The showbiz expression “Lights, camera, action” conveniently omits the word “test.” But without test and measurement equipment, TV as we know it wouldn’t exist.

TV broadcast test & measurement (T&M) gear may be less glamorous than bright lights and streamlined cameras sporting huge lenses, but the action and live demonstrations in these exhibits attract some of the sharpest broadcast engineers in the world.

Part 3 of The Broadcast Bridge "Touring TV T&M at IBC" series covers registered T&M exhibitors in alphabetical order from O-Z. Part 1 of the series is here and part 2 of the series can be found here.

Omnitek will be showcasing its new Ultra TQ waveform rasterizer at IBC 2017. The Ultra TQ is the next generation broadcast waveform rasterizer based on the highly successful Ultra 4K Tool Box and Ultra XR technology. This heritage ensures that the Ultra TQ can perform QC and monitoring of SD-SDI/HD-SDI/3G-SDI signals as standard.

The Ultra TQ supports analysis of video over SDI or IP links as a SMPTE 2110 / SMPTE 2022-6 enabled waveform rasterizer for broadcast applications.

The Ultra TQ has all the tools expected of a general broadcast waveform rasterizer including picture, waveform monitor, vectorscope, video status, video timing, audio meters, audio status, loudness, TC logging, basic line pattern generator, and more.

These functions can be supplemented by additional options to provide an all-encompassing broadcast solution for anyone working with SDR or HDR material with PQ, Hybrid Log Gamma or S-Log profiles.

Also on show will be Omnitek’s Ultra XR 4K/UHD Waveform Rasterizer running V3.3 software, and Omnitek’s Ultra 4K Tool Box 4K/UHD Analyzer/Generator/Converter also running V3.3 software.

Version V3.3 software supports multiple new features: remote waveforms, video pass-through, audio meters with industry scales and ballistics, loudness graph, surround sound audio meters, program loudness meters, O-Zone picture scale, timecode display, clean display mode and many other features and improvements.

PHABRIX recently announced it will include SMPTE 2110 IP signal generation and analysis instruments in its Qx range. This includes enhanced HDR visualization capabilities, strengthened support for audio generation, and moving test patterns.

The Qx range offers IP, 4K/UHD and high dynamic range (HDR)/wide color gamut (WCG) generation, analysis, and video/audio monitoring. It provides fast access to  advanced, hybrid IP/SDI test and measurement instruments required for next generation of video formats.

The new high-performance IP toolset for SMPTE ST-2110 and ST-2022-6 includes packet interval timing (PIT) analysis for rapid diagnosis of packet congestion, packet loss, and jitter. PIT logging is available for longer-term network monitoring, and a packet profile generator for stress testing video networks to ensure robust operation.

The HDR/WCG tools include a signal generator, CIE chart, luminance heat-map, vectorscope, and waveform, all supporting Dolby PQ.

The UHD/HD-SDI analysis capabilities have also been enhanced with audio generation/embedding plus a new range of moving test patterns. The Qx range's 12G/6G/3G/HD-SDI physical layer analysis employs patented real-time eye (RTE) technology to highlight SMPTE compliance issues. These analysis workflows have been strengthened with automation, allowing tests to be performed faster, more reliably, and at a lower cost.

PHABRIX's ultra-portable Sx TAG signal generator, analyzer, and monitoring instrument is now available with SMPTE 2022-6 IP encapsulation/decapsulation. The Sx TAG also operates with 3G/HD/SD-SDI and analogue video, and it can be used in remote locations with monitoring over a network.

Key instruments include a multiformat waveform and vectorscope, as well as video monitoring using a 16:9 screen plus 16-channel audio monitoring. An intuitive, color-coded interface speeds testing workflows, and operation with mains or battery power provides versatility on the move.

The new IP decapsulation/encapsulation option for the Sx TAG portable range will also debut at IBC2017, along with 2K-SDI monitoring and a more versatile, dual instrument display with the Rx 2000 rackmount generator/analyzer.

The Rx 2000 has been enhanced with 2K-SDI support and more flexible, built-in instrument displays. Both integrated monitors can now present a wide array of test instruments to offer greater versatility.

Rx 2000 can monitor up to four channels using an external display, with up to 16 instruments per channel. The advanced Rx range provides faster fault diagnosis, using 3G/HD/SD video capture for intermittent errors and remote access.

PLURA Broadcast makes high-quality timing/synchronization equipment (former Alpermann+Velte) and a wide range of high-performance multi-function 4K and 3G video monitors (up to 84") engineered specially for digital broadcast and professional video production.

In addition to exhibiting timing/sync gear and video monitors, PLURA will also demonstrate the 3G-ready FTM-043-3G field testing monitor with audio and video test generators. The FTM-043-3G incorporates into one device what previously took thee devices to achieve, replacing a SD generator, HD generator, and a Q-box for audio applications.

The Promax Electronica, S.L. product portfolio includes instruments for installation, certification, maintenance and monitoring of cable TV, satellite TV, broadcast, wireless and optical networks. All will be on display in the Promax Electronica IBC stand.

Special focus will be on the RANGER Neo, a new breed of multifunction TV (DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-C, DVB-C2), satellite (DVB-S, DVB-S2) and Wi-Fi analyzer. The Neo helps installers by making their installations easier but also helps solve the many challenges they face with the many new video delivery platforms.

HEVC H.264 (HD), H.265 (UHD) decoding and exceptional spectrum-analyzer capabilities are at the heart of the RANGER Neo field strength meters surrounded by many functions such as Wi-Fi analysis (including real spectrum display), DAB/DAB+, wide-band LNB compatibility, constellation diagram, dynamic echoes analysis, all very compact and light weight.

At IBC2017, Qligent will unveil Match, the latest addition to its Vision cloud-based monitoring portfolio.

Match provides real-time, automated comparison of transport stream, video and audio to spot and flag program-related errors. The Qligent Vision platform encompasses objective errors (QoS), subjective errors (QoE), and now programmatic errors (Match).

Match software is designed for use by broadcasters, networks, advertisers, and regulators with any international broadcast standard. It is available as a cloud-based, software-as-a-service solution or on-premise software.

Quintech will showcase its full line of RF signal routing equipment including RF Matrix Switches operating from DC to 6 GHz, routing and redundancy switches, splitters, combiners, amplifiers, and redundant LNB power supplies.

There will be demonstrations of the Quintech next generation matrix portfolio, the Xtreme 256, Xtreme 80 and QRM fan-in/fan-out matrices, used in high throughput satellite (HTS) ground segment applications. These matrices provide satellite, broadcast, government and military users with the greatest flexibility in the smallest form factors available, in both symmetrical and asymmetrical configurations.

Along with the many other broadcast products and solutions in its portfolio, Rohde & Schwarz will exhibit instruments for digital and analog baseband generation, modulation, demodulation and analysis, as well as baseband analysis.

Broadcast T&M instruments help network operator’s guarantee a proper network set-up and operation and to secure the financial investment. Rohde & Schwarz T&M instruments also support CE manufactures to develop and manufacture consumer products in an efficient, precise and cost-optimized way.

The company will also display T&M equipment for installing, maintaining and monitoring broadcast networks. Consumer electronics manufacturers can use this T&M equipment to develop and manufacture both current and next generation devices.

At IBC, Sencore is showcasing new products for High Bit Rate Media Transport over IP, 4K/UHD, improved bandwidth-efficiency, and OTT streaming. 

The VideoBridge product family of digital television monitoring and measurement products will also be demonstrated. Products on display will include the VB20 IP Core monitoring probe, VB12 IP Distribution monitoring probe, VB12-RF IP and QAM/8VSB monitoring probe, the microVB IP Edge monitoring probe,the VB7880 advanced content extractor, and monitoring blades for IP, ASI, DVB-T/T2, QAM/8VSB, the VB280 video extractor blade and the VBC system monitoring server.

Witbe QoE Monitoring Robots are an elaborate combination of hardware and software.

The robots can reproduce any end user behavior: rent a movie on a VOD storefront; watch live TV and report on the quality of the video; make phone calls across countries; send texts and emails to other robots; log in to Facebook and share an update or to Twitter and tweet; and more. In short, a Witbe Robot is a machine that can replicate tasks that any viewer/customer might perform over a network.

In more technical terms, a Witbe Robot can be defined as an active, and yet non-intrusive and holistic, probe (physical appliance or virtual machine). It is ubiquitous, and yet seamlessly integratable into any infrastructure. It has the capability to perform evolved and complex interactions with any service, and yet is easy to configure.

Along with its ever-expanding line of audio monitoring gear, Wohler will demonstrate its new iAM-VIDEO in the Wohler stand. The iAM-VIDEO is equipped with a variety of metering options and can support Analog, AES3, MADI, VoIP formats including MPEG-2 / MPEG-4(H.264) and SMPTE 2022, AoIP formats including Dante, Ravenna and AES67, 3G/HD/SD-SDI and a growing range of additional I/O options via an SFP interface.

Control is via touch screen panels with simple-to-navigate menus and configuration. Physical front panel controls provide access to main and auxiliary volume controls, balance control and a front mounting USB port for software updates. All iAM Series monitors include an on-board web server.