Plug-In Solution for ITU-Standardized Video MOS

Embed standardized video quality scoring into your own product — without building it from scratch.

For system integrators, measurement solution providers, and platform vendors who want to add ITU-T P.1203 video MOS to their offering. Our standalone Surfmeter module integrates via API into your existing platform, giving your customers standardized video quality scores.

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The Challenge

Building a standardized QoE model from scratch is impractical

Implementing the ITU-T P.1203 algorithm requires deep expertise in video quality research and access to the standard's specifications. Most measurement platforms resort to proprietary or simplified quality scores that lack industry recognition and comparability.

Our Approach

A ready-to-integrate P.1203 module

The Surfmeter P.1203 module is a self-contained software component that computes ITU-standardized video MOS from streaming metadata. Available as an embeddable library or as a service we set up for you, it handles the complete P.1203 pipeline: audio quality (Pa), video quality (Pv), and temporal integration (Pq) into a single MOS score. You get standardized scores in your product.

Key Capabilities

Add P.1203 scoring to your platform

Full P.1203 Implementation

Complete P.1203 pipeline with audio, video, and integration modules. Mode 0 covers H.264, H.265, VP9, and AV1; Modes 1 to 3 are available for H.264 with frame data from your own bitstream parser.

Simple Integration

Send streaming metadata, receive MOS scores. No complex dependencies or infrastructure requirements.

From the Reference Maintainers

We co-maintain the open-source reference implementation of P.1203, which is used widely across academia and industry.

Flexible Deployment

Embedded library, or a service in the cloud or on-premise. Choose the integration model that fits your platform architecture.

Proven in Practice

ISP Quality Benchmarking at Scale

“We are delighted to have AVEQ, a renowned expert in the field of video streaming analyses, on our team.”

Christoph Sudhues, CEO — zafaco GmbH

zafaco and AVEQ collaborate to establish new standards for measuring and optimising video streaming quality for broadband providers in the DACH region. Surfmeter’s QoE algorithms enable standardised quality ratings for international services like YouTube, Netflix, and TikTok, as well as national broadcasters and media libraries — based on ITU-T standards and the latest research. Together, they analyse IPTV streaming quality of leading broadband providers across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in a complex test setup covering realistic end-user scenarios.

Results

Integrated Surfmeter’s ITU-T P.1203 QoE module into zafaco’s measurement platform
Deployed across hundreds of measurement probes in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
Enabled standardised video quality benchmarking for broadband providers across the DACH region
Results published annually in public comparative reports

Creanord, a Finnish provider of network quality monitoring solutions, wanted to extend their probe-based platform with video streaming QoE metrics. By integrating Surfmeter Automator as a measurement component, they added ITU-standardized video MOS testing to their existing network monitoring infrastructure.

Results

Integrated Surfmeter Automator for video quality testing on existing probes
Added ITU-T P.1203 video MOS to their PULScore network quality reporting
Expanded their platform’s capabilities without in-house QoE R&D

Ready to see it in action?

Get a personalized demo and see how Surfmeter fits your use case. It only takes 30 minutes.

Business Benefits

Real outcomes for your business

Ship Faster

Add standardized video MOS to your product without the multi-year R&D investment of implementing P.1203 from scratch.

Industry Credibility

ITU-T standardized scores carry more weight than proprietary metrics in operator RFPs, regulatory reports, and competitive benchmarks.

Validated Model

P.1203 was developed from extensive subjective tests at ITU-T and has since been confirmed on real-world streaming data.

Focus on Your Core Product

Outsource the QoE scoring engine to us. Focus your engineering resources on what differentiates your platform.

How It Works

Integration in 3 steps

The Surfmeter P.1203 module is designed for minimal integration effort.

1

Choose deployment model

A cloud service for simplicity, on-premise installation for data sovereignty, or embedded library for tight integration. We help you select the right option.

2

Send streaming metadata

Your platform sends video streaming metadata (bitrate, resolution, frame rate, stalling events, codec info) to the Surfmeter module via a library call or the service.

3

Receive standardized MOS

The module returns P.1203 MOS scores (overall, video, audio components) that you integrate into your dashboards, reports, and alerting.

Data & KPIs

P.1203 input and output data

Input (Streaming Metadata)

Video Bitrate

Data rate of video stream
Resolution

Video output resolution
Frame Rate

Frames rendered per second
Codec

Video compression format
Stalling Events

Number and duration of stalling
Initial Loading Delay

Time until video starts playing

Output (Quality Scores)

P.1203 Overall MOS (Pq)

Combined audio-visual quality (1–5)
Video Quality (Pv)

Visual quality sub-score (1–5)
Audio Quality (Pa)

Audio quality sub-score (1–5)
Per-Segment Scores

Quality scores per video segment

P.1203 Modes

Mode 0

Basic metadata only (bitrate, resolution, FPS, stalling)
Mode 1

Packet header inspection (works with encrypted/DRM content)
Mode 2

Bitstream sampling (2% sampling for higher accuracy)
Mode 3

Full bitstream inspection (highest accuracy)

What does the P.1203 module do?

It computes an ITU-T P.1203 video MOS from streaming metadata. It covers the full pipeline: audio quality (Pa), video quality (Pv), and their integration with stalling and loading delay into one overall score (Pq) on a 1-to-5 scale.

What data do I need to send?

Your platform sends streaming metadata such as video and audio bitrate, resolution, frame rate, codec, stalling events, and initial loading delay. The module returns the overall MOS plus the video and audio components.

Which P.1203 modes are supported?

Mode 0, based on metadata, is used in all our products and supports H.264, H.265, VP9, and AV1. Our library also calculates Modes 1 to 3 for H.264 if you provide frame sizes and types or QP values from your own bitstream parser.

How can I deploy it?

As an embedded library, or as a service we set up for you in the cloud or on-premise. We help you pick the model that fits your platform.