ATLANTA--Spirent Communications unveiled a handheld field tester for triple play networks and services this week at the TelcoTV show. The Tech-X Plus device will allow field technicians to verify IPTV subscribers’ quality of experience (QoE) by measuring both network transport and video content, eliminating the standard “watch and see” technique of verifying quality.

Some field technicians are just watching TV – even falling asleep on the job – to measure the service quality of a subscriber’s viewing experience, said Sean Yarborough, director of field test services for Spirent. Field technicians are being asked to determine quality levels that even some IPTV experts cannot detect. Considering that many installations take upwards of six hours to complete and more than 30% of calls are for repeat problems, Yarborough said, an objective, simplified solution was needed.

“We needed to simplify the language for field technicians and also provide all the complex information for the tier two and tier three providers,” Yarborough said.

The handheld device measures Video Mean Opinion Scores on a scale of one to five to validate quality of service objectively. By testing the transport network and the video content, field technicians are able to isolate the problem and provide the necessary service.

“The real question about quality of experience becomes, how is it being used?” said Michael Stoos, director of business development for Spirent. He added that it is important to understand each different culture and customer experience, citing as an example set-top boxes in China having microphones attached for karaoke. “Basically, it is just a video on demand service, when you get down to it,” he said.

The device will also be able to verify if a television is supporting high definition or standard definition channels. Most customers, field technicians and even IPTV operators have a hard time distinguishing good-quality SD channels from poor quality HD channels, Yarborough said. Overall, he has seen a significant demand for the product from service providers not previously equipped to handle QoE testing.

“The response has been great from independent providers because they have never had any of the equipment before and no way to test it,” Yarborough said. “[Service providers] like that it’s an all-in-one solution…We’ve gotten good feedback on its ability to store data and script testing to verify that all technicians are complying to it.”

Another company, Pixelmetrix, which specializes in preventative monitoring of digital TV and IPTV networks, is demonstrating its own viewer experience monitor, the Electronic Couch Potato, at TelcoTV this week. Unlike Spirent’s Tech-X Plus, the ECP is designed to be placed in local operator offices and deployed in software in consumer’s STBs. The box provides feedback to the operator on what the viewer is watching and reports back the IP service quality of the viewing experience. Pixelmetrix CEO Danny Wilson said the device is designed to evaluate the QoE, which he defines as, “Does the viewer get what he’s paying for?”