Characteristics
Applications
When developing
either data or object carousels for interactive applications, designers
not only need to verify the content of carousels, but also whether
they are compliant with the relevant standards, and to optimize the
settings between transmission bandwidth and responsiveness of the
user experience. These settings are mainly concerned with the repetition
rates of the various carousel groups. The Carousel Analyzer is designed
to address all of these needs for a Transport Stream file containing
carousel components.
Feature Details
Carousel
Structure Views
When a Transport Stream has
been analyzed, windows are populated displaying the signalled Services
and Message Log entries. The Services will either show the Object
carousel structure or Data carousel DSI super-groups and DII groups,
depending upon the type of carousel. A UN Download view is also available
showing the DDB blocks comprising each module, modules comprising
each DII group, and groups comprising a DSI super group.
Occasionally,
the signalling is sufficiently broken that a carousel present in the
Transport Stream is not found during analysis. In this instance the
carousel can be identified with Manual Signalling from the related
PID node. The Transport Stream will then be re-analyzed with any DSM-CC
sections on the selected PID being processed.
Bit Rate
and Repetition Graphs
A trend graph of either the bit
rate or repetition interval for any selected node may be displayed,
where a node is any element of interest such as an object, a directory,
DII message, DDB block, or even a PID.
Application Load
Times
One of the main timing issues is the boot time. That
is, the amount of time it takes from the start of transmitting a carousel
to the point where the STB can execute it. This is especially important
for interactive adverts, where the advert to which the carousel is
associated may only last for, say, 20 seconds.
The Carousel
Analyzer incorporates many timing methods, one of which is Cold Boot
Time. This measures the time taken to signal the carousel and download
the service gateway, the boot class, and all of the assets. This is
repeated at regular intervals within the bitstream.
The boot
class must be received before any of the assets. This simulates the
STB not knowing which carousel objects the boot class depends upon
until it has received and processed. Directories must be received
before any child objects, as this timing method assumes no signalling
caching. The end of each cycle will be the end of the module containing
the last asset; this is an important distinction, as an asset may
not be the only one in that module.
Unresolved and Absent
Objects
The most common signalling problems are unresolved
objects and absent objects. When an object is found during analysis,
but its key is not referred to in the Service Gateway, it is displayed
under an Unresolved Objects node.
The Carousel Analyzer also
identifies referenced objects that cannot be found. The path in which
the absent object is expected is also marked.
Standalone Software System Requirements (MTS4SA)
- PC with Genuine Intel Pentium class 1.2 GHz processor
- Intel
or 100% compatible motherboard chipset
- Windows 2000 or Windows
XP Operating System
- Internet Explorer 5.0 or above
- 256 MB of RAM
- 50 MB of available hard disk space for the
application and documentation
- SVGA (800 × 600) resolution
video adapter and monitor (XVGA (1024 × 768) or higher resolution
recommended)
- CD-ROM or DVD drive
- Keyboard and Microsoft
Mouse or compatible pointing device
