Shenick Cuts IPTV Black Screen Error and Audio Cut-Out Detection Down to Seconds

Shenick's Enhanced Black Screen Error and Audio Cut-Out Detection
Helps IPTV Providers Reduce Customer Churn
BURLINGAME, Calif. & SINGAPORE--(Business Wire)--
Shenick Network Systems, provider of per-flow IP communication
test and monitoring systems, announced an upgrade to servicEye(TM),
Shenick's IPTV performance monitoring and service assurance solution,
that provides IPTV providers with the ability to detect black screen
failure and audio cut out in a matter of seconds. Detecting video and
audio errors quickly means that IPTV providers can reduce customer
churn and prevent revenue loss. Shenick will be showcasing its
upgraded servicEye capabilities at CommunicAsia at booth 3H1-01 in
Singapore from June 17 to 20, 2008.

Differentiating between black images on a black background as part
of regular viewing and genuine black screen error presents a unique
challenge for IPTV service providers. In black screen failure, the
screen shows no image. With audio cut out, viewers can see images but
there's no sound. IPTV end users accustomed to standard TV, expect
assured quality of experience (QoE), real time, fast interactive
responsiveness when problems happen and a minimum number of visual and
acoustic defects. Black screen failure or audio problems that take
hours to detect and fix can result in extreme customer frustration and
churn to alternate TV service providers.

"IPTV service providers are under pressure to meet end users'
quality expectations with compelling content if they are to realize
the promise of added revenues and subscriber loyalty. It's a tall
order," said Steve Hawley, Senior IPTV Analyst, Multimedia Research
Group. "Discriminating between the content and the errors, when the
video consists of silhouettes on a nearly black background, or if
there are audio-only cut-outs, is particularly challenging."

"The word from IPTV service providers is that black screen
detection can takes hours to detect and results in extremely
frustrated customers. It's the same for audio cut out," said Robert
Winters, chief marketing officer, Shenick Network Systems. "With
servicEye, we've discovered a way to reliably cut black screen error
detection down to seconds and reduce the number of false positives. To
continue the successful adoption of IPTV, it's vital to keep the
technical errors to a minimum and, reduce operations overhead when
there is an error."

About Shenick Network Systems

Shenick is an award winning provider of IP communications test and
performance monitoring systems. Shenick's solutions enable converged
IP network service providers to test and monitor the complete service
delivery life cycle from lab to live deployment. Established in 2000,
Shenick has deployed its diversifEye(TM), diversifEye10G(TM) and
servicEye(TM) integrated network, application and security attack
emulation and performance monitoring systems throughout North and
South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. IP-oriented network service
providers, communications equipment manufacturers, large enterprise
and governments rely on Shenick's diversifEye to assess their network,
application and security infrastructure performance limitations.
Shenick's diversifEye addresses key next-generation converged network
and application performance issues covering IPTV, VoD, Triple Play
(VoIP video, data), IMS, Security Attack Mitigation, Deep Packet
Inspection (DPI), Traffic Shaping, Peer to Peer (P2P), Application
Server, Metro Ethernet and IPv4/IPv6 hybrid network deployments. For
more information visit www.shenick.com.

Shenick Network Systems
Robert Winters, CMO, +353 1 236 7002
robert.winters@shenick.com
or
KimberPR
Aoife Kimber, 650-773 7288
akimber@kimberpr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008