Abstract: Emulating human faculties of sight, image, and hand control by a testing system to interact with a multimedia switching system. The testing system can control a multimedia video unit by the transmission of infrared command signals emulating a user actuating buttons on a hand-held infrared transmitter unit to verify that the system responds correctly to such actuations. Also, the testing system can analyze quality of images to be transmitted, transmit those images through the switching system via user multimedia video units, receive those signals at other user multimedia video units, and analyze the quality of the resulting video images. Further, the testing system can place varying levels of multimedia traffic through the multimedia switching system. Further, the testing system can test call control performed by the multimedia switching system by utilizing an infrared transmitter unit to place and receive calls.

Abstract: Verifying that a correct program is being received and displayed on a television set of a consumer. In addition, video quality is checked to assure that transmission has not degraded the video quality. When the consumer requests a program by transmission of a message via a controller in a set top box to a system computer controlling a cable television system, the system computer sends the necessary commands to cause the requested program to be communicated to the consumer site and also transmits to the controller in the set top box a start time of the requested program and information defining the initial video content of that program. At the start time, the controller verifies that the initial video content is being received and that the consumer has the set top box correctly tuned. The controller uses a frame grabber circuit at the consumer site to grab the initial portion of the program and then to analyze the stored portion with respect to the initial video content.