Mariner Improves IPTV QoE With Microsoft® Mediaroom® Client 2.2 Integration

- Mariner xVu™ is One of the Industry's First IPTV Monitoring Solutions to Support the Microsoft® Mediaroom® IPTV Platform

SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mariner, a leading provider of IP video solutions and technologies, today announced that its award-winning IPTV service monitoring platform Mariner xVu™ has been extended to use new functionality in Microsoft® Mediaroom® Client 2.2, enabling telecommunications providers to monitor the IPTV user experience more efficiently and deliver a superior quality of service.

"The combination of Microsoft Mediaroom and Mariner xVu monitoring enables IPTV operators to provide the highest quality video experience to end subscribers," says Jerry Beresh, Senior Business Development Manager, Microsoft. "With a comprehensive view of service performance across the network, telecommunications operators can dramatically reduce capital and operating expenses while rapidly expanding IPTV services."

As the most widely deployed IPTV Set-Top-Box (STB) monitoring platform, Mariner xVu  enables IPTV service operators worldwide to offer a premium TV user experience. By taking advantage of the recent enhancements offered by the latest release of the Microsoft® Mediaroom® 2.2 Client, Mariner xVu  has been further improved to provide the operator with scalable, best-in-class troubleshooting tools for more effective isolation of IPTV service quality issues. These improvements allow operators to:

• Identify transient video impairments with more granular subscriber centric video performance data.
• Identify STB to HDTV connection issues with advanced HDMI® connection details.
• Assist subscribers with menu navigation issues by using remote captures and control of the customer's TV experience; providing guidance on TV settings or ordering a VoD asset.
• Verify in-home connection with active STB connection test.

By taking advantage of the latest enhancements, operators can identify the root cause of the problem, resulting in shorter customer service calls and reducing costly technician dispatches to the home.

"The Mariner xVu platform is experiencing widespread adoption and usage across Microsoft Mediaroom's customer base, making interoperability essential to ensure a high quality of service," says Curtis Howe, President and CEO of Mariner. "We are proud to partner with Microsoft to provide telecommunications operators with a powerful quality assurance solution that improves the quality and reliability of any IPTV service, leading to greater customer satisfaction."

Mariner xVu will be on display at IBC2012 at stands 14.521 held Sept. 7-11 in Amsterdam. More information about Mariner and the company's products can be found at www.marinerpartners.eu.

About Mariner (www.marinerpartners.eu)

Mariner is a leading provider of Video Service Oriented Monitoring™ (vSOM) and management platforms for multiscreen networks. Mariner's innovative, award-winning flagship product Mariner xVu™ allows service providers to offer a reliable, high-quality viewing experience; rapidly isolate IPTV network issues; and cost-effectively reduce truck rolls to ensure a superior broadband and IPTV service. Mariner xVu is the world's most deployed Set-Top-Box (STB) monitoring solution; Mariner monitors more STBs than all other competing vendors combined. Mariner's frostt™ platform is an application management solution that allows operators to monetize their IPTV applications by turning every subscriber interaction into a revenue generating opportunity.  More information about Mariner is available at www.marinerpartners.com.

Visit Mariner at IBC2012, Stands 14.521