OPTICOM OPERA - 1 User manual

YOUR
DIGITAL
EAR
OPERA

they Hören Ihre Kunden wirklich lupen-
reinen Klang? Nein?
Kein Wunder, denn Sprach- und
Musikdatenkompression sind längst
überall im Einsatz. Viele neue
Technologien des Informations-
zeitalters sind dadurch erst möglich
geworden: Handys, Voice-over-IP,
MP3 – Musik per Internet, digitale
Rundfunk- und Fernsehprogramme
über Satellit, DAB, DVB und so wei-
ter.
Nur all zu häufig überwiegt dabei
das wirtschaftliche Interesse an
möglichst effizienter Bandbreiten-
nutzung gegenüber der gegen-
sätzlichen Forderung nach gutem
Klang.
Audioqualität und Sprachverständ-
lichkeit sind aller „digitalen Technik“
zum Trotz mehr denn je ein Thema.
Und was unternehmen Sie in puncto
Qualität?
Crystal clear digital audio sound?
Probably not.
Compression has become the state
of the art technology in modern
communications – thus allowing for
many and diverse inexpensive new
components of the information age,
such as: Mobile Phones, VoIP, MP3
Internet Audio, Radio and TV satelli-
te networks, DAB, DVD, and many
more.
On the other side, the economic
benefit of lowering data rates
further to a minimum is controversy
to clear sound. In spite of „all
digital technology“, sound quality
and speech intelligibility have
become issues again, and thus of
much more impact than in those
good old „analog“ days!
And what are you going to do about
the quality of YOUR service?
What do they
really hear?

win
Win the vocal
competition!
Our new generation of quality
testers, called OPERA™ – short for
„Objective Perceptual Analyzer“ –
represent the latest development
to objectively evaluate and assure
the quality of compressed speech
and wide-band audio signals by
modeling the human ear:
OPERA™ is your digital ear!
Unsere neue Generation von
OPERA™ Meßsystemen – der
Name steht für „objektive wahr-
nehmungsangepaßte Analyse“ –
stellt die neuesten Verfahren zur
objektiven Qualitätsbewertung und
Qualitätssicherung von kompri-
mierten Sprach- und Musiksignalen
zur Verfügung.

subjective
Objectivize
the subjective
perception of sound. Comprehensive end-to-end
quality analysis
OPERA is not only suitable for
assessing a single processing
device. With OPERA you can
achieve a comprehensive analysis
of the end-to-end quality, from
the studio source to the receiver,
or from the caller to the called.
And because OPERA works quite
similar to the human ear, it will
be able to distinguish between
imperceptible, and more or less
annoying transmission errors.
Neben der Messung einzelner
Systemkomponenten eignet sich das
OPERA Meßsystem aufgrund des
neuen Ansatzes besonders für die
Analyse der Ende-zu-Ende Qualität,
sei es vom Studio zum Empfänger,
oder zwischen beiden Teilnehmer-
endgeräten bei einer Telefonver-
bindung. Möglich wird dies, da
OPERA ähnlich dem menschlichen
Gehör arbeitet und somit zwischen
unhörbaren und mehr oder weniger
stark wahrnehmbaren Störungen
unterscheiden kann.

objective
Objective characterization
of human listener’s subjective
quality impression
As a consequence of the novel
approach to measure the perceived
audio quality instead of signal
characteristics, for the first time it is
possible to gain an objective quality
metrics which truly characterizes
the quality of service („QoS“) of a
network.
Aufgrund des neuartigen Ansatzes
zur Messung der wahrnehmbaren
Audioqualität ergibt sich erstmals
eine objektivierbare praxisbezogene
Aussage über die „Quality of Service“,
also den Qualitätsstandard beispiels-
weise eines Telekommunikations-
netzes.
Includes original reference
implementations of the most current
ITU Recommendations in force
OPERA is based on
• PSQM+ an advanced version
of the original reference
implementation of the „Perceptual
Speech Quality Measure“ (PSQM)
by KPN Research, which was the
source for ITU-T Recommendation
P.861, and
• the original reference
implementation of the „Perceived
Audio Quality“ Measure (PEAQ),
which was the source for ITU-R
Recommendation BS.1387
OPERA basiert auf
• PSQM+ einer Weiterentwicklung
des Original PSQM-Referenz-
Codes von KPN Research,
der als Grundlage für ITU-T
Empfehlung P.861 diente,
ebenso wie auf
• dem Original PEAQ-Referenz-
Code, der im Rahmen der
Standardisierungsarbeiten für
die ITU-R Empfehlung BS.1387
entwickelt wurde.
Evaluation based on natural speech
and music fragments
As a major advantage, OPERA will
employ the same kind of natural
stimulus for a measurement as in
practical operation: human speech
or music programme material.
This makes it even possible to
monitor the quality during network
operation! Also, cultural and
language differences may be taken
into account by the evaluation.
Ein für die Praxis entscheidender
Vorteil des OPERA Meßprinzips ist
die Tatsache, daß Messungen auf
normalen Sprach- oder Musik-
sequenzen beruhen, also auch bei
laufendem Programm vorgenommen
werden können. Dies gestattet nicht
nur eine Qualitätsüberwachung
„on-line“, sondern auch die
Berücksichtigung kultureller und
sprachbedingter Artefakte.
Measurement of perceived audio
quality according to latest psycho-acou-
stic based analysis techniques
Other than traditional measurement
methods (like S/N, THD+N), the
new OPERA system will be able to
simulate the subjective evaluation
of human subjects. The analysis
will be based on the most recent
perceptual techniques, such as
PEAQ and PSQM.
Im Gegensatz zur traditionellen
Meßtechnik werden nicht Signal-
kenngrößen (S/N, THD+N) ermittelt,
sondern der Vorgang der Gehör-
wahrnehmung selbst modelliert.
Hierbei finden modernste standar-
disierte, gehörangepaßte Meß-
verfahren Einsatz, wie PEAQ und
PSQM.

compare
Compare the features.
Make the difference.

features
More Features:
• Workstation as well as portable
version available
• Comes with test samples
for standard setups
• State-of-the-art Windows NT
Architecture
• Wizard guided graphical
user interface
• Easy documentation of
measurements by „copy and
paste“ of diagrams
• Support for standard color prin-
ters
• Easy ODBC database integration
• Real time test inputs
• Automated test scheduling
• Fully programmable in VBA
(Visual Basic for Applications)
• Web based user front end
• OEM modules for various
abstraction levels available
(DLLs, ActiveX)
• Custom tailored solutions
available
Scalability from single
stand-alone tester to network-wide
distributed systems
OPERA’s flexible scalability may
range from a single stand alone
tester up to powerful network-wide
setups with distributed systems
sharing information over IP.
Web based user front ends will
also be provided.
Die flexible Skalierbarkeit des
OPERA Systems reicht vom Stand-
alone System bis hin zu ganze
Netzwerke umfassende, verteilten
Systemen, die über Internet admini-
striert und gesteuert werden.
Supports both, interactive
as well as fully automated,
unattended operation
OPERA may be used interactively
as an analyzer, or will run fully
automated according to a predefined
schedule.
Jedes System unterstützt sowohl
den interaktiven, also benutzerge-
steuerten Meßvorgang, als auch
vollautomatische Meßprozeduren.
Future-proof
open framework concept for advances in
measurement algorithms
The open framework concept of
OPERA will allow to add advanced
measurement algorithms as plug-ins
in the future as soon as they
become available.
Das offene OPERA Systemdesign
erlaubt die problemlose Einbindung
zukünftiger Meßalgorithmen.
Open interface for
user defined measurement
algorithms
User defined measurement algorith-
ms may be integrated upon request.
Ebenso lassen sich bei Bedarf
anwenderspezifische Meß-
algorithmen integrieren.
Easy to adapt integrated interfaces
for telecom or broadcast
audio quality testing
OPERA comes fully equipped with
high quality, loop start or ISDN tele-
phony interfaces, which are appro-
ved for most countries.
In the broadcast version, high quali-
ty studio A/D, D/A and AES/EBU
interfaces with all necessary syn-
chronization features are provided.
Das OPERA Meßsystem stellt
international zugelassene Telefonie-
schnittstellen als analoge a/b oder
digitale ISDN Version zur Verfügung.

An example application
of OPERA in a telephone
network environment.
A single stand-alone
OPERA system runs
cyclic quality checks via
a loop back connection
to ensure the quality-of-
service (QoS)
A fully automated, distributed
system of OPERA units
may monitor the quality
according to a scheduled
order of measurements
Features
• ITU-T P.861/PSQM
perceptual based measurements
of speech quality
• PSQM+ perceptual measurements
(PSQM improved for GSM)
• PSQM/IP™
Further advanced PSQM
improved for VoIP measurement
• PAMS Perceptual
Analysis/Measurement System
• Echo measurement
• Delay measurement
• Call setup time measurement
• Level measurement
• Interfaces to loop start (a/b),
ISDN lines and wireless
• VoIP interfacing
• Bulk call generation
New York
PABX
compressed
Paris
London Berlin
PABX
PABX
PABX
uncompressed
Telecommunication
Network
PABX
Data exchange off-line over IP
compressed PABX
PABX
PABX
Telecommunication
Network
New York
Paris
London Berlin
telecom version
Stand alone loop measurement with OPERAA
Automated distributed System, off-line data exchangeB
New!
New!

Features
• ITU-R BS.1387 (PEAQ)
perceptual measurement
of wide-band audio quality
• PEAQ „Basic“ and
„Advanced“ version
• Delay measurement
• Level measurement
• Real time measurement
• Interfaces to file (*.wav),
analog XLR balanced (20 bit)
and digital AES/EBU
On-line network monitoring
with OPERA based on a live
programme feed.
ISDN
MPEG Encoder
MPEG Decoder
broadcast version
Stand alone testing with OPERAA
On-line monitoring with OPERAB
Testing a single audio
processing device
(e.g. a dial-up codec)
with the broadcast-
version of OPERA.
Studio
Receiver
Satellite Radio
Programme

QualityQuality
is our business
No matter if it’s speech quality in
telecommunications, audio quality
of music and broadcast signals or
video quality of TV signals, quality
is our business!
Under the mission statement
„optimum solutions for multimedia
communications“, OPTICOM focuses
on top notch developments to gain
for its customers improved quality in
audio and video communications.
With the new OPERA family of
perceptual analyzers, the company
again proves it’s worldwide reputati-
on for state-of-the-art solutions to
improve the audio quality of new
media.
OPTICOM was founded by Michael
Keyhl in 1995 as a „spin-off“ company
of the Fraunhofer-Institute, Germany’s
leading organization for applied
research. OPTICOM’s developers
benefit from their broad experience
in the research and development
of perceptual based coding and
evaluation techniques, lasting back
to the late 1980’s.
Through many international contacts
and cooperations with leading
research organizations, OPTICOM
has gained an active role in the
international standardization
business, e.g. of the new ITU-R
standard „PEAQ“. OPTICOM is also
continuously active in, or observing
the work of the AES, EBU, ITU-T,
ETSI, ISO/MPEG and others.
After being successful in business
since 1995, OPTICOM received
the 1995 award as the best start-up
company. The company is continu-
ously growing and seeking to
expand the number of their employ-
ees. OPTICOM is located in Erlangen,
Northern-Bavaria, GERMANY.

www.opticom.de
Unser Ziel sind optimale Lösungen in
der Multimedia-Kommunikation.
Daher beschäftigen wir uns mit inno-
vativen Produkten und Systemen zur
Verbesserung der Qualitätsstandards
in der modernen Kommunikations-
technik.
Mit unserem wahrnehmungsange-
paßten Meßsystem OPERA können
wir einmal mehr unseren inzwischen
weltweit anerkannten Fortschritt auf
diesem Gebiet beweisen.
OPTICOM wurde 1995 von Dipl.-Ing.
Michael Keyhl als Spin-Off aus dem
Fraunhofer-Institut Erlangen (IIS)
ausgegründet. Daraus resultierend
profitieren OPTICOM Entwickler auf
den Gebieten der Audiocodierung
und der objektiven Qualitätsbewer-
tung von Erfahrungen, die bis in die
Anfänge dieser Entwicklungen in
den späten 80er Jahren zurückrei-
chen.
Neben zahlreichen internationalen
Kontakten und Kooperationen mit
führenden Forschungszentren spielt
OPTICOM auch in den internationa-
len Standardisierungsgremien eine
große Rolle – wie beispielsweise
beim neuen ITU-R Standard PEAQ.
Weitere aktive Kontakte bestehen zu
AES, EBU, ITU-T, ETSI, ISO/MPEG
und anderen Organisationen.
1999 wurde das Unternehmen mit
dem Gründerpreis der IHK Nürnberg
ausgezeichnet.
Ob es sich nun um Sprachqualität in
der Telekommunikation, Ton-
qualität von Musiksignalen im
Internet, im Hörfunk und Fernsehen
oder gar um Videoqualität handelt –
bei uns dreht sich alles um das
Thema Qualität.
Portfolio
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business-to-consumer
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Solutions
Comprehensive customer
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Strategy
Strategic partnerships
and OEM licensing offers
Seminars
Complementary on site
training, seminars and
workshops

OPTICOM Dipl.-Ing. M. Keyhl GmbH
Am Weichselgarten 7
D-91058 Erlangen
Germany
Tel. [phone] - 69 11 60
Fax [phone] - 69 13 25
eMail: [e-mail]
www.opticom.de
fax response OPERA Product Line
+49 (0) 91 31 - 69 13 25 www.opticom.de
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OPERA telecom version
OPERA broadcast version
Please send purchasing information
While every effort has been made
to ensure accuracy, OPTICOM is
not responsible for errors and
omissions, and reserves the right
to make improvements or chan-
ges in the products and programs
described without notice.
OPERA™, OPTICALL™ and
PSQM/IP™ are trademarks of
OPTICOM GmbH, Erlangen.
All other product names are tra-
demarks of their respective hol-
ders.
Pictures:
Kurt Fuchs, Erlangen,
Michael Aust, Bamberg and
Archive Studio C
Concept and realization:
Studio C Werbeagentur GmbH,
Erlangen, Member of
TowerBridgeNetwork
OPTICOM GmbH,
Erlangen, GERMANY, 2000
©
Telecom Version Broadcast Version
OPERA
Portable
OPERA
Workstation
Objective Perceptual Analyzer,
OPERA™ Workstation Version, incl.
• OPERA framework software
• PSQM+, PSQM/IP™
• PAMS
• Echo measurement
• Various types of line interfaces
• OPTICALL™ Signal
Acquisition Software
Objective Perceptual Analyzer,
OPERA™ Portable Version, incl.
• OPERA framework software
• PSQM+, PSQM/IP™
• PAMS
• Echo measurement
• Various types of line interfaces
• OPTICALL™ Signal
Acquisition Software
Objective Perceptual Analyzer,
OPERA™ Workstation Version, incl.
• OPERA framework software
• PEAQ basic version
• PEAQ advanced version
• Time and spectrum domain analysis
• Analog and digital audio interfaces
• Real time measurement
Objective Perceptual Analyzer,
OPERA™ Portable Version, incl.
• OPERA framework software
• PEAQ basic version
• PEAQ advanced version
• Time and spectrum domain analysis
• Analog and digital audio interfaces
• Real time measurement
Ask for our customer specific solutions for
automated quality of service (QoS) testing systems.