Actus integrates OTT monitoring and AI-based workflows into compliance and intelligent monitoring

Actus Digital, the premier solutions provider for compliance logging and Intelligent broadcast and OTT monitoring, will introduce two new products along with significant improvements to the latest version of its AI-based Intelligent Monitoring Platform at the BCA convention. An exhibitor since 2007 with a large customer and partnership base, and an Asian office, BCA is a key tradeshow on the Actus calendar.

“We’re committed to providing top-level support to our customers and partners in Asia,” said Sima Levy, CEO of Actus Digital. “Our significant user base in the region allows us to tailor our solutions to the specific requirements and workflows of this market. We’re proud of the relationships we’ve established and are the only compliance logging vendor exhibiting at BCA. Our office in Asia provides pre-and post-sales support, allowing us to perform better and faster service to our Asian customers. We work closely with our customers and enhance our solution with their specific needs and ideas in mind.”

Among the biggest news at BCA is our new OTT Monitoring, OTT StreamWatch – a game changer for OTT quality assurance. In addition to 24/7 quality assurance, it provides compliance logging, OTT stream monitoring, and aircheck recording of native HLS and other OTT ABR streams. It can be deployed as a stand-alone solution or as part of the Actus Intelligent Monitoring Platform – providing customers with a central interface. OTT StreamWatch is the first product that makes it economically feasible to monitor FAST, IPTV, and OTT streaming channels throughout the entire workflow. It is a cost-effective option for OTT content owners, streaming companies, and service providers of all sizes.

“OTT StreamWatch combines features that have never been in a solitary product before,” said Sima Levy, CEO of Actus Digital. “It enables aircheck recording of native HLS and other OTT ABR (Adaptive Bitrate) streams. It clearly displays QoS information so users can easily evaluate bandwidth usage, streaming media download times, missing SCTE, and buffering issues within OTT streams. And it summarizes data so operators can recognize and address potential issues before they impact viewer quality. It does all this at a price well below what the combination of products required would cost for those same functions.”

Another new product on display at BCA will be Remote Video Monitoring (RVM) within the Actus Intelligent Monitoring Platform. Designed as a quality assurance solution for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), the Actus RVM allows MVPDs to gain real-time insights into their viewers’ quality of service (QoS) and verify local ad insertion and timing. It enables MVPDs to remotely connect to STBs at head ends and hub sites to examine one channel at a time or the entire channel lineup via multiviewer monitoring and proactive QoS alerts. When Actus RVM is deployed at multiple probe points and/or in multiple locations, it shows how widespread an issue is and pinpoints the exact location it entered the video distribution workflow. This allows operators to rapidly identify, diagnose, and resolve QoS problems without costly truck rolls.

Also included within the new Version 9.0 of the Actus compliance logging and Intelligent Monitoring Platform are more AI-enabled options, such as speech-to-text and translation to any language. This is particularly beneficial for news monitoring purposes, allowing searches for specific keywords and quick and accurate audio and video analysis. Moreover, Actus will present improvements to its compliance logging, advanced editing and clipping workflow for social/OTT, browser-based multiviewer, automatic ad detection, and more.

The additions and improvements to the Actus portfolio benefit a broad range of users: broadcasters, OTT providers, cable, satellite, and playout operators, government, and news agencies.

Current applications of the latest Actus technology in the Asia Pacific region, as some examples, include broadcast playout provider, MediaHub Australia, and broadcast media conglomerate MediaCorp in Singapore. MediaHub utilizes the Actus monitoring platform as part of a mux-based DTT broadcast headend, recording 18 proxy channels for 132 services. And MediaCorp is currently using the Actus platform for both compliance logging and clipping for its OTT streaming service. BCS Bureau