New devices from Tektronix

By Vladimir Zhezherin

Review contents:

Measure seven times Analog TV transmitters’ parameters measure Are You Producing Legal and Valid Video? “Beta TV Com” measuring equipment Measuring devices for terrestrial and cable television from Broadcast Arsenal Group of companies Measuring TV equipment from IMOS Company TV signals level measurers Measuring tools of Planar Company RAP-TV digital measuring system Kathrein TV signals measuring tools Leader Electronics measuring equipment for broadcast sphere Promax measuring equipment Recom-10 TV signal meter Sunrise Telecom’s measuring equipment for cable TV network analysis New devices from Tektronix Equipment from Wohler Company

American Tektronix Company more than 55 year dominates on world market of measuring equipment. Helping its customers in developing, manufacturing and maintenance of modern electronic equipment the company constantly cares about upgrade and refresh of device’s range produced. Last year was non exclusion. Shipping several new devices and some new options to existing equipment has begun.

WVR600 TV signal rasterizer

As free space on shelves and tables in TV facilities become deficit actuality of measuring tools with compact size and wide features increases. New WVR600 Series TV signals rasterizer is a portable device designed for monitoring of video and audio data quality. It has high resolution (1024×786) which allows efficiently use working space of video facilities and makes it possible to keep measuring quality high as guaranteed by Tektronix. (Note: TV signals raster analyzers (rasterizers) in contrast to standard waveform monitors and vector monitors use general raster computer or video monitors for analysis results display).

At present time Tektronix offers two devices from WVR600 series: WVR610A analyzer of digital serial component TV signal with two SDI inputs and WVR611A hybrid digital/analog analyzer with two SDI inputs and two analog inputs. Devices are built in standard 19" 1RU frame. Additionally these devices can be equipped with analyzers of analog, digital or embedded audio.

WVR600 Series TV signal rasterizer

WVR611 Series TV signal rasterizer

New Tektronix WVR600 rasterizer allows monitoring several video and audio signals simultaneously

Main innovation of WVR600 Series is analysis results representation for signal being investigated on high resolution XGA monitor using Tektronix developed FlexVu new technology. This technology gives user inaccessible previously possibilities of simultaneous and parallel viewing four characteristics of tested TV signal in separate windows. Configuring of each window can be done independently. Besides, there is a possibility to view any window in full screen mode.

In appropriate window user can select display type from full type presets for signal analyzed. For instance, in waveform display window decoded SDI-signal one can observe in RGB, YPbPr, YRGB or composite formats with scan by line or field and with amplification by time axis and amplitude, in alternative mode or in overlay mode.

In vector diagrams window one can view standard vector display showing mutual dependency of two color difference signals (Pb and Pr) as well as Tektronix’s patented vector picture — diamond diagram which shows dependency of luminance signal from color difference signals (Pb and Pr). Additionally there is a possibility of looking after Tektronix’s developed diamond and arrowhead diagrams dedicated to display color gamut of component and full TV signal.

Status window of signal analyzed gives user different information of current measure and statistics of detected EDH/CRC errors and color gamut errors for TV signal’s components.

For visual monitoring of signal measured the window ’picture’ is dedicated allowing viewing video picture in both full screen mode and in separate window.

Like all modern Tektronix’s equipment WVR600 devices are equipped with powerful tools for remote monitoring and control. Built-in 10/100Base-T Ethernet card and Java-based software allow communicate with devices via standard web browser.

Hardware part of WVR600 rasterizers is realized using fully digital technology which provides not only precision and measuring stability but also simplifies exploitation due to decreasing necessary calibrations number.

New MTM400 transport stream monitor

At the end of 2002 Tektronix had presented new MTM400 transport stream real time monitor supporting MPEG-2 formats compliant with DVB and ATSC standards. This monitor is designed for satellite, cable and terrestrial digital TV networks operators. Device is equipped with large number of options and is compatible with powerful software products developed also inside Tektronix which allows user configure measuring equipment according to current requirements and budget possibilities.

Device is made in standard 19" 1RU frame. Setup and control of MTM400 realized remotely via built-in 10/100Base-T Ethernet port. For this purpose MTM400 is equipped with Remote User Interface (RUI) allowing monitoring transport stream from any computer in network. For user RUI looks like multi-window screen menu with parameters of configured device and with characteristics of stream analyzed.

MTM400 supports all the standards of DTV but for Russian specialists most interesting is ability of operative transport stream monitoring in real time which provides stream checking for it compliance with DVB standard. For instance, MTM400 provides monitoring of transport stream parameters by all three priority groups (levels) defined in new edition of ETR 290 — TR 101 290 technical report. New device also allows performing measure of streams speed according to method specified in TR 101 290 MGB2. Maximum speed of stream analyzed is 155 Mbit/sec. ASI and SMPTE310M interfaces are used as standard transport stream inputs.

Adding extra options sufficiently extends MTM400 analyzer’s functions. Possibility appears to record transport stream up to 200 MB in volume into device’s memory for its deeper investigation in sophisticated cases. PSI/SI charts analysis ability allows users be sure that system information is present and it is correct and being refreshed with necessary time interval. Stream’s speed measure gives a possibility to track bit rate of separate programs. This information is very important at re-multiplexing. For deep analysis of synchronizing information (PCR) the device is equipped with mechanism for measuring all four parameters defined in TR 101 290.

There is a possibility to analyze number of transport stream key parameters, specified by user (testing using template).

All measured values can be stored in journal with operator defined time interval.

MTM400 may be equipped with QPSK (L-band) and QAM interfaces. Beside RUI for MTM400’ networked use Tektronix Company offers WebMSM (Monitoring System Manager) software which allows control several devices installed in critical (from broadcasting/re-broadcasting point of view) nods of TV network.

In the end of 2003 Tektronix Company had announced that software used for detail offline analysis of recorded transport stream in AD95X Series devices is now available for use with MTM400. This software is purchased additionally, is downloaded into control computer and allows do offline analysis at level of transport stream (TS), packetized elementary stream (PES), elementary stream (ES). It also allows analyze both etalon decoder buffer status using T-STD model defined by ISO/IEC 13818-1 standard and the data organized as carousel (carousel analyzer). So MTM400 been equipped with options becomes power tool for analyzing compressed TV signal and may be recommended not only for exploitation departments but for developers of DTV equipment.

During last year Tektronix Company has produced number of new options extending functionality of its devices produced serially. Among them AVG7 and AWVG7 may be noted which are designed for multi-format TG700 TV generator. AVG7 is analog TV testing signals generator which supports PAL/NTSC, composite, Y/C and 525/625 component formats. AWVD7 is wideband analog testing signals generator for HDTV.

New WFM7DG module developed for WFM700 DTV signal analyzer allows measure parameters of up to 8 channels of embedded audio.

Material is provided by Annik-TV Company