VON'99 - BOOTH #440
CONTACT INFORMATION
Mariana Haven
Hammer Technologies 
mhaven@ham.com
888-888-0001

Atlanta, GA - September 28, 1999 - Hammer Technologies, the industry leader in IP telephony testing, today announces the latest release of the groundbreaking VoIP Test System. Release 1.2 will further solidify Hammer's position as the most experienced and knowledgeable provider of automated, standards-based voice quality analysis, which is critical in assessing how an IP telephony device will perform under "real-world" conditions. "VoIP V1.2 provides the tester, for the first time, the ability to debug a DUT in response to a voice quality score. The user can vary DUT configurations such as codec type and test conditions, then use the tools to analyze the elements contributing to the result", says Tom Lynch, Principal Engineer for VoIP at Hammer.

Building on the unique capabilities of the VoIP Test System, the focus of the new release is enhancements to the Perceptual Speech Quality Measure (PSQM, described in ITU recommendation P.861) capability. Through Hammer's extensive experience with customers using PSQM, it became clear that a tool allowing further analysis of PSQM scores would be valuable. In response to this need, Hammer developed PSQMit.ä

PSQMit provides visual comparison of tested speech files (automatically saved over a user-defined threshold) with the source file. PSQMit allows easy diagnosis of file misalignment, extraneous noise and differences in amplitude, all major factors that could negatively affect a score. In addition, several of the most important parameters on which PSQM scoring is based can be manipulated to further isolate the cause of degradation. 

After changes are made, PSQM can be re-scored, with corollary MOS, PSQM+ and Auditory Distance (P.861 Addendum II) results also provided. PSQM+ and Auditory Distance (also called Measuring Normalizing Blocks, or MNB) are the latest supplements to PSQM, refining analysis of network-based voice quality degradation factors. 

MOS (Mean Opinion Scoring, described in ITU P.800) is the voice quality rating system long accepted by major service providers across the world.

PSQM coverage across all channels used in a test is available. Reporting has been expanded to include flexible sorting and graphing of results that include scores for all prompts and channels used in a test. MOS ratings are provided in the standard report set. Now voice quality testing results can be easily displayed and understood, even incorporated into sales tools.

All VoIP Test System functionality, which includes IP network monitoring and analysis, and generation of both PSTN and IP traffic load, is accessible from a single intuitive screen. Complete test parameter set-up and test launch is also executed from this screen. Precoded tests and reports are included, covering a range of performance metrics. Ease of use is maintained for quick test start-up, and shorter overall test cycles.

The Hammer VoIP Test System continues to lead the industry in IP telephony testing with the first and only truly convergent VON/VoIP testing system and extensive automated voice quality experience to better support our customers.

About Hammer Technologies:

Based in Wilmington, Mass., Hammer Technologies, a Teradyne Company was founded in 1991. Hammer Technologies provides the Hammer family of products - The Standard for Computer Telephony Testing.
 
 

Hammers are in use today by developers of computer telephony, advanced switching, and enhanced services systems, most of the regional Bell Operating companies and long-distance carriers, and at call centers of numerous Fortune 100 companies. Hammer is the only system that provides a complete solution for load, feature, regression, and in-service testing of integrated telecommunications systems and services.

The Hammer's test capabilities include voice, data, T1, E1, ISDN, WWW, TCP/IP, SS7, LAN/WAN, Speech Recognition and other related technologies.

Additional Information on Hammer:

Please visit our website at http://host.web-print-design.com/Hammer_rehab

Hammer, the Hammer IT, Hammer.323, the Hammer logo are trademarks of Hammer Technologies. All names, products, and services mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.