes support for IPTV testing and is automatically provisioned anywhere in the world by downloading and deploying up to two measurements probes. Results from the probes, such as MPEG loss, jitter and invalid stream, are retrieved from the cloud-based servers through an easy-to-use web interface.

Agama Technologies, the video service quality assurance expert, today announces that it has become an official Microsoft Mediaroom ecosystem partner and will launch a Mediaroom edition of its complete end-to-end DTV Monitoring Solution at IBC2012.

Integrating with the Mediaroom platform, the Agama solution provides such operators with end-to-end visibility from head-end to home, making it possible to get a detailed understanding of the service quality across the delivery network. With Agama, Mediaroom operators can act proactively to prevent problems or detect them before customers are impacted, strengthening customer loyalty and profitability. Incident handling also becomes more efficient when problems can be accurately triangulated – where is the problem originating, how severe is it, and how many customers are affected?

Online agency executives complain that the creative process doesn't get enough attention. Software created by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology amplifies variations in video imperceptible to the naked eye, making it possible to exaggerate tiny motions. More telling, it could provide greater credibility for products.

MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory graduate student Michael Rubinstein designed the software, along with recent alumni Hao-Yu Wu, Eugene Shih and professors William Freeman, Fredo Durand and John Guttag. The researchers initially intended it to amplify color changes, but in their experiments found it amplified motion as well. The software makes visible the vibrations of individual guitar strings, or the ability to see someone's pulse as the skin reddens and pales with the flow of blood.

Eric Gulino, an ad executive at Skiver Advertising, said having the ability to see change without computer-generated graphics could increase the credibility of products because it would not require computer-generated art. He said it is not likely to revolutionize the way agencies create content, but it will open the door to demonstrate things not easily communicated and give consumers a whole new appreciation for products.

SEE VIDEO HERE : http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/amplifying-invisible-video-0622.html

S3 Group, a global enabler of the highest quality digital TV Content Delivery Platforms, is demonstrating the importance of second screen and Connected TV automated testing at The Cable Show 2012. The company will showcase how automated testing can make the difference between the successful adoption of new applications and services on connected devices versus a 'try once, turn off' experience.

Specifically, attendees will see:

- Connected TV Testing

- Application Validation

- Multi-screen Device Diagnostics

- StormTest Development Center