How does it Work?

SmartCARE system has a client-server architecture. The basic analytics data are collected from client devices and live streaming servers and forwarded to the SmartCARE server for processing. Based on the incoming data, the server controls the quality of the provided services and identifies errors that can cause complete image loss, its distortion, rippling or freezing.

Methods of data collection by the SmartCARE system:

• API for client applications;
• Streaming servers’ syslog data, transmitted via UDP;
• Data from Zabbix agents on the recording & streaming servers installed.

List of Metrics

The below metrics can be used for monitoring, analysis and reporting.

Monitoring client sessions

• Number of bitrate switches on client devices
• Maximum number of simultaneously active client sessions
• CPU and memory utilization on client devices (real-time and average)
• Number of content switches on client devices
• Number of client device authorizations
• Number of metadata loading errors on client devices (for example, errors when loading playlists)
• Number of chunk loading errors on client devices
• Average bitrate of content watching on client devices

Monitoring live streaming servers

• Average bitrate of incoming / outgoing streams with filtering by server’s network interface
• Usage of server’s network interfaces, i.e. average load on the interface (%) when processing incoming / outgoing traffic
• Average value of IOWait system parameter

 Monitoring recording servers

• Number of errors in the source streams delivery with filtering by the recording server / channel and detailing each error
• Average bitrate of the source streams with filtering by the recording server / channel

Real time indicators

• Unicast & multicast session quality in real time
• Current number of unicast & multicast sessions

Abnormalities

• Summary of anomalies grouped by their probable causes
• Detailed list of subscribers with low average session quality
• Detailed list of errors related to the recording of source streams

Statistical Reports

• Number and duration of channel views in Live & TSTV modes
• Number of unique subscribers who watched a TV channel in Live & TSTV modes with detailed viewing duration
• Number of successful & failed authorizations of client devices
• Channel viewing statistics, detailed by unique client devices and the duration of viewing in Live & TSTV modes

Analyzed Events

Events from Client Applications

• Subscriber authorization attempt (successful and failed)
• Beginning of content viewing (channel, recorded show, movie)
• “Keep alive” event during content viewing (every 2–5 minutes, configurable)
• Start, stop, rewind, pause during content viewing
• Critical low memory
• Finishing of content viewing
• Changing the bitrate during content viewing
• Delay between the request for content and the beginning of its playback
• Start and end of stream buffering
• TV programs change
• Abnormal change in the CPU and memory load
• Abnormal change in the WiFi signal level
• Switch to / from standby mode (for STB)
• Internet connection loss
• Transition to the key Client UI sections (the amount of information on these events depends on the set detalization level of analyzing user’s activity). For example:
  • main menu,
  • transition to the channel details (specifying the transfer point: from the channel list, recommendations, etc.),
  • transition to the movie details,
  • transition to the full screen viewing mode,
  • transition to the service management section,
  • transition to the settings section, etc.

Analysis of Streaming Server Logs

• Starting a stream playback
• Switching to another stream
• Bitrate switching (video / audio quality changing)
• Playlist uploading error
• Chunks uploading error

Analysis of Source Stream Recording Server Logs

• Source stream recording errors

Analyzed Parameters

Parameters within the Client Application Events

• Content ID (channel, program, movie, local file, external VoD content)
• URL of the external VoD content
• Type of content viewed (Live, nDVR, VoD)
• Number of frames with playback and decoding errors
• Event type and its time on the client application
• Frame rate
• Number of frames played
• Number of RAM page access errors
• Number of load buffer underrun events
• Content view start/end time
• Join time (the time between the content request and the content begins to play)
• Duration of the stream buffering
• Rewind start time, duration and direction (backward / forward) — for TSTV-programs
• Time of TV program change
• Stream bitrate
• Content viewing mode (online / offline)
• Result of content launching (successful or failed)
• Device ID (UID)
• Subscriber ID (SmartTUBE SDP account number)
• Device type (STB, iPad, Android, etc.)
• IP address of the subscriber device
• Version of the client application
• Geo ID received during the authorization (region ID in the middleware dictionary or from the geolocation system)
• Load buffer filling level
• Wi-Fi signal strength (for STB with Wi-Fi module)
• CPU and memory usage (for STB)
• Duration of Internet connection absence
• Amount of free space in critical directories
• Custom fields (up to 10, for optional parameters transmitting)

Parameters within the Streaming Server Logs Events

• Content ID
• URL of the content requested (playlist /chunk)
• Content request result (error or success)
• Amount of information sent to the client application
• Time the event was logged
• Stream bitrate
• Device ID (UID) — if it was sent in the HTTP request
• Subscriber ID (SmartTUBE SDP account number) — if it was sent in the HTTP request
• Full text of the client application User Agent string. Includes the following parameters:
• version of the client application,
• type of the subscriber device.
• IP address of the subscriber device

Parameters within the Recording Server Logs Events

• Hostname of the incoming streams recording server
• Recorded channel
• Recording error sign
• Full text of the log entry
• Bitrate of the recorded channels

Parameters from Zabbix Agents

• Average CPU IOWait of the monitored server (streaming, recording, storage, etc.)
• Incoming / outgoing bitrate of the monitored server network interfaces
• Inbound / outbound utilization of monitored server network interfaces

Parameters from Edge Routers

• Autonomous system IDs on the network section between the streaming server and the subscriber device
• Data route change time

Parameters from OSS/BSS Systems

• Subscriber ID in OSS / BSS
• Subscriber connection address
• Subscriber device type