StreamXpert - Raw Decoding of MPEG-H Tables Added

Matrix API 2.0 Improvements

Version 5 of Zond 265 Analysis Software Adds Support for EVC

DekTec Ensures Continuity in Product Supply

Latest Software Updates

MPEG-H "3D" audio is a next-generation audio-coding, developed by MPEG and Fraunhofer IIS, to stream customizable audio to any device, from theater to mobile phone. Last year, StreamXpert was extended with analysis of MPEG-H audio in OTT, ATSC 3.0 and transport streams, providing an in-depth view of the structure of the MPEG-H stream.

The MPEG-H analyzer has now been extended with a "raw table decoder", which shows all fields in the MPEG-H structures as they are sent over the line.

Raw decoding of the 3D Audio Config table, showing all low-level fields.

This new view allows MPEG-H encoder and decoder developers to check their algorithms to the last detail. Timing information such as the average interval is also displayed, as well as an indicator showing when a particular table is no longer being sent.

›  MPEG-H audio decoding and metadata analysis.
›  StreamXpert - Industry-standard stream analyzer.

Ever since DekTec's inception in 2000, our philosophy has been to do in software what can be done in software. PCIe cards transfer video efficiently to PC memory, where software does all the processing. Having the brains in software offers algorithmic flexibility and allows new features to be added quickly. And, with the ever-increasing power of x86 CPUs, software solutions automatically get more powerful every year, at an unbeatable price compared to dedicated hardware.

Processing lots of data in software in real time comes with its challenges, though. Our DTA-2178 is now capable of receiving/transmitting eight 1080p60 or two 2160p60 signals simultaneously, pushing even today's CPUs and PC memory to the limit.

To ensure that Matrix API 2.0 (our SDI SDK) can keep up with the increased number of streams and high data rates, we recently introduced some major optimizations under-the-hood:

1. To better utilize many-core CPUs, the main processing loop has been updated to use a thread pool that distributes the workload across multiple threads.

   
   Thread pool to distribute workload.

   
   
2. Preventing cache line misses as much as possible by intelligently organizing memory accesses.
   
3. Avoiding the copying of blanking symbols, significantly reducing the amount of data sent over the PCIe bus for HANC and VANC lines.
   

All in all, these updates resulted in a performance improvement of approximately 30% faster processing of 2160p60 frames. DekTec is committed to continuously improving the Matrix API. In the upcoming release we are planning further reduction of the memory load by a zero-copy architecture and extended cache optimizations.

›  Free download of Linux and Windows SDK.

MPEG-5 Essential Video Coding (EVC) is a new video compression standard with efficiency comparable to HEVC, or better. A key important goal for EVC has been the timely availability of licensing terms, the lack of which has slowed widespread deployment of HEVC.

Zond 265's main window with open EVC bitstream.

Version 5 of Zond 265 software supports in-depth analysis of EVC's Baseline and Main Profiles. It displays decoded images overlayed with coding visualization such as picture type, tile boundaries, prediction partitions and motion vectors. Detailed reports can be generated, making it an invaluable tool for EVC encoder or decoder developers.

›  News article about EVC analysis in Zond 265.
›  Zond 265 page, with freely downloadable demo version.

The supply chain of electronic components is facing an unprecedented crisis. The lead time of some electronic components have changed from a few weeks to multiple months or even more than a year. The shortage appears to be due to increasing demand across new market segments such as IoT, home automation and cars. On top of that, chip suppliers have slowed down their production and investments in new facilities due to COVID and the slow economic climate it created. This difficult period is expected to last at least another year before electronic components manufacturing can catch up with demand.

DekTec has been closely monitoring this situation and has been working with its suppliers since half 2020 to secure components for this year and 2022. As a result, we are confident that our factories in the Netherlands will be able to continue to produce all our key products uninterrupted, so that we can provide our customers with all the solutions they need throughout this crisis.

DekTec continues to update its software suite to fix bugs, make improvements, support new DekTec hardware devices and keep up with the advancement in our industry.

You can download the latest versions of our software at dektec.com.

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