Hilversum, 1 Oct 2015

StreamXpert 2.0 Has Been Released

We are proud to announce that the all-new StreamXpert release is now available for downloading from our (also brand new) website. StreamXpert 2.0 brings a new modern ribbon-based user interface, providing quick access to all application settings, and improving on the already highly appreciated ease of use of the existing GUI.

StreamXpert - The new GUI look

A revamped video analysis and decoding core adds support for video standards like HEVC, AVS and decoding of 4:2:2 and 10-bit video. Decoding of MPEG-2 and AVC video is - obviously - still supported and the new decoding core enables easy addition of new video codecs (e.g. JPEG-2000 video) in the future. Another highlight on the video decoding front is a full-screen option with support for multi-monitor PCs.

On the audio side we have worked with Dolby to include a new improved AC-3 and E-AC-3 audio decoder, as well as bringing support for analysis of Dolby AC-4 audio to the StreamXpert.

StreamXpert 2.0 is available in two versions: (1) the Full version (DTC-320-SX) which includes all StreamXpert functionality, and (2) a lower-priced Lite version (DTC-321-SL) with decoding and basic recording functions only. The Lite version replaces the DtTV application that has been discontinued as of October 1^st 2015.

Hilversum, 1 Oct 2015

StreamXpert 2.0 Licensing Model

With the StreamXpert release a new licensing model with yearly maintenance is introduced. This means that after purchase of a new StreamXpert license, all new versions released within one year of the date purchase can be freely downloaded and installed. After the end of the maintenance period you can continue to use StreamXpert, but you will not be able to install new versions of the StreamXpert.

Maintenance can be renewed/extended at any moment in time including at the initial purchase. DekTec applies a liberal policy where there is no requirement to purchase maintenance for the time that StreamXpert was outside of maintenance. For example, if your maintenance expired in 2015 and in 2017 you want to renew maintenance, there will be no charge for 2016.

Note: StreamXpert Lite comes with a perpetual license without a maintenance requirement and can be updated to the latest version at any point in time.

Upgrading the version of StreamXpert from 1.0 to 2.0 requires a new version-2 license. Users who have purchased their StreamXpert 1.0 license after the 1^st of September 2014 are eligible for a free upgrade license. For older licenses you have to purchase a version 1.0 to version 2.0 upgrade, order code DTC-322-SXV2UPG.

The StreamXpert installer will automatically check if your license needs upgrading and whether or not the license is eligible for the free upgrade. If a free upgrade is available, it will try to automatically download and apply an upgrade license.

In case the automatic upgrade should fail, or if the StreamXpert indicates that no valid license is found, please contact your local distributor or DekTec support for assistance.

Hilversum, 21 Aug 2015

DTU-315 Portable Test Modulator for USB-3 is Released and Shipping

DekTec has released its most advanced product to date: the DTU-315 all-band all-standard modulator for USB-3. The DTU-315 is the first portable modulator that combines cable, terrestrial and satellite modulation in one device. Virtually all digital modulation standards currently in use around the world are supported. Please refer to the DTU-315 product page for an overview of specifications and the myriad of options and applications available for the unit.

DTU-315 - All-band all-standard modulator for USB-3

The design of the DTU-315 has been an extreme challenge in hardware, software and industrial-design technology. Despite the tight power budget available on USB-3, the design team has succeeded in creating an all-digital modulator that directly synthesizes the RF output signal up to high in the L band at 2.15GHz. The result is a combination of low phase noise, excellent signal quality, ease of use and flexibility that is matched by no other modulator in the market.

The small metal case makes the DTU-315 rugged and easy to carry around in a laptop case for use at customer demos, at trade shows etc. The unit is also convenient to use in the lab as no installation in a PC is required; plugging in the USB-3 cable suffices. The DTU-315 can even be used in 19-inch environments, e.g. for production testing of TV sets, using the 19" rack-mount kit.

1U rackmount kit to install up to eight DTU-315 units in a 19-inch rack

The versatility of the architecture of the device is illustrated by the fact that DekTec is very close to a prototype implementation of ATSC 3.0. Visit DekTec at IBC booth 2.B40 to watch the first real-life ATSC 3.0 signal generated by the DTU-315.

Hilversum, 10 Aug 2015

New RF Probe DTU-238 Supports DVB-T2 Field Monitoring and More

The DTU-238 is DekTec's latest addition to the line of USB-2 measurement probes. Together with your laptop or tablet, the DTU-238 forms a comprehensive solution designed to provide real-time recording, analysis and monitoring of terrestrial, cable and baseband DTV signals. The unit is USB powered and does not require a separate power supply.

DTU-238 - RF and ASI Analysis Probe for USB-2

The following DTV standards are supported:

• Terrestrial: DVB-T2 including T2-lite, DVB-T and ISDB-T*.
• Cable: DVB-C2 and DVB-C (QAM-A). DVB-C2 is not used much yet, but the DTU-238 is prepared!
  Please note that QAM-B and 8VSB is not supported; for those standards the DTU-236A is required.
• Baseband: DVB-ASI. This allows recording and analysis of baseband Transport Streams.

The following software is available for the DTU-238:

• RFXpert for performing real-time measurements on various RF parameters, including MER, RF level and BER (bit error rate). Spectrum, constellation and eye diagram are displayed in the user interface and can be used to assess the signal quality.
• StreamXpert is a user-friendly Transport Stream analyzer for showing the detailed contents of the TS and decoding audio, video and data (tables). PCR accuracy can be measured and plotted and TR 101 290 error conditions are detected and logged.
• For building custom applications, the DTU-238 is fully supported by the free Windows SDK (WinSDK) and Linux SDK, which can be downloaded from the SDK downloads page.

The DTU-238 can be ordered now and is available from stock.

* ISDB-T support in RFXpert is not yet available but coming soon. ISDB-T is available in the SDK.

Hilversum, 11 Jun 2015

3G-SDI Level B Support for the DTA-2174

DekTec is proud to announce the availability of 3G-SDI level B interfacing for the DTA-2174. With equal support for level A and level B signals, the DTA-2174 is now compatible with all standard-compliant 3G-SDI equipment in the market, including UHD cameras from leading brands in the broadcast market such as Sony.

DTA-2174 - Four 3G-SDI ports and genlock, now with support for level A and B

3G-SDI "Level A" and "Level B" - defined in SMPTE 425-1 - are two schemes to map uncompressed 1080p50/60 TV signals with embedded audio and ancillary data onto a single 3Gbit/s SDI link:

• Level A is a direct mapping of video lines, HANC and VANC into the standard serial SDI structure;
• Level B, also known as level B-DL (DL=Dual Link), is the somewhat confusing name for embedding two virtual HD-SDI links into a single 3Gbit/s physical signal. The two virtual links are formatted according to SMPTE ST 372M, a standard for transporting 1080p50/60 over two HD-SDI connections.

It is regrettable that two incompatible mappings exist for the same signal, but fortunately the DTA-2174 can handle both signals equally well.

Together with the DekTec Matrix API, the DTA-2174 has become the industry-standard platform for real-time processing of 3G-SDI signals entirely in software. The four SDI ports can be combined into a SMPTE 425-5 quad-3G link for processing 4Kp50/60 UHD signals. In the market, DekTec customers have successfully deployed the DTA-2174 in software-based 4K HEVC encoders and decoders and 4K playout servers.

Level B-DL support is included in DTA-2174 firmware version 3 and the June 2015 DekTec SDK. If you have an older firmware version, you can freely upgrade your DTA-2174 by downloading the latest version of DtInfo and running the firmware-update function. The June 2015 Windows and Linux SDKs, which include the DekTec Matrix API, can be downloaded from the SDK downloads page.

Hilversum, 12 Mar 2015

Multi-Channel Modulation on Single-Channel Hardware

The new "multi-channel modulation" option enables modulating multiple channels on single-channel hardware. For example, it allows you to generate two DVB-T2 channels with a single DTA-2111. With this option you can create a grid of channels at an attractive price point.

Spectrum of DTA-2111 modulating two DVB-C channels at 6.875MBd.

Applications include:

• Generating a network of channels in an R&D or Test & Validation environment
• Broadcast/VOD systems for hospitality, hotels, campus, etc.

Multi-channel modulation is currently available for the DTA-2111 and DTA-2115B. It allows applications using the DekTec SDK (also known as DTAPI) to generate multiple adjacent channels through one output channel. To support multi-channel modulation, DTAPI adds one new parameter to the Write and GetFifoLoad methods to select the sub-channel. Furthermore, a SetMultiModConfig method has been added to configure multi-channel operation.

This new capability is included in the GOLD-option. It can also be ordered separately as DTC-384-SWMC. On the DTA-2111, multi-modulation only makes sense if it is used in combination with the DTC-380-16MHZ option.

Multi-channel modulation supports all modulation standards used in the VHF/UHF band, but it also has a number of limitations: The sub-channels must use precisely the same modulation settings, the maximum combined bandwidth is about 16MHz (CPU-bound) and it is not available for satellite modulation standards.