Brix Networks, the trusted provider of the most widely deployed service assurance solutions for interactive applications, today expanded its existing IPTV monitoring capabilities targeted at providing the required visibility into channel change times and network performance relating to multicast infrastructure.

With today's announcement, Brix solutions can assure the quality of bundled services and provide network operators with complete service lifecycle support and extensive visibility into the quality of their delivery infrastructure -- from super head ends, to central offices, and all the way to subscribers -- that helps ensure the success of IPTV services.

"Service quality matters, and consumers have a higher expectation of quality when it comes to IPTV," stated Robert Travis, director of product marketing at Brix Networks. "Working closely with our customers we know that measuring channel change times and monitoring IP infrastructure performance is imperative to the success of rolling out quality IPTV services. These factors, combined with the growing demand for bundled services, have made service assurance a requirement to the successful deployment of revenue-generating services."

A recent survey from Parks Associates shows that 65 percent of respondents would switch providers if the bundling of services resulted in cost savings of $20, while 43 percent indicated they would switch providers at no cost savings, citing the convenience of receiving one bill.

"IPTV has strict quality requirements, and providers are paying close attention to the various network performance issues that can have a negative impact on their services," observed Ira Weinstein, senior analyst at Wainhouse Research, a market research firm that focuses on critical issues in the rich media conferencing and communications fields. "With this release, Brix Networks can offer providers in the multicast IPTV space the same performance monitoring, analysis, data aggregation, and detailed reporting functions available previously for VoIP environments."

In addition to providing expansive visibility across the video distribution layer, Brix Networks' offerings allow providers to measure user response times, plus monitor network performance and service degradation related to running dynamic IP video services over an IP infrastructure. Because IPTV is highly sensitive to network performance, with Brix solutions providers can also test simulated channels by emulating set-top boxes for zap and video-on-demand (VOD) function delays.

Brix Networks' seamlessly integrated hardware and software products, collectively called the Brix System, are strategic and indispensable service assurance solutions that proactively monitor VoIP and IP video quality. Network operators use the Brix System to guarantee the successful launch and ongoing, profitable operation of their VoIP and IP video services.

The company also offers two free, self-service testing portals -- www.TestYourIPVideo.com and www.TestYourVoIP.com -- that enable users to independently measure the quality they are receiving from their interactive or streaming IP-based video services and VoIP connections, respectively.