调查显示:视频质量控制和监控对流媒体质量至关重要, QoE, and Customer Retention
In partnership with Interra Systems，领先的流媒体行业专家 Dan Rayburn conducted a survey in 2022 以便更好地了解媒体公司在质量控制(QC)和监控内容方面所采取的步骤. 该调查收集了媒体行业决策者的数据. Its aim was to gather their thoughts on employing comprehensive QC and monitoring methods at key video processing and delivery points in the media distribution chain, 并找出这对最佳质量和效率有多重要. 这份白皮书深入分析了155名参与者的回答，并探讨了其中的关键发现, 包括公司实施质量控制和监控的原因, 他们这样做的程度, 以及他们面临的主要挑战.
内容质量和客户保留是联系在一起的
当被问及内容质量和客户留存率之间是否存在很强的相关性时, 超过70%的受访者表示肯定. 原因是消费者的期望值异常高. 他们不仅期待各种引人入胜的内容, 而且还有出色的画质和出色的交付体验. 并且由于众多的行业论坛致力于每个OTT流媒体的图像质量排名, 故障的消息传得很快. 公众认为这些论坛非常可信, so a bad review—especially for premium content—can create a negative impression about a streaming service that can sway a consumer’s decision to subscribe. As a result, 许多OTT提供商正在制作高质量的音频和视频, 以及整体的观看体验, high priorities, 这意味着在他们的工作流程中实施质量控制和监控.
Monitoring refers to the performance of a broadcasting or streaming network and provides important information such as uptime, 停机概率, error rates, quality issues, latency, etc. 它是实时执行的，专注于交付端，以确保观众获得最佳的QoE. 质量控制包括验证视频是否符合播放地点的交付规范. 一个简单的QC系统查看用于压缩视频的编解码器和配置文件(比特率), chroma levels, video artifacts, and more. However, OTT streaming has extended the definition of QC beyond audio and video quality and compliance to include content categorization, captioning, subtitling, 以及所有元数据管理. 换句话说，一个简单的QC系统已经不够了.
视频处理阶段全面质量控制的必要性
For content acquisition and distribution processes involving complicated decoding and transcoding operations—where video and metadata integrity must be preserved—comprehensive QC is required. 它有助于检测诸如缺少音频之类的问题, poor video quality, 响度或长宽比问题, missing dubs, and more to help ensure regulatory compliance and conformity to the different delivery specifications established by streaming companies. 此外，它甚至可以帮助修复这些错误. Without QC, it’s expensive and time consuming for media companies to determine why their content was rejected and takes even more time and money to address the issue. 质量问题将永远是一个因素, 尤其是在媒体公司为了节省带宽而限制压缩的情况下. 随着今天内容量的不断增加, 综合QC已成为内容准备的最重要功能之一.
考虑到质量控制和监控对质量保证至关重要, 人们会期望大多数受访者都在履行这些重要职能. 诸如复杂的流工作流程等因素, 软件安装和维护费用, and collaboration across the organization itself all drive home their importance and make it difficult for media companies to ignore monitoring or only consider a basic system.
However, 当被问及他们是否在最终交付之前的视频处理阶段对内容进行质量控制和监控时, only 21.3%的人表示所有内容都是如此. 几乎40%的人只做基本的质量控制和监控, 而20%的人手动执行这些流程, 19%的人根本不监控他们的内容. Part of the reason for this disconnect is that the need for monitoring can vary by the type of content being delivered, 正在使用的视频压缩技术, and the resolution. 例如成熟的压缩技术，如H.264和MPEG-2可能不需要全面的质量控制和监控, 特别是在与已知的内容类型和稳定的编码基础结构一起使用时.
综合舱单验证在提供高质量视频中的作用
Preparing video for 自适应比特率(ABR)传输 所涉及的过程是否容易出错, 每个文件/视频点播资产被转换成多个配置文件, at different resolutions, 适用于各种用户设备和带宽限制. 质量必须检查每一个轮廓，以确保没有退化发生. Furthermore, 如果内容包含AD插入, closed captioning, or subtitling, proper checks need to be
执行以确保广告开始/停止时间和字幕与视频对齐.
这使得清单验证成为ABR交付中最重要的步骤之一. 它查看整个比特率阶梯——检查所有的配置文件——如果在原始服务器上执行, 它可以检查下载次数以及ABR交付的完整性和质量. Streaming providers can utilize this to identify quality-related problems that stem from transcoding and packaging. In addition, nearly three quarters of respondents agreed that manifest validation is critical to high-quality video delivery—highlighting the importance of this step.
根本原因分析和误差关联的挑战，以及多点监测的必要性
当被问及他们是否可以实时执行根本原因分析时, 以解决观众所遇到的影音质素较差的问题, 27.2%的受访者说没有，37%的人说没有.4%的人表示“在某些情况下”能够做到这一点.” In other words, although participants share the view that monitoring and collecting important metrics at critical demarcation points are required to improve video quality, 大约四分之一的公司没有实施任何根本原因分析.
造成这种情况的一个主要原因是工作流通常超出了服务提供者的控制. Once the packaged content is handed off to a third party—which could be a CDN or multi-CDN—or when multiple organizations are involved in content distribution, 由于责任分散，可能会出现问题. A clear process and methodology—which requires resources and a coordinated effort to execute—must be in place to collect errors and performance statistics. For this reason, thorough testing of ABR streams earlier in the delivery chain is key for detecting and resolving issues proactively.
In this regard, 这项调查为工具供应商敲响了警钟, who need to do a better job of correlating errors in real time while providing more contextual information to help fix problems as quickly as possible. 这需要与生态系统中的互补解决方案进行更好的协作, including encoding, monitoring, 和设备级QoE，以提供媒体链的整体视图. Streaming companies must then put methodologies in place to harness the relevant data and take actions based on it.
One approach is multipoint monitoring from a single dashboard showing data from various distribution points, origin servers, and CDN edge networks. 当被问及这样的解决方案是否有助于确保一致和更好的视频质量时, 80%的受访者表示同意. 随着工作流迁移到云端, 视频传输网络变得集中, 多点监控与一个单一的仪表板成为一个强大的工具, 特别是对于现场活动, 在哪些地方实时质量监控是必要的. 具有出入状态的各种分界点、媒体
公司拥有数据的力量以及解决问题所需的智能.
单靠设备级监控是不够的
Just over 51% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that relying on monitoring at the device level is insufficient in addressing QoE issues. 21.3%的人有点同意，27%的人不同意. Video-, audio-, closed-captions-, and packagingrelated errors were identified as the most challenging in terms of quality (video: 44%; audio: 40%; packaging: 31%; and closed captions: 30%). 这是因为设备级监控关注的是缓冲之类的数据, average bit rate, and play time, 但不提供有关实际音频和视频质量的信息，因为观众感知. So, if picture quality is very poor—but is delivered without interruption—device-level QoE won’t detect the quality issues. Service providers relying on this approach are also oblivious to AV-sync-related problems or incorrect placement of subtitles.
但是，这并不是说设备级监视不重要. It is, but it should be used in conjunction with server-level monitoring at the origin server—the place all content is kept once it’s transcoded and packaged. 在原始服务器上验证资产的格式, compliance, 质量检查是监控策略的重要组成部分. 因为源服务器通常更接近内容准备阶段, 在将内容交付给消费者之前，可以成功地修复在那里发现的问题.
Conclusion
While the findings of this survey indicate that delivery quality continues to be of utmost importance for the video streaming industry, 它们还显示了不连贯的工作流程, limited monitoring, and lack of a coordinated troubleshooting methodology seem to hinder efforts to provide better video quality. 对于任何OTT服务提供商, 质量保证必须包括视频点播的全面质量控制, 在内容准备和交付阶段进行主动监控, and the collection of relevant quality metrics on a continuous basis for optimum video quality and viewing experiences. In the real world, awareness of this need is continuing to increase; at least six major streaming services have been launched in the last two years, 其中一些投资了数十亿美元. 虽然这些钱大部分被用于内容开发, 供应商将相当一部分预算投入到整个端到端生态系统中.
将质量控制和监控策略落实到位, 许多媒体公司都意识到，一种模式并不适用于所有媒体. Monitoring everything, everywhere, 对于一些主播来说，可能并不需要一直这样做, 谁只在几个关键点上需要它. In addition, 有些需要更灵活的监控，可以根据接收到的内容类型进行扩展和定制. For example, 与纪录片或新闻节目相比，优质体育节目或4K频道需要更严格的监控. Providers need to invest time and resources to understand where it makes the most sense to monitor and what metrics to pay attention to. A smart monitoring strategy and continuous assessment of performance metrics can go a long way towards a better quality of experience, 促进客户增长和增加收入. Interra Systems的ORION套件 为新的和下一代媒体工作流提供完整的质量保证解决方案.
有关ORION内容监控套件的更多信息，请通过以下方式与我们联系 info@interrasystems.com.
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