upc cablecom expands multiscreen test automation to connected TVs

DUBLIN, IRELAND: S3 Group, an international digital TV company that enables operators and programmers to accelerate the end-to-end delivery of multiscreen TV, announced that upc cablecom, the Swiss operation of Liberty Global, has extended its use of S3 Group's StormTest Development Center to include automated testing for connected TVs.

"Connected TVs are one element of upc cablecom's comprehensive multiscreen offering. As web-based applications converge with TV platforms, comprehensive and rigorous testing prior to service roll-out is essential to delivering a quality experience. The ability to extend our existing test platform with StormTest to include Connected TVs allows us to adopt a uniform test environment across any device or screen," said Claus Beck, director of Engineering, upc cablecom.

Connected TVs have rapidly become a mainstream product, with more than a quarter of TVs shipped globally in 2012 being classified as Smart TVs. An attraction of a Connected TV set is access to additional content, directly over the internet. Many TV operators already support service delivery directly to the TV in addition to intermediary devices such as set-top boxes.

"Delivering Connected TV applications that have broadly equivalent functionality to traditional TV services requires additional development and specialized testing. Automating the testing of these applications, and bringing them into a common test environment with other elements of a multiscreen service offering, enables the delivery of new services faster and more cost-effectively," said John Maguire, director of Product Strategy, S3 Group.

StormTest Development Center is the leading digital TV test automation platform. It allows automated software testing to be executed efficiently and effectively end-to-end, across multiple TV platforms and is proven to reduce testing effort by up to 80 percent.