Stream View

Template

Simply monitoring the syntax of a Transport Stream according to TR101 290 is not enough to guarantee that the correct information is being delivered to the viewers' receiver. Ensuring that the contents of the Transport Stream are correct requires the monitoring equipment to have prior knowledge of what the broadcaster plans to transmit. A template in which the operator enters the values expected to be present in a Transport Stream can be compared with a transport stream to verify its content, and made to indicate any discrepancy.

The composition of a transport stream may vary during the day as daytime programming is replaced by the evening primetime and then the late night programs. You can schedule template changes to coincide with changes in the program content.

Among the items that can be checked using a template are the following:

ƒTransport stream identifier

ƒServices - presence, name

ƒPIDs in services

ƒPID types and scrambling state

ƒService regional ratings

The template feature allows you to create a template can be applied to a stream (or streams) that is being monitored. If the stream does not conform to the template, the associated icon changes color (in the same way as the error icons) and an entry is made in the error log.

Initially, templates are stream-specific, that is, a template will be created and applied to a specific stream. However, a template can subsequently be uploaded to any device.

In Figure 3-28, the presence of two services (Service 28129 and 28132) in transport stream 1101 is being checked. In addition, details of the service and associated PIDs are checked.

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MTM400 MPEG Transport Stream Monitor User Manual