S&T unveils powerful interactive TV and closed caption monitoring tool

NAB, Las Vegas, booth SU8606 – 20 - 23 April 2009: Strategy & Technology (S&T), the leading specialists in interactive TV playout systems and MHEG-5 middleware, has announced TSMonitor, a unique tool for monitoring broadcast interactive applications and closed captions/subtitles to help ensure they are dependably delivered to viewers.
TSMonitor is designed for use by broadcasters or playout centres wherever there is a need to monitor broadcast interactive applications, closed captions or subtitles, and other ancillary components within a transport stream.
 

The innovative system implements a number of virtual receivers running on a single server, each executing a pre-defined, scripted functional test case. A web-browser-based user interface provides a simple ‘Traffic Light’ status display and enables operational staff to drill down into detail of alarms. All events are logged for compliance and analysis.
 

The virtual receiver architecture significantly reduces rack and MCR video wall space requirements when compared to existing STB-based monitoring and logging solutions. Warnings or alarms are generated if the broadcast service deviates from the pre-defined test cases, so enabling timely operator intervention to rectify problems with playout.
 

With interactive applications for example, TSMonitor is scripted to check that the application is broadcast at the scheduled time, to monitor the display of ‘call to action’ user prompts, examine launch and exit timings, and to check whether both the content and behaviour of the application is correct.
 

This enables TSMonitor to play a key role in an interactive advertising campaign, for example, as it gives advertisers confidence that the interactive elements are played out at the right time and across the right video.
 

For subtitles or closed captions, TSMonitor will not only check that these are being broadcast with programmes scheduled to be subtitled, but also that they are updating correctly without any sticking or freezing. The system can also check the availability of multiple languages where appropriate.
 

The behaviour of all elements is logged for compliance purposes, while a web browser interface allows effective monitoring from any location with an IP connection to the server. 
 

“Interactive TV and closed captions/subtitles are now primary components of digital TV broadcast and the cost of playout errors can be significant,” says Colin Prior, Director of International Sales at S&T. “TSMonitor will be an essential tool for broadcasters and playout operators who wish to automate the monitoring of interactive applications and closed captions/subtitles, whether for operational purposes or for compliance and audit.”
 

TSMonitor is currently available with MHEG-5 middleware and EBU Teletext subtitles. Support for DVB and Line 21 closed captions as well as ETV/EBIF middleware are in preparation, with other middleware standards support to follow.

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About Strategy & Technology
Strategy & Technology Ltd is a specialist company building and implementing technology based on international standards in digital TV. It is the leading independent company in the industry sector that supports the MHEG interactive TV standard, and provides complete interactive applications and systems for broadcasters and manufacturers. S&T’s TSBroadcaster and TSPlayer systems are used for the creation of MHP, MHEG, tru2way and ETV interactive TV transmissions, and its RedKey™ MHEG engine is licensed to digital receiver and set top box manufacturers worldwide. For further information visit www.s-and-t.com.

Press contact:

Richard Dean
Manor Marketing
Tel:  +44(0)7986 546 768
richard@manormarketing.tv

Company contact:

Colin Prior
Strategy & Technology
Tel: +44 (0)20 7183 1511
colin.prior@s-and-t.com