Introduction

Welcome to the Volicon Media Intelligence service 8.2 Admin Guide.

Purpose and scope

This document will provide the details and instructions necessary to guide you through the Volicon Media Intelligence service configuration and operation, addressing specific system and network administrator functions, including:

  • Connecting video sources

  • Encoders used to ingest various video sources

  • IP network configuration

  • Alerting thresholds

  • User accounts

  • Other system-related parameters in the Volicon Media Intelligence service

This document is also useful for advanced users to gain further understanding of system operations.

About the Volicon Media Intelligence service

The Volicon Media Intelligence service suite of applications transforms content creation, sharing and the monitoring of broadcast products. It allows you to create and distribute high-quality content faster while immediately enabling response to the competition, advertisers and regulatory entities. Most importantly, the Volicon Media Intelligence service enables you to provide an improved product that will increase approval from all audiences.

Figure: Volicon Media Intelligence service functional diagram

Figure: Volicon Media Intelligence service functional diagram

The Volicon Media Intelligence service continuously ingests videos and audio from multiple sources. Volicon Media Intelligence service works with networks of all sizes. The system is preconfigured with default settings so that small installations can work right out of the box. For larger installations, you can define as many probe servers and their streams in the central server as you need to completely monitor your network.

Conventions used in this manual

Type

Classification

Boldface

Denotes names and labels in the Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Capitalization

Denotes keywords, module names, components and signal labels

<Boldface>

Denotes push buttons and other similar user input devices

@Hyperlink

Automatic links to other sections in the document denoted by boldface and the “@” prefix

Definitions and acronyms

8VSB

8-level Vestigial Sideband Modulation: Used for ATSC over-the-air broadcast

AC-3

Dolby Digital Audio Codec 3: Compression used by ATSC

AFD

Active Format Description: Metadata describing format (i.e., 4:3 or 16:9)

ARL

As-run logs: Used to extract a program schedule

ASI

Asynchronous Serial Interface: Used to carry MPEG-TS

ATSC

Advanced Television System Committee: A set of standards for US digital television

Bookmark

Short program segments marked on the Volicon Media Intelligence service server to facilitate auditing and sharing

CALM Act

Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation: The FCC requirement for audio loudness

CEM

Content Export Module: An optional software package to export program clips to social media sites

Clear QAM

Clear Quadrature Amplitude Modulation: A non-encrypted cable video distribution

CC/TT

Closed captioning/SMPTE timed text: Protocols used to add text description to audio

Component video

Analog video with separate red, green, blue (RGB) channels using three RCA connections

Composite video

Analog video over a single RCA connection

Dialnorm

AC-3 metadata used to control playback gain

DPI

Digital Program Insertion: Metadata that allows downstream insertion of commercial or short programs

DPI – in point

Entry point to switch to a different stream

DPI – out point

Return to normal stream

DvB

Digital video Broadcasting: An international suite of digital television standards

Encoder

Volicon Media Intelligence service function that receives and processes media signals

Fault clips

Portions of audio or video stream that fail to meet Volicon Media Intelligence service-quality thresholds

SD/HD-SDI

Uncompressed Standard- or High-Definition (video serial data) Interface

GPI

General-Purpose Interface: Metadata used for broadcast automation

HDMI

High-Definition Multimedia Interface: A digital interface used to transport audio and video short distances

IP

Internet Protocol: Used to send digital data from one computer to another

Metadata

Data-about-the-data: Additional information carried by the program used to describe program details

MH

Mediahub: An internal Volicon Media Intelligence service component

MPEG

Motion Picture Expert Group: An international organization that sets audio and video compression and transmission standards

MPEG-TS

MPEG Transport Stream: A standard container for audio, video and Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP)

Multiview

Volicon Media Intelligence service feature that allows you to configure multiple channels and monitoring widgets into a single display screen

NAVE

Nielsen Audio Video Encoder: Psychoacoustic symbols inserted in programs to facilitate automatic viewer tracking

NTP

Network Time Protocol: An internet standard used to synchronize computer real-time clocks

OTT

Over-the-top program delivery using internet protocols

PID

Packet Identifier: A unique 13-bit value used to identify elementary streams of a program in a single- or multiprogram Transport Stream

Probe

Ingest server housing one or more encoders

PSIP

Program and System Information Protocol: A method used to transport program metadata (e.g., sub channels, program guide and content ratings)

S-video

Separate video: A variation of composite video that separates luminance (black and white) from chrominance (color) to enhance video quality

Services

A/V program content with the associated metadata

SMPTE

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers: Creates numerous technical standards

STB

Set-top box: A device used to make programming available to customers

Storyboard

Sequence of video frames to assist visualization

VANC

Vertical ancillary data space in digital streams

W3C

World Wide Web Consortium: Sets standards to advance the use of the World Wide Web

XDS

Extended Data Services: Analog NTSC metadata