Programming Metadata Communications Protocol (PMCP) Tutorial
We at EtherGuide Systems believe that the ATSC A/76 PMCP is the protocol to use to insure that MPEG-2
PSI and ATSC PSIP tables always accurately define the elementary streams and program services within a transport stream.
NOTE: EtherGuide Systems has developed and debugged the full PMCP (ATSC A/76) data interface for our broadcast metadata/PSIP generators.
During that process, a decision was made to leave this incomplete tutorial as
is, without finishing or updating the content to reflect what we have learned of
the PMCP interface. Such information is shared with partners and
customers. In additon, EtherGuide Systems provides PMCP-specific information that
is accessible on the customer-specific areas of this web site. We apologize if this
inconveniences competitors and those at Fortune-500 companies that seem to
repeatedly visit this tutorial, but our focus is on customers.
Consulting services are available from EtherGuide Systems if you or your company need assistance with a PMCP implementation
or understanding how PMCP works in the broadcast metadata/systems environment, but
you or your company is not desirous of an actual PMCP-powered PSIP generator.
.What suprised us was the dearth of resources on the Internet for people interested
in learning the advantages and disadvantages of PMCP. Rather than bemonaning
this lack, we decided to fill the void with our own free tutorial on PMCP.
The "end" result of that decision is this tutorial.
As a practical matter, PMCP "code" is about as user-friendly as HTML, the
language behind all web pages, including this one. But, few people actually write
HTML code; most web site design and development is done using computer
applications that make web site designers and developers more productive, in no
small part by shielding the user as much as is possible, from having to write HTML
code. We at EtherGuide Systems believe that rich suites of PMCP-oriented
tools and applications will foster the widespread adoption of PMCP,
not cheif engineers and IT technicians at TV stations writing their own PMCP applications.
But, just as the widespread adoption of HTML enabled any Internet user anywhere
to
quickly acquire the information they are seeking, the widespread adoption of
PMCP will enable broadcastes to dynamically redefine in real time, the characteristics of their transport stream and program elements using a protocol that is easily understood
by any device that creates elements that are folded into or extracted from ATSC
transport streams.
Have we yet mentioned on this page that all EtherGuide Systems products
and systems for ATSC broadcasters, including but not limited to EtherGuide
Emissary and EtherGuide Ferret, support PMCP interfaces
for files and live data? If not, consider this to be that mention.
What the EtherGuide PMCP tutorial will do for you:
- Provide you with an overview of PMCP and published PMCP schemas and which
schema is best for your station;
- Leave you with a basic understanding of XML data, XML schemas, XML documents, and how each is used
to exchange data and validate the transfers..
- Enable you to see what existing and future issues you can avoid
in your transmission
plant by insisting on PMCP interfaces on all purchases of transmission equipment
- Explore how PMCP works with and complements the emerging SMPTE BXF protocol
to put digital broadcasters once again in control of their transmissions and the
accompanying digital broadcast metadata
What the EtherGuide PMCP tutorial won't do for you:
- It won't decrease your displeasure with the use of proprietary
interfaces to exhange information about ATSC transport streams;
- It won't enable you to better understand MPEG-2 transport streams associated items than you do already;
- It won't enable you to write or read actual PMCP code;
- It may increase your sexiness, at least amoung a subset of 'tv
geeks', biut that is unlikely to improve your love life
To start the tutorial, click one of the "Start Tutorial" buttons near the top or
bottom of this page.
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