BOSTON--As consumers increasingly demand that content be transferable from the television set to the PC to the mobile phone, the importance of network-wide video monitoring for IPTV is increasing in importance as well, according to Mike Humes, product manager for Tektronix. It is with this in mind that the global network management systems provider is introducing the GeoProbe Video Monitoring system for IPTV. The system quantifies the quality of video transport services within IPTV and video-over-IP networks.

The system monitors all IP video traffic to quantify the quality of the transport, isolating problems to a particular location, channel or unit. Upon resolution, problem locations can be monitored in real-time to track the repair effectiveness and provide immediate feedback on the quality.

Tektronix is offering the GeoProbe as a card to be plugged in to its existing management platform, used by major vendors such as Motorola, Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent.

“You really do need to monitor content,” Humes said. “It has got to be predictable. With broadband, you only have 300 channels, but with on-demand, you have an unlimited amount of channels. You really have to have a network that is scalable and a network management tool that is scalable.”

According to Humes, ease of use is a key feature of the GeoProbe solution. When giving operators a demo of how it works, they are often ready to take the reins before he has even finished the presentation.

“All this info is great, but if it’s hard to navigate, it will be less useful,” Humes said. “When [operators] start pushing us away to do it on their own after 15 minutes, we know we’ve hit that sweet spot.”

The GeoProbe delivers triple-play capabilities into a single probe, allowing operators to monitor broadcast and video on demand transport streams simultaneously across networks and proactively assess the real-time health and performance of their IPTV networks to isolate and resolve network problems before they occur. The system is capable of examining from 200 to more than 5,000 programs with a single probe.

“The solution is both proactive and reactive,” Humes said. “Once a degradation is detected, the operator can click through in real time and narrow it down to the root cause.”

As companies continue the trend of acquiring other companies and merging their services, the ability to move across multi-service platforms is extremely important for Tektronix, Humes said. Expanding its IPTV services seemed a logical move for the company, which already offers an overall IPTV solution. Next on the company’s radar, Hume said, will be gaming and other interactive services that are growing in popularity.