Archimedia Technology video test patterns designed for JPEG2000 needs
Archimedia Technology, a new company whose technology and applications bridge the gap between content producers and their archives without loss of quality, today announced Archimedia Reference Charts, a set of advanced test patterns developed by renowned video test and measurement company VideoQ specifically for mastering formats such as JPEG 2000. Designed for use with the Archimedia Reference Player, the world’s first software reference player for viewing, testing, and measuring master files on a standard HDMI® HDTV, the Archimedia Reference Charts allow users to test, align, configure, troubleshoot, and stress any equipment with an SDI or HDMI input. Such devices include encoders; transmitters; video recorders; monitors; projectors; standards converters; editors; and ingest and capture devices.
When combined with partner VideoQ’s VQMA-3 software analyzer and an Archimedia HD-SDI or 4K-SDI card, the Reference Player and Reference Charts offer the industry’s first full-featured test environment that runs on a commodity Windows® 7 or 8 PC — a solution that is far less costly than previous comparable test environments.
“No matter what segment of the industry they’re in, all video engineers need their own test tools in their own toolboxes for peace of mind, to document QC reports, to cover themselves in tense situations, and, ultimately, to keep their jobs,” said Mark Gray, Archimedia president and CEO. “Comparable reference test patterns and charts are either too expensive or too difficult to transport, but with Archimedia’s Reference Charts and Reference Player, every technician can carry his or her own test environment on a laptop and connect to any HDMI monitor, projector, monitor wall, multiviewer, etc. They can also install it on a rack-mount or desktop PC with Archimedia’s HD-SDI or 4K-SDI card and reach any equipment with an SDI input, or test an entire facility through its central router.”
Archimedia Reference Charts are 8, 10, and 12 bit static and dynamic test patterns in standard-definition, high-definition, 2K, and 4K resolutions — a variety that ensures the right test patterns are always at hand for the most routine and the most demanding applications. The Reference Charts contain visible audio-sync measurements, which are important when making fast adjustments to lip-sync and video-delay settings. VideoQ’s VQMA-3 software analyzer also provides a precise report of the artifacts introduced by a user’s equipment, particularly encoders and video recorders. This combination completes the quality control triangle of visual, measured, and automated testing.
With the Archimedia Reference Player as the repeatable source and VideoQ’s VQDM software to “catch” the test patterns, facilities can essentially automate their peace of mind. Among the many benefits facilities can expect from using Reference Charts on a central Windows PC is that the entire facility can test, troubleshoot, measure, configure, and stress systems with the same patterns and practices, reducing the costs of portable or multiple test-signal generators. Furthermore, by placing the Reference Charts on engineers’ laptops, a facility’s engineers can service any remote or offline system.
The Archimedia Reference Charts are particularly helpful for comparing and optimizing encoders, compressed video transmission systems, and ingest systems; aligning monitors and projectors so that creatives see the best possible picture; and identifying the cause of a video’s flaws by sending minimum, average, and maximum values through the signal chain to see where the faults or artifacts originate.
The charts are meant for any user with SDI and HDMI equipment, such as engineers, service providers, and manufacturers in broadcast, new media, and cinema and TV production. The solution is also well-suited for video game developers who need to test, measure, and validate audio sync in their computer-generated game software, as well as users of large video displays, such as 4K video walls found in a concert venue, where bezel connection checks must happen quickly.
The company says that, unlike many other patterns that are developed as bitmaps, the VideoQ-designed Archimedia Reference Charts are based on pure mathematical calculations so that every value is exact and reveals every curve, ramp, and gradient.