Quantum
High Density Monitoring and Logging System
Vela’s Quantum is an economical and efficient solution which provides for the monitoring of multiple points along numerous distribution paths – including notifications and recordings.
The challenge for some distributors and streams is that a single channel often demands far more compliance and monitor checks than one would envision. For example, an international sports network may put out a single channel for one of the sports it covers. That’s one point for checking quality, compliance, and that the appropriate standards are being met.
But that channel must then go through different types of distribution to reach its various partners, clients, and viewers. This may create additional needs for monitoring – at least to ensure that the transcoding or conversion was handled correctly and completely.
So, one test point has now become multiple test points (four in the above diagram) – still for a single channel. But it doesn’t stop there. The various paths are then received, perhaps at hubs and/or other re-distribution facilities.
Now, there are even more test points (seven in the above diagram) – still for only a single channel. But it still doesn’t stop there. Some large companies or those with large and complex distribution paths will have even more destinations and potential test points. Considering all things, it’s conceivable that a single channel in a multi-destination distribution can easily have fifteen or more points for testing.
However, companies with channels like these usually have multiple channels. This could result in dozens, perhaps hundreds (or more) test points.
This may seem unrealistic. But there are numerous major sports, entertainment, movie, and other specialty channels that are described by this very model and face these issues every day.
Do they all test have hundreds of points? Well, maybe not. But if they could do so affordably and efficiently, then testing at multiple points would mean quicker responses to issues, increased uptimes, and less complaints. For many companies, these factors translate into reduce fees and higher profits.
Traditional compliance monitoring and logging can certainly handle the job of all these test points. But this approach would require numerous expensive servers and/or platforms (VMs, cloud deployments, etc.). Plus, traditional monitoring and logging would record every channel 24x7 at all these points – potentially requiring a significant amount of ultimately unnecessary storage capacity.
To minimize cost and complications, many distributors have resigned themselves to a simple signal presence style of monitoring. If their signal arrives, in any form, at the destination, then things are considered okay until somebody at that destination complains.
Vela’s Quantum is the solution to these many challenges.
In a single 1 rack unit (RU) server, Quantum can monitor tens to hundreds of channels. Each channel will be checked for compliance (captioning, audio levels, etc.) and not just existence. When problems are detected, immediate notifications via multiple methods (emails, texts, Slack messages, Teams messages, WhatsApp Messenger, etc.) are sent so that engineers and operators can act quickly and decisively – often before down-steam receivers start complaining.
Recordings are made for all channels, but handled differently than in traditional monitoring systems. A complete recording is retained for a short time, for the sake of the multiviewers and quick “look backs”, and then deleted. Whenever a problem is detected, the full channel is recorded for the duration of that problem and retained until users have completed their review. If necessary, the retained clips can also be automatically offloaded onto other storage platforms (NAS, cloud, etc.).
Along with its functionality to test multiple points for multiple channels and streams, Quantum still provides all of the powerful functions of any Vela SmartLogger. These include:
Numerous flexible multiviewers
Dynamic annotations and custom metadata
Alarms, alerts, and notifications
Clip exporting with files and Shareable Links
Transport stream analysis
Digital trigger tracking and analysis
Penalty Box
Multiviewer Grouping
As part of the Quantum multiviewing experience, users may define groups – such as the many test points for a single channel or stream – so that they can be easily checked with a single button click.
Each group can be named and displayed as needed, avoiding the hassles of constant multiviewer reconfiguration for different scenarios, workflows, shifts, etc.
Collective Status Handling
Another new interface, offered by Quantum, is the ability to directly view and work with only those channels which are in active alert status.
With Quantum’s Fault Clip Viewer, users are presented with a list of the channels/streams currently indicating alarms. Then, as the user selects items within that list, they are presented with a recording which shows the moment which triggered that alarm. From this monitoring, users can then decide what action is necessary (if any), perhaps to export the clip to other teams or departments, and clear the alarms.
Summarized Status Displays
Quantum also provides a dynamic and useful new style of status dashboard where different channel and stream aspects can be gathered into one status display. The collection may be based on the original channel or stream (such as all the test points), on the type of faults (such as all captioning errors), on the specific inputs (such as all the channels in a MPTS), or other items.
With these new dashboard interfaces, users can be across the room and quickly get a synopsis of the status with a quick glance. As green is observed, then all the channels or streams in that grouping are meeting the appropriate standards or compliance factors. Upon seeing yellow or red, immediate action may be required.
This interface reduces, or perhaps eliminates, the need to check each individual aspect of each individual channel or stream because they’re summarized and displayed efficiently and effectively.
SmartLogging in the Larger Domain
Quantum provides the tools, efficiency, and cost-effective approach to the challenges of testing multiple points of multiple channels and streams while still providing all of the functionality necessary to work with problems as they’re identified.