We have totally changed our ADSL service and can now offer a true Quality of Service (QOS) when watching IPTV and we maintain quality using the following layers:

1. Set Top Box. To achieve an excellent customer experience we need to be able to measure the quality as viewed by the customer (i.e. the STB) and we do this in real time by additional software added to the STB — what can we monitor?

• Content play-out quality (audio/video synchronization, macro-blocking, stalling, etc)

• Channel change times

• User key presses, which can reveal navigation problems and frustration

• Bearer quality (bandwidth, packet loss, frame loss, signal strength)

• STB physic health (memory level, processor load, hard disk etc)

2. Computer Viewing Software. You don’t need a STB to experience IPTV from Europa. There is one common requirement of video-over-IP deployments: Users just want it to work. Clients don’t want to read lengthy procedural manuals to make sure their system is set up with the right software or plug-ins. They don’t want to call the IT department. They want to click on a button and see what they need to see; regardless of the type of computer they are using (MACs, PCs running Windows, and Linux-based systems). Because we own the “end to end” solution from the Headend to the clients PC, we have much better control of the delivery of quality content. From a users experience clients want it to be easy – they just want it to work.

3. ADSL Router. Because of our large client base we now work directly with Telefonica and have “layer 2” access to the Spanish ADSL network. We can see and manage QOS from your STB via your ADSL router directly to the Headend (where all the TV equipment is). For additional quality all ADSL routers have a dedicated IP address — at no charge.

4. Local Exchange. Each phone line must connect to the Telefonica local exchange via a DSLAM (comprehensive router) and we install software “probes” that measure the quality of data delivered. Because we know the exact data volumes sent from our Headend and the volumes of data delivered to the local exchange, we can measure issues such as latency, ping times, packet losses etc.

5. CISCO Gateway Router. This separates all your ADSL traffic, with QOS for IPTV so that our content is delivered to the ADSL router as a separate channel. All other internet traffic is routed to the Telefónica Internet backbone.

6. Headend. Keep the distance short. The heart of the system is based in Madrid and all ADSL Internet traffic in Spain should usually pass through Madrid (if you were to send an email from someone in Alicante to another person in Alicante the data would travel to Madrid and back again) to minimise the distance and time for data to be received. We usually experience a ping time of around 100 ms.

7. ADSL Network. Europa use a selection of platforms to maximise the quality of our IPTV solution;

• We use a forward error correction (FEC) solution to handle packet loss on the network and this platform can handle up to 5% packet loss without any significant loss of video or audio data.

• All IPTV customers must have 3MB ADSL even though only 1.5MB is needed, which allows clients to still use the Internet for other uses. Telefonica, Orange, ONO and JazzTel all deliver IPTV with 6MB, because they don’t use the best of class compression. Most of Europa’s customers do not live in locations that have this speed available so we have designed our solution with the most up to date “best of class” solution that can deliver Standard Definition (SD) with 1.5MB speed.