TSReader

MPEG-2 Transport Stream Analysis and Recording

Updated October 7, 2004

Introduction

TSReader is a transport stream analyzer, decoder, recorder and stream manipulator for MPEG-2 systems. It supports DVB, ATSC and Digicipher® II extensions to the base MPEG-2 specification.
Digicipher is a registered trademark of Motorola Broadband

Features

• Decodes MPEG-2 tables with DVB, ATSC and Digicipher II extensions.
• Decodes unscrambled MPEG-2 video in thumbnail format. All profiles/levels are supported.
• Thumbnails can be exported as they are generated to JPEG files for remote monitoring via a web browser.
• Parses MPEG, A/52 (AC3) and DTS audio streams to show bitrate/mode settings.
• Indicates CC/DTVCC streams for ATSC streams and VBI/Teletext/Subtitle/WSS/VPS on DVB muxes.
• Supports a wide range of MPEG-2 hardware input and output devices Transport streams can also be fed from a file.
• Records the transport stream to a disk file. *
• Records an individual program to a disk file with PAT/PMT regeneration into files with a very flexible file naming scheme.
• Decodes IP/DVB transmissions in MPE format with decodes of the MAC and IP destination addresses.
• Can save the payload from TCP and UDP transmissions and act as a multicast UDP/IP/DVB router. *
• PID usage graph with percentage displays for each PID.
• Actual bitrate on PIDs carrying PCR and estimated bitrates for non PCR carrying PIDs.
• PID graph is color coded to indicate unscrambled and scrambled PIDs.
• Counts continuity errors on mux and PID-by-PID basis.
• Table report generation into HTML and XML.
• EPG data export to XMLTV format for use with myHTPC.
• Automatic transport stream recording and export for unattended operation. *
• Control over D-VHS decks for unattended HDTV recording (Windows XP). *
• Automatic export of tables in XML format for processing by other software. *
• Supports plugins written for MultiDec.
• Manually defined channels can be added to any multiplex. *
• Record up to 16* (1 in Lite) PIDs from a mux either as separate files or combined in their received order.
• Multiple card support in a single system with qualified drivers. *
• Serial receiver control for Motorola DSR-4800 and Tandberg Alteia Plus/TT1260 receivers. *
• TCP/IP based remote control server to allow TSReader to be operated remotely by other software. *

* Indicates feature available only in registered version of TSReader

What that means you can do with TSReader

OK, so after all that technical mumbo-jumbo, here's some of the things our users are doing with TSReader:

Stream Analysis	Find PIDs in a mux quickly even if the MPEG-2 tables aren't correct
	Spot channels within muxes that occasionally switch from scrambled to FTA
	Analyze new transmissions and get all the pertinent technical information about the mux in just a few seconds
Stream Recording	Record free-to-air SD and HD programs directly to the hard drive
	Record free-to-air HD programs directly to D-VHS decks
	Recording the entire mux and later using TSReader as a demultiplexor to pull out the individual programs
Stream Monitoring	Spotting if an encoder is running correctly or how much bandwidth is being wasted on null packets
	Monitoring JPEG thumbnails of free-to-air MPEG video to verify correct encoder operation
	Exporting automatically DVB tables for real-off-air stream verification
	Transcoding the MPEG-2 stream in real-time with VLC to MPEG-4 and then streaming over the Internet - allows remote monitoring of the transmitted stream anywhere in the world
Stream Viewing	Stream free-to-air HD over Firewire to D-VHS decks for real-time decoding with no CPU load and no DirectShow filter issues
	Watching free-to-air SD live on the XBox with XBox Media Player
	Streaming to VLC which can decode for playback, transcode for Internet streaming and a whole variety of other neat things
	Watching video real-time through the Stradis Professional decoder. Even with the cost of a 4:2:2 capable Stradis card, this solution is still thousands of dollars less than a 4:2:2 capable commercial receiver

Computer Requirements

To run TSReader successfully, you need:

• A Windows 98 or later PC. Windows 2000, Windows XP or NT 4.0 are highly recommended. D-VHS function requires Windows XP.
• We recommend using a 800 MHz or faster processor to ensure packets aren't lost with SD streams and 2.5 GHz or faster for HD.
• A display with at least 1024x768 resolution. TSReader will not display correctly with lower resolution displays.

Screen Shots

Click the thumbnail for a full size screen shot.

	One of the many muxes on Astra at 19.2 degrees east
	Globecast's DVB-S transmission on NSS-806 at 40.5 degrees west
	PBS HDTV feed from AMC-3 at 87 degrees west. This is an ATSC standard transmission being sent over a DVB-S carrier
	WJLA-DT (Off-air ATSC station in Washington DC). Notice how they have two channels but the PSIP masks out the color-bars channel.
	IP/DVB traffic showing MAC and IP addresses plus packet counts.

Sales Information

Two versions of TSReader are available. TSReader has all features enabled and can be licensed from our on-line sales partner, Digital River for $99. TSReader Lite is free but lacks certain features and limits recording/playback to one minute at a time.

Purchase TSReader on-line by clicking the Digital River icon. Once you purchase TSReader you'll be able to download the full released version immediately and will receive an email with instructions for accessing the private update and beta area reserved for clients. Updates to TSReader are free to all registered users during the lifetime of the product.

Download TSReader Lite

Please visit our download page to obtain TSReader Lite. We also suggest you read the README file by clicking this link and if you have questions about TSReader or TSReader Lite, have a read through our support info