Archive for October 31st, 2009

HDTV Tuner LG DVR

October 31st, 2009 zou

HDTV increasingly expanding horizons,the role of independent HDTV tuner has diminished but certainly not disappeared. Of course, this year, the FCC ordered TV manufacturers to start incorporating internal ATSC tuner to a new 36-inch-or-more TV that has NTSC tuner, but what if you have built your home theater around a high-end projector or a flat panel with no internal tuners? Sure, the satellite and cable companies are offering more HDTV content by the minute and adding DVRs to their new HD set-top boxes, but that doesn’t help the person who can’t have a satellite dish, isn’t getting much (if any) HDTV from their cable company, or doesn’t want to pay a monthly fee to watch and record HDTV.

If you fit into any of the above categories,LG Electronics new LST-3410A is worth a look. This attractive silver box contains an ATSC and an NTSC tuner to pull in over-the-air signals, a QAM tuner to decode unencrypted cable channels, and a 120-gigabyte hard drive. The TV Guide On Screen user interface unites them in a user-friendly package that both the novice and veteran will appreciate.

Making the Connection
Setting up the LST-3410A is a breeze. The owner’s manual is logically laid out and thorough, but LG includes a Quick Setup Guide to make the process that much easier. Just connect the tuner to your HD display via the component, RGB, or DVI output, connect your indoor or outdoor antenna’s RF cable to the Ant In RF input, and choose an audio connection to your TV or audio system.

If you want to pass standard-def digital or analog cable signals through the LST-3410A to utilize its DVR, you can use either the second RF input or one of the tuner’s A/V input sets; LG recommends the latter if your cable box has A/V outputs. Not surprisingly, there’s no component or DVI input to feed your HD cable box’s signals through this box, but I was a bit surprised that the box doesn’t at least offer an S-video input for slightly better signals from your cable box. However, many standard-def cable boxes don’t give you anything better than composite anyhow, so it’s not a critical omission.

After you power on the unit, you need to make sure it’s configured to match your TV, which is a no-brainer, thanks to the clearly labeled front-panel buttons. Use the Display Format button to first select your video connection (DVI, component, etc.—only one output is active at a time) and then your desired resolution—in my case, 720p to match the Epson TW100 (LCD) and Sharp XV-Z12000 (DLP) projector I used for this review. The large front-panel display always shows what resolution and output type you’ve selected, how much hard-disk space you’ve used, and other useful info. It’s a vast improvement over early generation boxes that offered only a power light on the front panel.

Lastly, the onscreen interface walks you through a simple process to set up the TV Guide On Screen program guide and prompts you to run your first channel scan a relatively quick endeavor, even when I included digital cable channels in the scan. After that, you’re good to go, but you need to turn off the LST-3410A overnight to let it download the necessary program info. (After the initial download, you can leave it on all the time.)

The Tuners
The LST-3410A did a commendable job of tuning in and holding HDTV over-the-air signals, both with an inexpensive RCA indoor antenna in my apartment and with a rooftop antenna at our testing facility. It didn’t find as many channels as a few tuners that have passed through our doors, but its performance was on par with most and better than some. At home, the initial scan didn’t find the Fox and UPN DTV channels; at the studio, it didn’t find ABC, UPN, and PBS. However, it did a reasonably good job of holding the signal once it found it—more so with the rooftop antenna than the indoor one, which isn’t terribly powerful and often loses the signal when police helicopters circle my neighborhood (an all-too-frequent occurrence, I’m afraid—no, really, I’m afraid).

Adding channels is easy with the Channel Edit function: A numerical grid appears onscreen, and you select the channels you want. If you’re uncertain where a channel falls in your local UHF/VHF band, go to www.antennaweb.org to get this info. For instance, in Los Angeles, Fox is on channel 11, but their DTV feed is on channel 65. Once you add the number, if the tuner can find a signal, it will label the “DTV channel” by its common local delineation (i.e., 11-1, not 65). I successfully added Fox but couldn’t tune in UPN at home or our studio. I never got ABC or PBS at the studio, but I received strong signals for these channels at home, which likely means the problem was with the rooftop antenna’s orientation. I recommend that you do your homework about signal locations before putting up a rooftop antenna.

The DVR
The LST-3410A’s 120-GB DVR doesn’t have all the gee-whiz features you get with a TiVo or ReplayTV unit, but it also doesn’t cost anything extra or tie up your phone line. It can record up to 12 hours of  HDTV; with SDTV, you can choose between four picture-quality settings for up to 120 hours of recorded content.

The hard drive doesn’t automatically back up programming the way TiVo does; you must hit the remote’s Time Shift button to begin the backup process that allows you to pause, rewind, and fast-forward pseudo-live TV. Once you end a Time Shift session, the last 30 minutes of saved content will remain on the hard drive until you begin another Time Shift session.

The TV Guide On Screen program guide contains eight days of programming info and kindly lists SD and HD channels on the same grid, grouping the HD channels at the bottom of the lineup. The guide is easy to maneuver and customize. If you see a show you want to watch or record, just select it; the LST-3410A will figure out if it’s an antenna or cable broadcast and take care of the rest.

You can access a recorded program by hitting the Program List button on the remote; in addition to providing a list of the recorded shows, this screen tells you how much room is left on the hard drive. Unlike its fee-based counterparts, the LST-3410A’s DVR won’t let you begin watching a program that’s still recording or watch one recorded program while it records another; again, we’re talking pretty basic functionality here.

But How Does It Look?
In terms of color and detail, HDTV content looked wonderful from both the DVI and component outputs with the projectors I used. It was difficult to conduct an A/B comparison because the two outputs aren’t active at the same time, but the DVI signal appeared to be just a hair sharper. I also saw no discernible difference between a live HD broadcast and a recorded one. Overall, I was quite pleased.

Fun with FireWire
The LST-3410A features two four-pin FireWire ports, to which you can connect a D-VHS player or a few compatible camcorders. After I connected the LG box to the JVC-HM30000U and pressed the remote’s 1394 button, I could watch and control the JVC’s signals through the LST-3410A without having to switch any connections or find other remotes. The quality of D-VHS signals didn’t appear to diminish when passed through the LST-3410A. The shuttle launch at the start of Digital Video Essentials looked absolutely stunning.

Through that FireWire connection, you can transfer content from a D-VHS tape to the LST-3410A’s hard drive, provided that content is not copy-protected. I was able to transfer PBS HD demo footage from a D-VHS tape to the hard drive, but not a segment from the Digital Video Essentials tape. Perhaps the best feature of all, though, is the ability to archive HD recordings from the hard drive to D-VHS for permanent storage; not only is this a rare and much-desired ability in an HD device right now, but it couldn’t be easier to do than it is with the LST-3410A.

Living Easy
Easy is the best word to describe the LST-3410A: It’s easy to set up, easy to use, and easy to get used to. It’s also the perfect HDTV source component for the person who hates monthly fees. For $1,299 and the price of a good antenna, you can enjoy over-the-air HDTV (and NTSC, for that matter) without paying a cable or satellite company, and you can experiment with a basic DVR. For those of us who are committed to paying too much for cable or satellite, the LST-3410A would make a great second tuner for recording one HDTV program while watching another.

HDTV tuner may not hold the place of prominence they once did, but the LST-3410A’s performance and its DVR and FireWire perks make it a viable and valuable piece of the HD puzzle.

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File-based Distribution and Broadcasting

October 31st, 2009 zou

File-based distribution and broadcasting provides a non-traditional approach to traditional video and audio broadcast applications. The move to an asynchronous transfer of content and playout is a big departure for an industry built around distributing linear programming via satellite. A file-based broadcasting model brings efficient use of bandwidth and streamlined downlink operations, which leads to greater programming flexibility and significant cost savings.

There are many benefits to file-based broadcasting, but adopting this type of business model requires a commitment to a new way of thinking. It’s not just about delivery at the network level  file-based broadcasting also affects how content is played at the local level. Program elements are distributed to each location, then played (and replayed) as needed. The file-based design of the model is critical to its success.

One of the most dramatic changes broadcasters will notice immediately with file-based broadcasting is a significant reduction of bandwidth requirements. In a linear-based distribution model, repetitive content means repetitive transmission of that content. Every time a particular movie or program episode is aired or each time a song is played in a programming block, it has to be redistributed.

Consider a television broadcaster that fills a 24-hour daily schedule with repetitive hour or two hour blocks of programming. If those program blocks are simply identical to the original program block or they are scheduled to match different time zones, the network is essentially paying to retransmit multiple hours of content every day. They also miss out on additional regional marketing opportunities.

Another example of wasted bandwidth is a radio network that plays top 40 hits. If the hottest hit of the week is a four-minute song programmed to play every 90 minutes or so, that means the same song is replayed about 16 times a day. That’s more than an hour of transmission time each day – and more than seven hours that week — to play the same four-minute song at different times throughout the on-air schedule.

By adopting a file-based broadcasting model, there is no longer a need to redistribute repetitive content. The distribution model builds on satellite network control systems to allow operators to both pre-position repetitive content at each downlink and send commands for playout when required. To do this, each affiliate is equipped with a device that combines “satellite receiver” and media server functionality.

The model takes advantage of a network control system’s ability to command a group of receivers. Expanding the ability to manipulate an affiliate database to create multiple groups or sub-sets of receivers enables operators to setup the delivery of playlists, regional advertisements or targeted programming to specific receivers. Then, using playlists, operators control what content is played, in what order, and at what time.

When you consider the amount of content that is repeated on quarterly or annual basis, it’s easy to see how quickly a file-based approach can save on transmission costs.

Another reduction in bandwidth requirements comes from transmitting some, or all, programming content in non-realtime. Content is now just a data transfer of a file that will be broadcast at a later time. As a result, it can be distributed at non-peak times or trickle-fed, which can shave off even more transmission costs an important consideration particularly for video broadcasters, as the demand for bandwidth-hungry high definition content continues to increase.

File-based broadcasting naturally extends from production, where file-based workflows are currently replacing tape-based environments. A central network operator can efficiently move finished media content into the distribution pipe and manage targeted delivery to multiple sites. It opens the door for the use of more custom programming, regional advertising and, in the case of radio, custom radio announcements and station callouts. Combining content collection and playout functionality for all national and localized content into one box at an “affiliate site” reduces operational complexity and improves production scheduling capabilities at the network level.

Of course, it might not be feasible for an entire network to discard all of its existing hardware at each affiliate, backward compatibility is possible to ease the transition. New file-based broadcasting solutions are designed to work with existing local ad servers and to cue local devices. File-based broadcasting also does not mean the end of local or live programming. In fact, it fully supports the blending of live and file-based content at the local level. For example, the new technology can provide automatic time zone shifting allowing network affiliates to record a live program feed, but automatically play it out at the correct time several hours later.

An additional benefit is the ability to offer new loss of signal (LOS) strategies to affiliates. A network can save consumers from experiencing dead air by utilizing the receiver/server’s ability to automatically switch to locally stored content during a period a live feed is not available, either due to signal loss or encryption. The network can regularly update this LOS content and associated playlist to keep it timely and, even locally, relevant.

File-based broadcasting can also improve productivity in teleports and digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) applications. For teleports, file-based broadcasting streamlines the process of ingesting and broadcasting client material, plus it increases opportunities to help clients tailor broadcasts to their affiliates. For DSNG, decoder/server units make it easy for affiliates to receive and record live feeds for later use. Plus, feeds can be augmented with pre-packaged media assets filled with related materials (graphics, scripts, web video, archival footage, etc.) from a network to affiliates for local news coverage.

The file-based distribution and broadcast model is a gateway to cost savings at the network and local levels for any video and audio broadcaster. The reduction of bandwidth usage for repetitive material can be significant, while the digital workflow can reduce operational complexity. Meanwhile, the handoff from production becomes more efficient and programming options at the network and affiliate levels more flexible. It is a logical next step for broadcasters managing video or audio, from ingest, through archive, targeted delivery, and playout.

WEGENER’s file-based broadcasting solution builds on a linear satellite network to allow operators to pre-position repetitive content at each downlink and control later playout, while mixing in live broadcasting segments. The solution includes a range of devices that combine satellite receiver with media server functionality called iPump® media servers and the corresponding network control products to manage distribution and digital assets.

Each iPump model features an integrated satellite receiver decoder that allows it to record or playout live streams and IP encapsulated files. It can also connect to a local area network for non-realtime file delivery, control and monitoring.

The WEGENER video iPump media servers handle MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video files for commercial broadcasters or private networks, while the WEGENER audio iPump media server is specifically designed to support regionalized affiliate radio broadcasts.

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