2023年5月15日
By Anupama Anantharaman Vice President of Product Management, Interra系统
博客

流媒体视频中对根本原因分析、错误关联和多点监控的需求

质量控制(QC)和监控在数字媒体供应链中的重要性再怎么强调也不为过. 媒体行业普遍认为，实施质量控制和监控是向观众提供高质量内容的必要条件, 根本原因分析和错误关联被视为流程中的关键步骤. Despite the industry’s acceptance, 然而, Interra系统最近进行的一项调查发现，超过四分之一的受访者(包括媒体行业的决策者)在对其内容的实时监控中没有实施根本原因分析. An additional 37% only perform “some level” of root cause analysis. This article examines the reasons for this lack of implementation, the challenges it poses for QC and 监控 solution providers, how these challenges can be met with multipoint 监控, 以及流媒体提供商在不提供高质量内容时面临的后果.

复杂的过程

Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) is a complex process, involving various groups in the workflow, that handle video in different ways — from ingest to video processing and delivery. Errors can be introduced at any stage, 这使得为根本原因分析(收集这些错误和性能统计数据)制定一个清晰的流程和方法变得更加必要. 然而, this is easier said than done, as there are a number of challenges involved. 首先，工作流的某些阶段通常不受服务提供者的控制. While they create the content and often handle video processing, delivery is usually performed by a third party, most likely a content delivery network (CDN) or multi-CDN. Once the packaged content is handed off, 服务提供商不再有权访问与交付质量有关的数据.

另一个挑战是，参与流媒体过程的群体可能位于不同的地理区域, which makes collaboration between them difficult. 此外，许多公司根本没有百家乐软件来实现根本原因分析. 此外, 与部署监视解决方案相关的成本需要雇用和培训具有特定技能的专门团队. Collecting and analyzing data to identify the cause of an issue takes great effort, and even putting a methodology in place requires specialized knowledge. 在很多情况下, companies would prefer to focus on fixing issues quickly as they occur, rather than making the investment in root cause analysis.

叫醒电话

关于根本原因分析的调查结果为QC和监控工具提供商敲响了警钟, 谁需要在实时关联错误和提供更多上下文信息方面做得更好，以帮助尽快解决问题. While there are many solutions available that monitor video on various levels, 重点往往只放在提供高级信息上——比如视频是否按时交付，没有任何问题. 媒体公司需要更深入地分析所涉及的错误以及它们在工作流程中的发生位置, in addition to data on closed captions, audio and video quality metrics, 广告插入, 和更多的.

来加强他们的游戏, 解决方案提供商需要与生态系统中的互补解决方案提供更好的协作——包括编码, 监控, 和设备级体验质量(QoE)——提供媒体链的整体视图. One approach is 监控 at different touchpoints across the chain, 如果出现问题，有一个系统可以让不同的人和团体合作. 然而, in addition to geographic difficulties, 这种方法效率低下，因为它涉及大量的数据重复，以便为每个人提供相同的信息. 更好的方法是从显示来自不同分布点的数据的单个指示板进行多点监控, 起源服务器, 和CDN边缘网络.

Tracking Video Through the Entire Chain

多点监控是媒体公司确保视频内容质量最大化的有力手段. 这种方法允许他们跟踪视频在整个链中的移动——从摄取到端点——从而使他们能够访问不同分界点的状态更新. 有了这些信息, media companies can quickly identify errors and proactively address issues, instead of waiting until the affected video has already reached unhappy customers. And while it's important to monitor at all critical touchpoints, 多点监控还为媒体公司提供了监控所需内容的灵活性, 他们想要的地方.

According to Interra系统’ survey, 80%的受访者认为多点监控将有助于确保一致和更好的视频质量. This becomes particularly important for live events, where real-time quality 监控 is imperative. 与视频点播(VOD)不同，你可以提前计划好内容，而在现场直播中，一切都是即时发生的. Once video is captured by cameras, the distribution process begins. 因此, media companies need to pay close attention to quality at the ingest point, 在处理过程中, 代码转换, 包装, 边缘网络.

Content Quality Affects the Bottom Line

不执行根本原因分析和多点监控的后果可能会严重影响媒体公司的底线. Consumer expectations for high-quality content are at an all-time high. Not only do they expect a variety of compelling content, 但他们也要求卓越的画质和出色的送货体验. If video quality consistently falls short of their expectations, customers may consider switching to another provider.

Poor video quality can also negatively affect a service provider's reputation. 许多行业论坛都致力于每个OTT流媒体的图像质量排名, and word of a glitch spreads quickly. Consumers trust these forums, 差评, especially for premium content, 是否会对流媒体服务产生负面印象并影响消费者的订阅决定.

总之

媒体公司要想在流媒体领域取得成功，提供高质量的视频是必不可少的. By implementing root cause analysis and multipoint 监控, 他们可以密切关注所有关键接触点的质量，并快速主动地解决问题. In a highly competitive landscape, this allows them to maintain customer loyalty and satisfaction, preserve their brand reputation, and attract new customers — all of which improves their bottom line.

[Editor's note: This is a contributed article from Interra系统. 流媒体 accepts vendor bylines based solely on their value to our readers.]