QoS, they say, "is typically linked to one or more defined metrics and an associated service level agreement, e.g., average bandwidth or latency." Quality of experience (QoE), however "is now just as important, if not more so, as it is often more appropriately named 'quality of user experience'," they say, adding that "it is a more subjective, qualitative metric rather than the typically empirical QoS, but if the movie you are watching is choppy, that’s all you care about and most importantly that is what will convince a user to switch providers." 

The demand for equipment that can measure and manage QoE is increasing, Advantech officials say. "The overall market size for specific QoE testing equipment is approximately $500 million — it is growing however, and the contribution towards overall revenue protection and churn prevention should not be underestimated."

Earlier this month, Advantech introduced a series of embedded boards based on the new second-generation Intel (News - Alert) Core i7 processor, featuring intelligent performance, power efficiency, and integrated Intel HD graphics with DX10.1 support.

It is true, as company officials say, that voice networks have used qualitative measurements for many years, using both humans and machine simulations. QoE systems "can also take both approaches, and as application scenarios differ so do the approaches to measuring and managing." But as Advantech officials note, there are common characteristics.

Segmenting application elements: It is crucial to be able to identify which element of an application is responsible for and related to positive or negative user experience.

Real time measurement: If one is trying to gauge what a real user might experience, one needs to be able to track the real-time ebbs and flows of the traffic and overall application performance.

Packet level inspections: Being able to inspect packets and identify exactly what is going on with an application and specific user at any given point in time is at the core of any QoE system.