NTIA Handbook HB-06-434

In-Service Video Quality Metric (IVQM) User's Manual

December 2005

Margaret H. Pinson and Stephen Wolf

Abstract: The purpose of this handbook is to provide a user's manual for the in-service video quality metric (IVQM) tool. IVQM performs automated processing of live video signals. This program runs under the Windows XP® operating system on two PCs communicating through an IP connection. IVQM performs image acquisition, temporal registration, other video calibration (spatial registration, spatial scaling, valid region, and gain/level offset), and video quality estimation.

IVQM compares the source video sequence to the destination video sequence (i.e., as output by the video system under test). Each program alternates between video capture and video analysis. Every source/destination video sequence pair is processed through three main steps. First, the sequences are buffered onto a hard drive. Second, the sequences are temporally registered. Third, the video quality of the destination video sequence is estimated. Quality estimates are reported on a scale of zero to one, where zero means that no impairment is visible and one means that the video clip has reached the maximum impairment level. Some video sequences may also be used to estimate other calibration values (spatial registration, spatial scaling, valid region estimation, and gain/level offset). The user has control over how often these other calibration values are calculated.

Keywords: automatic measurements; digital video; end-to-end; in-service; metrics; objective video quality performance; video calibration; video quality

• Report

Disclaimer: Certain commercial equipment, components, and software are identified in this report to specify adequately the technical aspects of the reported results. In no case does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, nor does it imply that the equipment or software identified is necessarily the best available for the particular application or uses.

To request a reprint of this report, contact:
Margaret Luebs, Publications Officer
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
Voice: (303) 497-3572
info@its.bldrdoc.gov

For technical information concerning this report, contact:
Margaret Pinson, Electronics Engineer
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
Voice: (303) 497-3579
mpinson@its.bldrdoc.gov