Broadcast Test Hardware and Software – NAB 2011
April 11, 2011 – Las Vegas, NV – The efforts of the data / telco / cable provider has had increasing requirements and challenges on the area of Qoaulty of Experience (QOE) for thier delivered product. Tektronix, introduced several new pieces of hardware / software for monitoring, maintaining and quantifying the QOE metrics at the NAB show.
They introduced the new RFM220 ISDB-Tb RF Channel Monitor. This product, already selected by the Brazilian markets, will deliver the next generation of monitoring solutions for ISDB-Tb. It can not only monitor the physical layer RF signal for error detection but also the underlying MPEG video transport stream. The ability to have a single device monitor is needed to identify the source and solution to problems. The RFM220 helps engineers quickly determine whether problems are occurring in the physical layer – which could require time-consuming travel to a remote location – or in stream syntax or metadata. The RF channel monitor helps create a complete end-to-end monitoring solution for isolating problems in the DVBS2 Receive Remux-ISDB-Tb Transmit video signal flow
With the rise of 3D in cinema, broadcast and gaming, Tek introduced thw new WFM8000 Series Advanced Waveform Monitors and the WVR8000 Series Advanced Waveform Rasterizers. In both production and post-production for S3D, one of the key requirements is to ensure that the two cameras are matched and balanced to create the 3D effects without causing viewers’ discomfort. The four new monitoring displays are for 3D production teams who are tasked with determining the differences between the Left Eye and Right Eye images inlcuding Anaglyph display, Checkerboard display, Disparity Grid, and Disparity Cursor.
A major change for the broadcast industry and its monitoring, is the incorporation of software based tools for the production environment. The lead in this flow is the release of Cerify Ver7.. The product was updated to support the H.264 codec, and now handles multiple audio track within the same file. The Cerify product has also been updated to support the new audio loudness specifications. The Cerify SW is designed for automated control of file based content systems.
Tektronic VQS1000 Monitoring Software
In addition to control, they released several analysis products in software form. These include the PQASW – Pitcure Quality Analyzer PC Software, the VQS1000 Video and Audio Quality Analysis software, and the MTS4EA Elemental Stream Analyzer. All of these products feature advanced codec support for H.264, MPEG-2, AC-3, MPEG-2 AAC, MPEG-4 AAC and AVC Intra profiles. The PQASW also supports an optional analysis feature for full 10 bit deep color measurement execution with a color PSNR measurment on a vector display. These software tools are targeted bor both compressed and uncompressed video and audio streams in boradact and IPTV distribution.
Tektronix once again was showing sector targeted tools quantitative and qualitative measurement tools based on optimizing QOE for content delivery at the source and along the distribution lines.
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