“We have always been committed to ensuring that our subscribers enjoy the best possible viewing experience and Sentry enables us to meet this commitment as we expand the services we offer,” said Darren Richer, the CTO of Columbus Communications, which owns Flow Jamaica, Flow Trinidad, Flow Curacao and Flow Grenada. “Our attention to quality is also a key strategy in our successful effort to fight off competition from satellite providers.”

“Columbus Communications and other operators everywhere recognize that more channels, more HD and more on-demand programming are only part of the solution for winning and retaining subscribers in an increasingly competitive market – quality has to be equally good,” said Eric Conley, vice president, Video Network Monitoring, Tektronix. “Sentry helps operators ensure optimal quality of experience for their subscribers as they expand their service offerings, and it enables them to do so with lower operational expenses by eliminating the costly and time-consuming processes traditionally used to troubleshoot errors.”

The award-winning Sentry is the industry’s premier content monitoring solution, proven in deployments with nine of the top 10 U.S. cable operators and three of the top five Canadian operators.

Sentry utilizes advanced deep packet inspection technology to give cable operators unparalleled visibility into network anomalies at the IP and MPEG layers at all critical locations in the network. This enables the quick identification, diagnosis and repair of video and audio errors regardless of where they occur in the network; from ingest at the headend through the network edge just before it is delivered to the home.

Tektronix will demonstrate Sentry and its other QoE solutions in its booths #2127 and #2227 at the upcoming Cable-Tec Expo in New Orleans, October 20-22, 2010.

Follow Tektronix on Twitter – @tektronix.

About Columbus Communications

Columbus Communications Inc. is a diversified telecommunications company whose core operating business is providing cable television services‚ high speed internet access‚ digital telephone and internet infrastructure services (retail) and‚ the development of an undersea fiber optic cable network as well as the sale and lease of the telecom capacity provide by the network (wholesale). It operates in 21 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

About Tektronix

For more than sixty years, engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test instrumentation for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.

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Participation at the SCTE Cable Tech Expo formally marks Mixed Signals integration into the Tektronix family – bringing decades of award winning video and audio test innovation together with cutting edge QoE and QoS monitoring. With a broad set of products, a deep technology base and unparalleled expertise in video and audio quality, the combined power of innovation is driving the roll out of cutting edge technology to address new problems for Cable Operators.

Key new products and enhancements include the following:

Turning Up Audio Loudness Measurement Capabilities
Tektronix has further enhanced its family of products with critical audio loudness capability. Tektronix adds Audio to the VQS1000 Video Quality Analysis Software. Building upon the audio loudness measurement capabilities available across its product portfolio such as Sentry Digital Content Monitor, VoD Asset Verification tool (Cerify), and in Waveform Monitors and Rasterizers for broadcasters, the new software upgrade adheres to the ATSC A/85 Recommendation and ITU-R BS.1770-1/1771 specifications. The upgrade includes capabilities such as an LKFS Audio Loudness Meter, an Audio Loudness Session Display, and trending and alarm reporting information. The VQS1000 is ideal for network analysis tool troubleshooting QoE problems and tracing them back to the underlying QoS root cause.

Rolling Out Updates to Picture Quality Analysis Family
During the Expo, Tektronix will demonstrate the capabilities of the recently introduced PQA600 Picture Quality Analyzer. The PQA600 provides repeatable, objective quality measurements that closely correspond with subjective human visual assessment, and is ideal for comparing and optimizing HD video encoders for picture quality and bandwidth used. Picture Quality Analysis is also critical in evaluating transcoder performance for picture quality degradation.

Delivering Complete Ingest to Edge QoE Monitoring Solution for Cable Operators
The integration of products from Tektronix and Mixed Signals give Cable Operators an unprecedented choice of Video Network Monitoring solutions from one vendor – including the following:
• Network Management Systems
• A wide range of RF interfaces (including QAM, DVB-S2 and 8VSB)
• Comprehensive QoE and QoS monitoring of hundreds of services simultaneously in real time, plus monitoring of EBIF, ad insertion and carousel information
• Detailed troubleshooting of QoE problems traced back to the root cause for repair
This combined product set gives cable operators even more tools to more reliably and cost effectively deliver the best experience possible to their viewers.

Recent Product Awards
Tektronix has been honored as a finalist or winner for several premier industry awards programs acknowledging its innovative products and solutions in Video Network Monitoring. To see a full list of recent awards please view the Awards page on tek.com.

Follow Tektronix on Twitter – @tektronix.

About Tektronix

Mixed Signals was acquired by Tektronix in May 2010. As an industry-leading innovator of digital content monitoring solutions, Tektronix enables video service providers to proactively identify, diagnose and repair picture and audio quality errors that degrade the television viewing experience. For more than sixty years, engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test instrumentation for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.

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The Broadband Gear Report’s Diamond Technology Reviews, launched in 2005, is an unbiased technology review program utilizing a distinguished panel of engineering executives from major U.S. cable television operators to judge each submission.

“That two of our quality of experience (QoE) solutions have received such high rankings shows that industry experts recognize Tektronix as a true leader in enabling cable operators to deliver their programming services with optimal quality, free from video and audio errors that can affect subscribers’ viewing experience,” said Eric Conley, vice president, Video Network Monitoring, Tektronix. “Tektronix offers the industry’s largest and most proven portfolio of QoE products, enabling video service providers to catch, diagnose and repair video and audio errors by comprehensively monitoring their programming at all critical network locations, from ingest through the network edge just before it is delivered to the home.”

The award-winning Sentry is the industry’s premier content monitoring solution, proven in deployments with nine of the top 10 U.S. cable operators and three of the top five Canadian operators. This year, the Diamond Technology Reviews panel recognized Sentry for its new Enhanced TV Binary Interchange (EBIF) monitoring capability, part of Tektronix’ source-to-edge solution which service providers are rapidly rolling out. As operators expand deployment of EBIF-based interactive ads and other applications, the need grows for comprehensive monitoring to ensure that these applications are working properly.

The new VQS1000 Video Quality software from Tektronix can be combined with any of the company’s digital TV network analyzers and monitors to enable the real-time assessment of video impairments in MPEG-2 or H.264 encoded content, including stuck, black, blockiness as well as compression artifacts. The Tektronix VQS1000 Video Quality software significantly improves the reliability and accuracy of artifact measurement by performing a full decode on the video stream. The full decode allows operators to determine if the source of a problem is in the content source (for example, over-compression) or in network distribution.

Tektronix will demonstrate both products in its booths #2127 and #2227 at the upcoming Cable-Tec Expo in New Orleans, October 20-22, 2010.

About Broadband Gear Report

Broadband Gear Report (BGR) is the cable and telecom industry’s premier source for product and technology news and is the most successful and fastest growing online outlet for product information and deployments; reviews and rankings; technology expertise; and buyer/seller facilitation. BGR’s portfolio includes online, print and video assets, all designed to help network operators build, upgrade and maintain high-performance communications networks. BGR, backed by over 70 years of combined industry experience, delivers its email, online, print and video production services to over 20,000 subscribers. To subscribe, consult http://broadbandgear.net/subscribe/.

About Tektronix

Mixed Signals was acquired by Tektronix in May 2010. As an industry-leading innovator of digital content monitoring solutions, Tektronix enables video service providers to proactively identify, diagnose and repair picture and audio quality errors that degrade the television viewing experience. For more than sixty years, engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test instrumentation for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.

Follow Tektronix on Twitter – @tektronix

Follow the Mixed Signals product line on Twitter — @mixedsignalsinc

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Sentry was recognized in this year’s IABM Design Awards for its upgraded audio level monitoring capability, which enables video service providers worldwide to identify audio volume issues in programming and commercials. With Sentry’s advanced monitoring capabilities, service providers now have the tools to quickly fix the dramatic volume changes that have annoyed viewers for years and that are now subject to Government regulatory compliance requirements.

Current solutions for measuring volume issues can only monitor one or two channels, making them far too costly to purchase and deploy for multi-channel service providers. Sentry’s unique ability to continually monitor hundreds of channels simultaneously makes it the ideal solution for cable, satellite, telecom and other multi-channel service providers to measure and identify overly loud commercials.  The key to Sentry’s upgraded loudness monitoring capabilities is its support for the ITU-R BS.1770 audio specification.

“Being one of only 10 products selected as a candidate for the IABM award reinforces how seriously the broadcast industry takes the loudness issues that have plagued viewers for years,” said Eric Conley, Vice President, Video Network Monitoring, Tektronix. “This recognition for Sentry is the latest in a series of awards honoring its advanced audio level monitoring capabilities. With Sentry, service providers have the tools they need to ensure flawless video delivery, helping to both gain and retain subscribers.”

About Sentry Monitoring Solution

Sentry is a comprehensive content monitoring solution for cable, telecom, IPTV and other video service providers. Sentry enables the early detection, diagnosis and repair of video and audio errors (i.e., video freeze, macro-blocking, loss of audio, etc.) whenever or wherever they occur in the network, so service providers can deliver services with excellent quality, thus ensuring an optimal quality of experience (QoE) for subscribers. Sentry accomplishes this through its unique combination of unprecedented visibility into network anomalies at the IP and MPEG layers, scalability to monitor every program in the network and its real-time, 24/7 operation. Sentry is proven in deployments with service providers worldwide, including nine of the top 10 U.S. cable operators.

For more information visit www.mixedsignals.com or call 310.227.8620.

Follow Tektronix on Twitter – @tektronix

Follow the Mixed Signals product line on Twitter — @mixedsignalsinc

About IABM

The International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers is the global voice that represents manufacturers and suppliers of broadcast and media technology products and services worldwide. The association’s aim is to identify and promote the interests of its members, and to provide benefits and services which enhance their business performance.

About Tektronix

Mixed Signals was acquired by Tektronix in May 2010. As an industry-leading innovator of digital content monitoring solutions, Tektronix enables video service providers to proactively identify, diagnose and repair picture and audio quality errors that degrade the television viewing experience. For more than sixty years, engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test instrumentation for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.

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Tektronix, the leading provider of digital content monitoring solutions, today announced that its Sentry® digital content monitoring solution, part of its Mixed Signals family of products, is a finalist in this year’s Cable & Satellite International magazine’s Product of the Year Awards.  The CSI Awards, which will be presented at the IBC tradeshow in Amsterdam in September, recognize technical excellence and innovation in the cable, satellite, terrestrial broadcasting and IPTV industries.

Sentry was shortlisted as a finalist in the “Best Monitoring or Network Management Solution” category in recognition of its new loudness monitoring capabilities with its support for the ITU-R BS.1770 audio specification. Along with the broad array of Quality of Experience (QoE) measurements provided by Sentry, the new capabilities enable video service providers worldwide to identify audio volume issues in programming and commercials. Detecting the problem allows the provider to quickly fix the dramatic volume changes that have irritated viewers for decades and that are now subject to Government regulatory compliance requirements.

“Being shortlisted for a coveted Cable & Satellite Product of the Year is further acknowledgement of the value Sentry offers to our customers, particularly as these awards recognize achievement and innovation on an international scale,” said Eric Conley, Vice President, Video Network Monitoring, Tektronix.  “Our success with Sentry in the U.S., which includes deployments with nine out of the top 10 largest U.S. cable television operators, has been further validated by our achievements globally as we continue to expand our products worldwide.”

Sentry’s loudness monitoring capability is particularly ideal for cable, satellite and telecom providers who deliver hundreds of channels but want to avoid the cost or complexity of deploying, configuring and managing hundreds of individual volume monitors.  Sentry is uniquely capable of continually monitoring hundreds of programs, making it the only scalable solution for cost-effectively identifying and tracking commercial and program loudness issues on the market today.

Cable & Satellite International launched the Product of the Year awards in 2003 and have attracted over 160 entries every year, gaining the endorsement of the industry’s leading technology suppliers.  This year’s winners will be announced at the award ceremony held at IBC on Friday, September 10 at 6 p.m.

About the Sentry Monitoring Solution
Sentry is a comprehensive content monitoring solution for cable, telecom, IPTV and other video service providers. Sentry enables the early detection, diagnosis and repair of video and audio errors (i.e., video freeze, macro-blocking, loss of audio, etc.) whenever or wherever they occur in the network, so service providers can deliver services with excellent quality, thus ensuring an optimal quality of experience (QoE) for subscribers. Sentry accomplishes this through its unique combination of unprecedented visibility into network anomalies at the IP and MPEG layers, scalability to monitor every program in the network and its real-time, 24/7 operation. Sentry is proven in deployments with service providers worldwide, including nine of the top 10 U.S. cable operators.

For more information visit www.mixedsignals.com or call 310.227.8620.
Follow Tektronix on Twitter – @tektronix
Follow the Mixed Signals product line on Twitter – @mixedsignalsinc

About Cable & Satellite International
Cable & Satellite International is a technology publication targeting the global video market, including cable, satellite, IPTV, mobile and terrestrial broadcast platforms. CSI assesses technology trends and provides detailed product analysis relevant to the core video delivery functions – namely content contribution/backhaul, distribution/transport, playout/transmission and home networking. CSI also analyzes the wider triple and quadruple play landscape.

The bi-monthly BPA audited print magazine is complemented by an email newsletter sent every two weeks to over 12,000 industry professionals, the CSI Product of the Year Awards, and roundtables that focus on various topics.

About Tektronix
Mixed Signals was acquired by Tektronix in May 2010. As an industry-leading innovator of digital content monitoring solutions, Tektronix enables video service providers to proactively identify, diagnose and repair picture and audio quality errors that degrade the television viewing experience. For more than sixty years, engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test instrumentation for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.

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The Video Network Monitoring group at Tektronix, formerly Mixed Signals prior to its acquisition, has formed a Technical Advisory Board to provide guidance and counsel to management and engineering teams as they continue developing the company’s line of solutions that enable video service providers to quickly identify, diagnose and repair video and audio errors that can impact the viewing experience.

The board will meet regularly and is made up of a cross section of employees from many of the nation’s largest cable television operators, ranging from the managerial to executive level. This broad range of roles and responsibilities ensures that input will be received from a variety of personnel tasked with ensuring service quality for their respective companies.

Initial members of the Technical Advisory Board are:

• Sean Baker, Corporate Director, Digital Systems

Bright House Networks

• Celio DaCosta, Senior Director, Digital Video Services

Comcast

• Keith Hayes, Vice President, Network Operations and Engineering Services

Charter Communications

• John Heinz, Manager, Digital Video

Suddenlink

• Phillip Millwater, Director, New Jersey Inside Plant

Cablevision

• Carolyn Terry, Vice President, Headend Engineering

Time Warner Cable

“We work daily with top people in the cable industry who give us great feedback, but formalizing a relationship with our Technical Advisory Board members gives us a collaborative forum that provides unique benefits,” said Eric Conley, Vice President, Video Network Monitoring, Tektronix. “We look forward to discussing the future of monitoring together with the Board’s insight and guidance to ensure that our solutions continue to address our customers ever changing needs and requirements.”

For more information visit www.mixedsignals.com or call 310.227.8620.
Follow Tektronix on Twitter – @tektronix
Follow the Mixed Signals product line on Twitter – @mixedsignalsinc

About Tektronix

Mixed Signals was acquired by Tektronix in May 2010. As an industry-leading innovator of digital content monitoring solutions, Tektronix enables video service providers to proactively identify, diagnose and repair picture and audio quality errors that degrade the television viewing experience. For more than sixty years, engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test instrumentation for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Click to add Mixed Signals PR contact info to Outlook

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Tektronix, Inc., the leading provider of digital content monitoring solutions, today announced that its Sentry® digital content monitoring solution, part of its Mixed Signals family of products, has been named a finalist in the Measurement and Control Instruments category for the American Technology Awards, which bestows the only “Best Of” awards that recognize all technology products and services for the technology industry.

Nominations for The American Technology Awards “The Termans” are vetted by industry experts and technology companies. These awards have been named after Frederick Terman, who is widely credited as being the father of Silicon Valley. The winners will be announced on June 16 at TechAmerica Foundation’s Eighth Annual Technology and Government Dinner which has been a premier Washington, D.C. networking event bringing hundreds of industry, congressional and government leaders together at one venue to celebrate the partnership between industry and government.

“We had a lot of nominations for these prestigious awards, and we congratulate Tektronix for rising to the finalist ranks,” said David C. Thomas, TechAmerica’s executive vice president, commercial development. “TechAmerica Foundation is excited to highlight Tektronix, as it continues to influence technology development throughout the rest of the world.”

Sentry has earned multiple industry awards since 2009, due in large part to its advanced capabilities that enable video service providers to detect and diagnose video and audio errors that can ruin viewers’ Quality of Experience (QoE). Sentry utilizes advanced deep packet inspection (DPI) technologies to continually dive deep into all the video programs flowing through a network to spot problems at the IP and MPEG layers, enabling video service providers to identify and repair errors before they ever affect the subscribers’ viewing experience.

“We are committed to driving innovation across our product offerings to ensure we meet our customers’ evolving needs, and having Sentry named as a finalist for an American Technology Award shows that the industry recognizes our commitment,” said Eric Conley, Vice President, Video Network Monitoring, Tektronix. “Our customers also recognize that we are keeping Sentry on the cutting edge, with nine of the nation’s 10 largest cable television operators using Sentry to ensure the picture and sound quality of their video services.”

The American Technology Awards will be presented for each of the inclusive segments of the technology industry: Aerospace and Defense; Clean Tech/Green Tech/Smart Grid; Cloud Computing/Software as a Service; Computers and Peripherals; Consumer Electronics; Cyber Security and Authentication; Electronic Components; Internet Services; Measurement and Control Instruments; Medical Devices; Server & Storage Technology; Software; Technology Consulting; Technology Services; and Telecommunications.

For more information, please visit www.techamericafoundation.org/thetermans.

About Sentry Monitoring Solution

Sentry is a comprehensive content monitoring solution for cable, telecom, IPTV and other video service providers. Sentry enables the early detection, diagnosis and repair of video and audio errors (i.e., video freeze, macro-blocking, loss of audio, etc.) whenever or wherever they occur in the network, so service providers can deliver services with excellent quality, thus ensuring an optimal quality of experience (QoE) for subscribers. Sentry accomplishes this through its unique combination of unprecedented visibility into network anomalies at the IP and MPEG layers, scalability to monitor every program in the network and its real-time, 24/7 operation. Sentry is proven in deployments with service providers worldwide, including nine of the top 10 U.S. cable operators.

For more information visit www.mixedsignals.com or call 310.227.8620.

Follow Tektronix on Twitter – @tektronix.

Follow the Mixed Signals product line on Twitter — @mixedsignalsinc

About TechAmerica Foundation

TechAmerica Foundation educates industry executives, policy makers and opinion leaders on the promise of technological innovation to advance prosperity, security and the general welfare. Launched in 2009, the foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit, non-partisan affiliate of TechAmerica, the leading voice and resource for the U.S. technology industry. It disseminates award-winning industry, policy and market research covering topics such as U.S. competitiveness in a global economy, innovation in government, and other areas of national interest. The foundation also organizes conferences and seminars to explore pertinent issues with government and industry representatives and to share the foundation’s findings. Learn more about TechAmerica Foundation at www.techamericafoundation.org.

About Tektronix

Mixed Signals was acquired by Tektronix in May 2010. As an industry-leading innovator of digital content monitoring solutions, Tektronix enables video service providers to proactively identify, diagnose and repair picture and audio quality errors that degrade the television viewing experience. For more than sixty years, engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test instrumentation for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Click to add Mixed Signals PR contact info to Outlook

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