JP2007251633A - Control timing test system for encoder, and control timing testing method of the encoder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control timing test system for encoders which verifies that the encoder has executed a control process at a picture frame accuracy and improves the reliability of tests. <P>SOLUTION: Upon the receipt of a control information, an encoder 11 processes a TS according to the control information, after N frames from the control information reception and records the control contents executed on stuffing parts in packets including a PCR in the TS. The test system analyzes the TS recorded by a TS recorder 14, to identify the receiving timing of the control information referred to the PCR, compares the identified receiving timing with a PTS at processing according to the control information to obtain the time difference, and decides from the time difference whether a process with respect to the TS, based on the control information, has been executed in the N frames. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control timing test system for an encoder apparatus that generates a TS (Transport Stream) by MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group 2) in a broadcasting station and a control timing test method thereof.

  In studio equipment for digital broadcasting, studio equipment that performs signal processing such as video signal encoding by MPEG2 is indispensable. Digital broadcasting requires more precise and accurate processing than analog broadcasting, and particularly requires control processing in units of video frames (33.3366... Ms).

  Therefore, conventionally, it has been considered to perform a control timing test before starting operation of an encoder apparatus that encodes a video signal or during maintenance inspection. This control timing test records, for example, a TS output from the encoder device when the control information is input to the encoder device, and compares the recorded TS with a regular TS stored in advance in the built-in memory. This is done by verifying the comparison results.

  However, in the above test method, although it is possible to test the control timing to the encoder device, it is difficult to test the validity of the reflection timing to the TS.

On the other hand, a PLL (Phase locked loop) is used to calculate the difference between the number of clocks counted during the arrival interval from the encoder apparatus to the transmission apparatus and the system clock of the encoder apparatus without using a built-in memory in which regular TS is stored. A method of testing the validity of the reflection timing to the TS by calculating using a circuit and inserting this time difference into the PCR packet of the TS is also considered (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-332831 A

  However, with the above method, although the time difference on the transmission path can be tested, it is difficult to test the validity of the reflection timing on the TS when receiving control information inside the encoder apparatus. Further, since the PLL circuit is used, the circuit configuration is increased in size.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a control timing test system for an encoder apparatus and an encoder apparatus capable of confirming that TS control processing in the encoder apparatus is executed with video frame accuracy and improving the test reliability. It is to provide a control timing test method.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.
Used in a transmission system that generates and sends a TS (Transport Stream) having a frame structure in which a plurality of parameters are defined by control information in the encoder on the transmission side, and receives and records TS from the encoder on the reception side. When the control apparatus receives the control information, it adds processing to the TS according to the control information after N frames (N is a natural number) from the reception time point, and controls the packet to include a PCR (Program Clock Reference) as the absolute time of the TS. Information is inserted, TS processing means is provided, the receiving side analyzes the recorded TS, specifies timing reception timing of control information based on PCR, and timing value specified by this timing specification means Is compared with the PTS (Program Time Stamp) at the time of processing by the TS processing means, so that the control information is transmitted to the TS in N frames. Process in accordance with is that as and a whether determination means is performed.

  According to this configuration, when the control information is received by the encoder device, processing according to the control information is added to the TS after N frames from the reception time, and this control information is included in the packet including the PCR in the TS. By analyzing the TS recorded on the receiving side, the reception timing of the control information based on the PCR is specified, and the specified reception timing and the PTS at the time of processing according to the control information are determined. By comparing, a time difference is obtained, and from this time difference, it is determined whether or not processing according to control information has been executed for the TS in N frames.

  Therefore, on the receiving side, it is determined whether processing according to the control information in N frames has been executed for the TS using the PCR in the recorded TS and the PTS at the time of processing according to the control information. Therefore, it is possible to confirm that TS control processing in the encoder apparatus is executed with video frame accuracy with a simple processing procedure without using a built-in memory storing regular TS. A high test can be performed.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to confirm that the TS control processing in the encoder apparatus is executed with video frame accuracy, and to improve the test reliability. In addition, a control timing test method for the encoder device can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a digital broadcast transmission system for carrying out an embodiment of a control timing test method according to the present invention. Reference numeral 11 denotes an encoder apparatus. Here, for simplicity of explanation, the number of input channels (systems) of the encoder device 11 is two, and the number of output channels is one.

  In this embodiment, a VTR (Video Tape Recorder) 12 is connected to a first input channel of the encoder device 11, a host control device 13 is connected to a second input channel, and a TS recording device 14 is connected to an output channel. .

  The encoder device 11 performs variable-length compression encoding based on the MPEG2 encoding method on the program information signal including video / audio output from the VTR 12 and converts it into TS. This TS has a frame structure, and a plurality of parameters (here, parameters A and B) are defined. The TS is supplied to the TS recording device 14 and recorded in a memory (not shown).

  By the way, in this embodiment, the TS processor 111 is provided in the encoder device 11. The TS processing unit 111 operates in units of video frame interrupts, and N (N is a natural number) frames from the time when control information (including start, end, parameter change, etc.) sent from the host controller 13 is received. Later, processing according to the control information is added to the TS. As an example, FIG. 2 shows the time relationship when changing parameters.

  In addition, the TS processing unit 111 inserts the received control information into the Stuffing portion in the packet including the PCR in the TS.

  On the other hand, the TS recording device 14 is provided with a control timing specifying unit 141 and a validity determining unit 142 as functions related to the present invention.

  The control timing specifying unit 141 performs an analysis process on the recorded TS, and specifies the reception timing of the control information based on the PCR.

  The validity determination unit 142 compares the timing value specified by the control timing specifying unit 141 with the PTS at the start of TS processing or parameter change, and thereby processes the TS according to control information in N frames. It is determined whether or not is executed. This determination result is stored in a memory (not shown).

Next, the operation in the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control processing procedure of the encoder device 11.

  The encoder device 11 monitors the arrival of control information from the host control device 13 in step ST3a. When a program information signal is input from the VTR 12 in this state, the encoder device 11 compresses and encodes the program information signal, analyzes its ES (Elementary Stream), generates a PES (Packetized Elementary Stream) header, and TS header And the contents of the adaptation field are calculated to generate a TS.

  However, in the generation of TS, as shown in FIG. 4, PCR is added to the adaptation field as absolute time information.

  On the other hand, when control information arrives from the host control device 13, the encoder device 11 follows the control information for the TS N (N is a natural number) frames after receiving the control information (including start, end, parameter change, etc.). For example, a process of changing from parameter A to parameter B is executed (step ST3b), information indicating “parameter change” is recorded in the Stuffing portion of the TS packet including the PCR (step ST3c), and the TS in the format shown in FIG. Is sent to the TS recording device 14 (step ST3d).

On the other hand, the TS recording device 14 executes the control process shown in FIG.
That is, the TS recording device 14 records the TS sent from the encoder device 11 in the memory (step ST6a), and analyzes the recorded TS to determine the timing when the control information is received based on the PCR. Specify (step ST6b). Then, the identified timing value is compared with the PTS at the time of parameter change (step ST6c), and it is determined from the time difference whether control is reflected after N frames (step ST6d).

  Here, if it is reflected (Yes), the TS recording device 14 stores the information to the effect of the reflection in the memory (step ST6e). On the other hand, if not reflected (No), the TS recording device 14 stores information indicating NG in the memory (step ST6f).

  Note that the control timing test result stored in the memory may be output by a printer or the like, or may be notified to the outside.

  As described above, in the above-described embodiment, when the control apparatus receives the control information, the encoder apparatus 11 performs processing according to the control information to the TS after N frames from the reception point of the control information, and also includes the process in the packet including the PCR in the TS. The control content executed in the stuffing unit is recorded, and the TS recorded in the TS recording device 14 is analyzed to identify the reception timing of the control information based on the PCR. The identified reception timing and control information The time difference is obtained by comparing with the PTS at the time of processing according to the above, and it is determined from this time difference whether or not the processing according to the control information in N frames has been executed for the TS.

  Therefore, the TS recording device 14 uses the PTS in the recorded TS and the PTS at the time of processing according to the control information to determine whether the processing according to the control information with video frame accuracy has been performed on the TS. As a result, it is possible to perform a highly reliable test from only the recorded TS by a simple processing procedure without using a built-in memory storing a regular TS.

  In the above embodiment, the process start, parameter change, and process end for the TS have been described as examples. However, processes for the TS other than the process start, parameter change, and process end for the TS may be added.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the TS recording device 14 is used has been described. However, any device other than the TS recording device 14 may be used as long as it can test the control timing for the TS.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications.

The block diagram which shows the digital broadcasting transmission system for enforcing one Embodiment of the control timing test method concerning this invention. The figure shown in order to demonstrate the time relationship at the time of the parameter change in the embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of TS packet containing PCR handled by the embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of TS packet containing PCR and control information handled by the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the control processing procedure of the encoder apparatus in the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the control processing procedure of the TS recording device in the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Encoder apparatus, 12 ... VTR, 13 ... High-order control apparatus, 14 ... TS recording apparatus, 111 ... TS processing part, 141 ... Control timing specific | specification part, 142 ... Validity determination part.

Claims (4)

Used in a transmission system that generates and transmits a TS (Transport Stream) having a frame structure in which a plurality of parameters are defined by control information at the encoder side on the transmission side, and receives and records the TS from the encoder device on the reception side And
The encoder device includes:
When the control information is received, processing is performed on the TS according to the control information after N frames (N is a natural number) from the reception time point, and a packet including a PCR (Program Clock Reference) as an absolute time in the TS is included in the packet. TS processing means for inserting control information is provided,
The receiving side
Analyzing the recorded TS, and timing specifying means for specifying the reception timing of the control information based on the PCR;
By comparing the timing value specified by the timing specifying means with the PTS (Program Time Stamp) at the time of processing by the TS processing means, the processing according to the control information was executed for the TS in N frames. A control timing test system for an encoder apparatus, comprising: determination means for determining whether or not. 2. The control timing test system for an encoder apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the TS processing means executes at least one of processing start of the TS, parameter change, and processing end of the TS according to the control information. 2. The control timing test system for an encoder apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the TS processing unit inserts the control information into a stuffing section of the packet. Used in a transmission system that generates and transmits a TS (Transport Stream) having a frame structure in which a plurality of parameters are defined by control information at the encoder side on the transmission side, and receives and records the TS from the encoder device on the reception side And
When the control information is received by the encoder device, processing is performed on the TS according to the control information after N frames (N is a natural number) from the reception time point, and a PCR (Program Clock Reference) as an absolute time of the TS is also obtained. Inserting the control information into a packet containing,
Analyzing the TS recorded on the receiving side, specifying the reception timing of the control information based on the PCR,
By comparing this specified timing value with the PTS (Program Time Stamp) at the time of the TS process, it is determined whether or not the process according to the control information is executed for the TS in N frames. A control timing test method for an encoder device.

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