In Broadcast - July 2016 - 68


68

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 6 - Issue 7 | July 2016

InTech

Update On Broadcast
Test & Measurement
Contributing Editor David Kirk rounds up the latest developments
in the evergreen patch of digital test and measurement...

W

hen analogue audio and
video
signal
processing
first began to give way to digital
technology in the 1970s, some industry
observers predicted that test and
measurement would soon become
superfluous. In reality, the transition
to digital increased the need for signal
monitoring, not least to ensure that the
pulse train actually reaching viewers
and listeners bore some resemblance
to that created at source.

Cobalt Digital offers card-based and
standalone ancillary data monitor/
probes and test signal generators
intended to help validate and ensure
expected presence and handling of
ancillary data in SDI streams. Several
test signal generators models are
available, providing test/calibration
stimulus to maintain consistency
across facilities. Some functions are
available as options for quality control
monitoring.

Nearly 50 years on, T&M is still a
thriving element of the broadcast
business. Significant developments
covered in this brief overview include
the advance into 4K and 8K UHD and
the accommodation of IP.

Dektec's StreamXpert 2.0 real-time
stream analyser provides support for
video standards like HEVC, AVS and
decoding of 4:2:2 and 10-bit video
as well as MPEG-2 and AVC video. A
new decoding core enables addition
of future video codecs. A full-screen
option is available with support for
multi-monitor PCs. Audio features
include an AC-3 and E-AC-3 audio
decoder, as well as analysis of Dolby
AC-4 audio.

Axon's Smart DVB is a complete suite
of tools designed to monitor, report
and analyse live MPEG-2 and DVB
transport streams. Features include
transport stream monitoring against
a known good template, video black
frame/freeze frame monitoring, audio
level and silence monitoring, loudness
monitoring,
subtitle
monitoring,
EPG monitoring, bitrate monitoring,
analysis of all signalling and content,
drag and drop multiviewer, service
demux and streaming, and alarm
aggregation. Webviews are provided
allowing status display on a computer,
phone or tablet.
Bridge
Technologies'
VB288
Objective QoE Content Extractor
delivers visual content verification
with Objective QoE, graphical status
displays and alerts to a remote display
that can be viewed through any web
browser. The new version of the VB288
integrates OTT services alongside
conventional linear streams. Running
on a standard high-specification
server, the VB288 can power displays
of large numbers of MPEG-2, H.264/
MPEG-4 and H.265/HEVC channels in
multiple browser windows. Operators
can mix and match between transport
streams and OTT services.

DSC Labs produces camera test
charts in various sizes and formats.
The company's ChromaSentry allows
2K, 4K and 8K resolution framing and
includes six SMPTE 2020 primaries.
It is available in various sizes, from a
two-metre vertical high poster format
to the compact 'ChromaSelfie'.
Imagine Communications' Videotek
TVM9150PKG is a multi-format video
waveform monitor and audio signal
analyser with integral XGA TFT colour
LCD display in a half-rack format.
It is designed for 3G/HD/SD-SDI,
analogue composite and ASI video
and audio applications. Operators can

display and evaluate up to
four input sources in up to
four formats simultaneously.
Waveform, vector, gamut,
audio, picture, timing and
data analyser screens can be
viewed in any quadrant.
Interra Systems has integrated
IBM's Aspera transfer technology into
its Baton quality control software
for file-based content. Aspera's
FASPStream enables the transfer of
any data stream and can allow access
to portions of a file in memory during
the transfer process rather than
waiting for the entire file to be written
to disk. Files previously had to be fully
inspected before transmission over
the network and then inspected again
after all files were fully received at the
target site.
Leader
Instruments'
LV5490
offers 4K, UHD, HD and SD text and
measurement features in a compact
unit. Waveform, vector and picture
display can all be viewed at the same
time on the LV5490's 9 inch LCD
monitor. A 1920x1080 HD DVI and HDSDI rasterised output is also provided.
Simultaneous viewing of up to four SDI
inputs is possible, including overlays.
Size and location of individual
channels can be adjusted on the
display using a USB mouse so the user
is not limited to fixed-size quadrants.
The LV5490 can also be controlled
remotely using standard
KVM tools.

Bridge Technologies VB288 Objective
QoE Content Extractor

Leader LV5480 4K CINEZONE-HDR display

Additional features of the LV5490
include
video
frame
capture,
instrumentation
screen
capture,
timecode display and ID display.
Leader's
CINELITE
II
toolset
(comprising CINELITE and CINEZONE)
also comes as a standard feature,
allowing easy assessment of relative
exposure and overall luminance
during production. A Focus Assist
option allows on-set adjustment of
camera focus to match the 4K format's
ability to handle very precise image
detail. Three new options for the
LV5490 and its sister product, the
LV5580, have been introduced: HDR
measurement, 12G-SDI connectivity,
plus support for Sony's IP Live Video
and the Networked Media Interface
technology.
Leader's LV7390 is a 1U 3G/HD/SDSDI rasteriser which can be used to
measure up to four source channels
simultaneously. It can be deployed for
desktop or rack-mounted operation.
Designed for easy connection into
3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI systems,
the
LV7390
incorporates
fullresolution 3G/HD-SDI
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.leaderamerica.com/product/lv5490 http://www.bridgetech.tv/product_vb288.php
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