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IP killed the RF star? RANGERNeo 2. Functions that make a difference

Trying to draw a parallel with the famous song by The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star we may say that RF is in danger because of the growing number of IP based TV delivery solutions. However the radio has survived the video and in the same way conventional RF TV systems will coexist with IP TV systems in the future each having pros and cons depending on the application.

Being faithful to the commitment to offer our customers the best possible functionality on their Field Strength Meters and TV Analysers we are now introducing a new set of features to help them expand their capabilities to work both in the RF and IP worlds.

IPTV measurements

As a start IPTV measurement screen now includes:

• Network Bitrate. All network bitrate gives you an indication of the network load and possibility of overload.
• IPER. IP Packet Error Rate which refers to the general IP traffic.
• Media Delivery Index (MDI) is formed by the combination of two measurements that need to be evaluated together, Delay Factor, Media Loss Rate:
  • Delay Factor (MDI). Maximum amount of time a packet waits in the buffer to be released. The longer this time the more erratic the IP reception is. More than 100 ms may indicate a problem.
  • Media Loss Rate (MDI). This can only be displayed on RTP traffic. The higher this number is the worse the overall viewing experience if the service is a video.

PING and DELAY measurements

PING & DELAY MEASUREMENTS is another of the interesting functions that has been expanded. It now includes PING, TRACE and AVERAGE PACKET DELAY and IPDV as an ADVANCED function. Very briefly:

• PING. It pings a requested IP address.
• TRACE. It shows the routing of a ping.
• AVG PACKET DELAY/IPDV. It sends 10 ping packets to a desired address and shows:
• IPDV (Jitter). IP Delay Variation or Jitter.
• Mean IPTD (Average Packet Delay).

IP Ethernet frame viewer

This tool for IPTV environments captures a multicast packet displaying all frame details, for example Time-To-Live (TTL), all fields of RTP protocol, etc... It is very helpful to make sure all signalisation is correct.

It is now possible to record video, audio, and their related DVB tables of a desired service. For convenience this is done directly to an external USB memory stick.

We have added a simplified version of the datalogger in the form of TEST&GO function which does not require any previous settings. It works also in ATTENUATION TEST and OPTICAL ATTENUATION TEST modes.

Setting resolution filters: From 2 kHz up to 1 MHz

We are also coming up with a larger variety of resolution filters for the spectrum analyser (2 kHz, 10 kHz, 20 kHz, 40 kHz, 200 kHz, 1 MHz). Having the proper resolution filters available can be critical in some applications being the difference between seeing and not seeing. This is complemented by several detectors, MIN/MAX hold or different vertical sensitivities (2 dB/DIV, 5 dB/DIV, 10 dB/DIV) and the fastest refresh time.

These are just some of the many functions available in the RANGERNeo 2 product. Follow this link to know more.

https://www.promaxelectronics.com/ing/ranger-neo-2

 

PROMAX is a leading manufacturer of test and measurement systems, broadcast and TV signal distribution equipment. Our product lines include measuring instruments for cable TV, satellite TV, broadcast, wireless and fibre optics networks, FTTH and GPON analyzers. DVB-T modulators, IP streamers or IP converters (ASI, DVB-T) are among the company’s latest developments.