The feature aims to bring operators significant efficiency gains and enable automated, on-the-fly allocation of monitoring resources on a per-input-stream basis.
TAG has announced that its MCM-9000 all-IP, the all-software platform has been enhanced with the addition of an Adaptive Monitoring feature which promises greater agility in optimising high-density probing and monitoring by enabling automated, on-the-fly allocation of monitoring resources on a per-input-stream basis.
The feature aims to bring operators significant efficiency gains that in turn yield cost savings and more extensive monitoring capabilities.
TAG’s MCM-9000 provides complete probing and monitoring for all transmission layers from the SMPTE ST 2110/2022-6 uncompressed to MPEG-TS compressed and OTT streams all the way down to the encoded video content and its quality.
Offering more than 350 probing features and supporting all major industry standards, TAG software can monitor thousands of audio and video signals, performing automated analysis of video and data according to predefined templates, industry standards, and other technical parameters and thresholds set by the operator.
Until now, the MCM-9000 offered two distinct and separate modes of monitoring varying in visualisation ability and resource consumption, namely full monitoring mode and the light mode. Now, the MCM-9000’s Adaptive Monitoring allows the TAG solution to monitor in any of three operating modes—full, light, and the addition of extra-light monitoring—on a per-input-source basis and in an adaptive manner.
Using thresholds set by the operator within the TAG software or triggered by an API command from external devices monitoring the overall ecosystem, the system will automatically adapt between the monitoring modes to ensure optimal monitoring of all streams at all times and full visualisation of errors. The TAG solution hopes to give operators the ability to optimise CPU usage without sacrificing error detection.
The feature also promises to benefit cloud-based operations with the ability to dynamically change the utilisation of instances based on need at any given time. Operators no longer need to scale their equipment and infrastructure to support maximum channel capacity—or leave hardware unused during non-peak times.
The combination of TAG software with Adaptive Monitoring and cloud-based processing resources allows operators to move toward a more economical pay-per-use model in which they can scale instances to match their need.
Whether on-premises or in the cloud, Adaptive Monitoring looks to ensure that if a problem is detected, the channel is automatically switched to full monitoring mode. The dynamic nature of this model makes TAG’s software an ideal solution for efficient high-density probing and monitoring of OTT channels without compromise.
Adaptive Monitoring also allows operators to mix and match different TAG monitoring modes. Instead of dedicating 100% of CPU power for full monitoring at one point, they can opt for light or extra-light monitoring and use a fraction of the resources.
The Adaptive Monitoring functionality enables the user to choose the monitoring mode per channel with the ability to change it dynamically. Benefits include optimisation of CPU usage without sacrificing error detection; operational flexibility; simpler cloud operation with increased agility when monitoring a massive number of channels; and better utilisation and management of Cloud instances and hardware resources potentially reducing OPEX and CAPEX.
Commenting on the new feature, Tomer Schechter, TAG CTO, said: “The industry is evolving and in turn, so are our customers’ needs. TAG software not only supports efficient monitoring across all channels but also provides customers with a path forward for ongoing growth. With that in mind, we developed this feature to ensure that the number of channels and points to be monitored are never compromised for financial reasons. Enhanced with Adaptive Monitoring, TAG’s MCM-9000 probing, monitoring, and multi-viewing software has the functionality to be three to five times more efficient as it maximizes existing resources. And as with other updates and enhancements to TAG software, this feature is available at no additional cost to both new and existing TAG customers under support agreements.”
