ATIS, VSF Team Up

ATIS-VSF partnership delivers new standard on video and audio content quality metrics

February 18, 2011

2 Min Read

WASHINGTON -- The ATIS IPTV Interoperability Forum (IIF) has recently completed an important update to its standard on Quality of Service (QoS) Metrics for Linear IPTV (ATIS-0800008).

In close collaboration with the Video Services Forum (VSF), the IIF implemented several updates to expand and improve its previous work on linear IPTV metrics, most notably in the area of content quality, which was particularly under-standardized in the past. To address this need, the IIF and VSF worked together to define an initial set of IPTV-related content quality metrics for both video and audio in order to address the increasing requirements for measurements related to Quality of Experience (QoE). For example, new video metrics included in the ATIS-0800008 revision include Frame Loss Length, I/P/B-Slice/Frame Losses, or Motion Activity. New audio metrics include Audio Dropouts, Loudness, Dialnorm and Program Reference Level. These metrics will be instrumental in allowing IPTV service vendors to get a better understanding of possible quality issues with their video streams.

"The updated standards demonstrate the effectiveness of the ATIS-VSF partnership and both organizations' commitment to guaranteeing users a seamless viewing experience," said ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller. "This work underscores ATIS' commitment to bringing the right parties to the table to create the solutions that will deliver high-quality IPTV to the market."

Other noteworthy additions to ATIS-0800008 include defining metrics availability and reliability for different protocol stacks and encryption levels, adding metrics for Multi-cast Listener Discover (MLD) Join Latency and MLD Leave Latency to accommodate IPv6, and improving the definitions of previously-established metrics.

"QoE is essential for providers to be competitive in the broadband services marketplace," adds VSF President Richard Friedel. "The metrics developed as part of this joint work will not only enable test equipment vendors to provide a well-defined common set of QoE metrics, but they will also allow IPTV service providers to deliver better service by understanding quality issues with their video streams."

Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS)

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