Set-Top Box Virtual Probe for Media Quality Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional network probes are cost-prohibitive and do not effectively monitor media quality issues at the customer premise, relying on customer reports which negatively impacts service experience.
Innovation Solution
A system with a set-top box equipped with a full-band capture device that monitors multiple channels at the customer premise, generating network feedback signals to a monitoring platform for proactive detection and notification of media quality issues, allowing for non-intrusive access to the entire video spectrum and proactive issue resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional network probes are deployed at each network distribution point, then media quality monitoring capability is improved, but system cost becomes prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses software-based virtual probes that replicate the monitoring functionality of traditional hardware probes. Instead of deploying expensive physical network probes at every distribution point, the system creates software copies of probe functionality that run on existing set-top box hardware, achieving the same monitoring capability at a fraction of the cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical hardware-based network probe system with a software-based monitoring solution. The physical network probe hardware is substituted with software agents running on set-top boxes, which perform the same channel monitoring and quality detection functions through software processing rather than dedicated hardware.
2Measurement precision
If network probes are deployed at network distribution points, then network-side media quality detection is improved, but customer premise issue detection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends monitoring from the traditional single point at the network distribution node to a multi-dimensional approach that includes both network-side monitoring and customer premise monitoring. By deploying monitoring functionality at the set-top box (customer premise) in addition to traditional network points, the system gains visibility into both network infrastructure issues and customer-specific problems simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The set-top box performs self-monitoring of the channels it receives, automatically detecting media quality issues at the customer premise without requiring external probes. The system enables the customer equipment to monitor itself and report issues back to the service provider, eliminating the blind spot in traditional monitoring architectures.
3Device complexity
If customers are relied upon to report media quality issues, then system complexity is reduced, but service experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automatic feedback loops where the monitoring system continuously tracks channel quality and immediately notifies customers of detected issues. When media quality problems are detected by the virtual probes at the set-top box or network distribution points, the system automatically generates notifications to inform customers, eliminating the need for customers to manually report issues and providing real-time awareness of service quality.
Data Source
AI summary
An approach for providing feedback based on monitoring of channels at a customer premise is described. A digital signal representing a plurality of channels transported over a media broadcast network is received at a set-top box apparatus. A determination of whether one of the plurality of channels satisfies a predetermined criterion relating to performance of the media broadcast network is performed. A network feedback signal based on the determination is generated, at the set-top box apparatus, for transmission to a network monitoring node of the media broadcast network.