作者: Cash

Dolby MS10 簡介

Dolby 公司做音效, 大家應該都知道. 但是 MS10 這個名詞可能就令人相當陌生了, 只有業內的人才會留意. 所謂 MS 就是 Multi-Stream, 10 就是第十代的 decoder.

MS10 的內容包括 Dolby Digital Plus, HE AAC 兩種 decoder, 以及 HE-AAC 到 Dolby Digital 的 Transcoder. 因為在歐洲國家, 不是 support HE-AAC Decoer (Dolby Pulse) + Dolby Digital Encoder, 就是 support Dolby Digital Plus.

這個消息在 2009/3/23 發佈, 不過 Dolby 早就在著手於 MS11 了. 因為 DTS 也擠進 Broadcast 領域的關係, Dolby 亟思將它趕出去. 

DTS 的優勢就是偽 backward compatible 的相容性, 號稱一個 bit stream 可以適用於各種等級的 DTS decoder. 因此 Dolby 的殺招就是讓它的相容性無法發揮作用, 至於是哪一招, 大家可以推測看看…

[原文]

Mar 23, 2009 08:00 ET 
New Dolby Multistream Decoder Bridges HE AAC and Dolby Digital Plus Standards
Flexible Solution for New European HDTV Broadcasting Specifications and Next-Generation Broadcast Services
 
 

SAN FRANCISCO –(Business Wire)– Mar 23, 2009 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) announced today the new Dolby® Multistream Decoder, a licensable multiformat audio decoding technology that supports Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Pulse in a single package for next generation HDTVs and set top boxes.

In Europe, various industry groups such as Digital Video Broadcasting, the European Broadcasting Union and DIGITALEUROPE (formerly known as EICTA) have recommended Dolby Digital Plus and HE AAC as the audio coding systems for next-generation broadcast transmissions. In addition, individual national forums have specified these audio systems for their respective HD formats. Dolby Digital Plus decoding brings premium audio support and full compatibility with existing Dolby Digital broadcasts. Dolby Pulse (Dolby’s implementation of HE AAC) can extend the Dolby experience to an even wider range of bandwidth constrained services and new online opportunities.

The new decoder, also known as the Dolby MS10 Multistream Decoder, decodes both Dolby Digital Plus and HE AAC audio and therefore can assist manufacturers in meeting new MPEG-4 terrestrial receiver specifications in several European countries, including Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway (HE AAC only with transcoder), Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It also enables new audio mixing options to enhance presentation for viewers with vision impairments, as required or recommended in several European countries, including Sweden and the UK.

“We’re confident that the Dolby Multistream Decoder will not only aid manufacturers in reducing the cost and complexity of integrating audio technologies into their TVs and set top boxes, but it also will aid greatly in simplifying product development and testing,” said Tom Daily, Senior Director of Marketing, Broadcast Segment at Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

Other key benefits of the Dolby Multistream Decoder include:

  • Full compatibility with Dolby metadata and consumers’ existing DVD home cinema systems with all Dolby and HE AAC transmission formats
  • Full multichannel support (transcoder) for Dolby Pulse in addition to Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus decoding and conversion—one Dolby Digital output for all input formats
  • Support for audio description services delivered “receiver-mix” style using two simultaneous instances of Dolby Pulse, Dolby Digital, or Dolby Digital Plus decoders, respectively—all for the price of a single decoder instance
  • Support for multiprogram Dolby Digital Plus streams (main and associated audio delivered in the same audio stream)
  • Ability to decode AAC, HE AAC v.1, and HE AAC v.2 bitstreams

Dolby MS10 Multistream Decoder implementation and system kits are available starting today. For more information, please visit www.dolby.com/ms10.

Dolby Pulse

Dolby Pulse is the newest addition to Dolby’s comprehensive portfolio of high-quality audio technologies, and is designed to meet the varying needs of broadcasters and operators in different regions. Complementing Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Pulse addresses next-generation applications where bandwidth efficiency is critical. Based on a consistent code base and equipped with support of various metadata, Dolby Pulse is designed to provide consistent and predictable results throughout the broadcast chain.

Because it is based on the AAC family of codecs, a Dolby Pulse decoder can decode AAC, HE AAC v.1, and HE AAC v.2 bitstreams. Dolby Pulse stands apart from the standard MPEG-4 HE AAC core because it integrates all the metadata parameters as required to be considered a broadcast audio system, like Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Digital.

Dolby Pulse also offers significant improvements in the following areas:

  • Decoder stability: Offers highly optimized switching times between channel configurations and improved reliability when used in a system with Dolby Pulse encoders
  • Error concealment: Ensures reliable broadcast audio performance
  • Decoder requirements in terms of memory and computational complexity: Dolby Pulse decoding within the Dolby Multistream Decoder platform is integrated into a combined code base that is optimized for H.264 system-on-chip architectures
  • Encoder audio quality: Offers superior audio quality compared to other parametric audio codecs

About Dolby Laboratories

Visit www.dolby.com for more information.

Dolby Laboratories
David Yang, 415-645-5679 (Media)
dyang@dolby.com

[原文連結]


http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/RODAccess?did=1237824499473&pid=84875&ct=C

 

Linux Server 小筆記

從來都沒有想過, 會這麼密集地重灌 Linux!

因為某廠商的測試軟體, 它經常會疑心其他人佔用了它的 port 80, 然後就再也不做事了. 我只好研究一下怎麼看誰用了 port 80?

netstat -tup

然後, 果然是有看到 Status 是 CLOSE_WAIT 或是 FINISH_WAIT 的連結. 這些都是原來連不上的時候, 所開的一些 browser. 由於在 Linux 端已經看不到 PID, 所以我就從 PC 端去關掉這些視窗, 接著再一次

netstat -tup

那些 WAIT 的 link 都不見了, 但是廠商的軟體還在疑心著…

killall httpd

還是沒用咧…

只好再重灌了! 那台 Asus RS120-E5/PA4 1U server 開機起來時吵得像是重型機車一樣, 我真是不想坐在它前面啊! 過幾天, 還是請 ITD 把它收到機房去好了. 老實說這台 4 核心的主機, 我一點都不覺得它快, 傷腦筋~~

如果 RedHat 重灌的時候, 選擇英文的介面, 那麼進到 FireFox 之後, 中文都會變成醜醜的亂碼. 但是選中文介面的話, 那個寶貝軟體就會 install 不了. 解決之道就是用中文去灌, 灌好了再把介面改成英文, 這樣就一舉兩得了!

因為不想離 server 太近, 所以想到先打通 telnet 再說. 不過咧! Telnet 真的退流行了, 設定起來比較麻煩. 首先要看 telnet 倒底存不存在?

server telnet (ssh 下不能用, 剛才試過了)

回應是一片空白.

server telnet start

它就會說不認識 telnet 這個 service. 如果不存在的話, 就要檢查安裝包在不在?

rpm -qa telnet (telnet 出去)

rpm -qa telnet-server (telnet 進來)

(用 -q 也可以)

如果沒找到安裝包, 就要去網路上找一個回來.

接著用 rpm 安裝.

rpm -i telnet-xxx.rpm

rpm -i telnet-server-xxx.rpm

裝好了之後, 要先把 disable 的狀態改變.

在 /etc/xinetd.d 底下可能有好幾個 telnet 相關的檔案, 但是都是顧名思義, 例如 krb-telnet.

總之, 只要用 vi 打開這個檔案, 把 disable = yes 改成 disable = no 就好了,

最後重啟服務,

service xinetd restart

這樣就大功告成了.

不過, 既然 ssh 比較紅, 不如直接開啟 ssh 就好, 反正用法差不多. 請參考鳥哥的網頁.

http://linux.vbird.org/linux_security/old/08telnet-ssh.php

有了中文、telnet (ssh), 接下來的 svn 就很麻煩,  網路上幾乎沒有任何一包是一裝就好的, 幸好公司內部網站上就有. PDF 也是必備, 可以從 adobe 的網站上自動找到正確的版本. 當我們 download 下來, 會跑到哪裡去呢? 原來 default 是在桌面. Linux 的桌面不像 Windows 那麼直覺, 但是可以在

cd ~/Desktop 下找到.

再來就要安裝客戶軟體了. 首先外接硬碟盒會出現在 dev/sdc1 之類的地方, 用 mount 去看, 可以觀察到那是一個不能執行的磁碟. 把它重 mount 成可執行就 OK 了.

mount -o remount,ro,exec /dev/sdc1.

嗯! 因為最近重灌 3 次 Linux, 這些暫時都變熟了…

網路讀卡機 study

說實在的, 這個東西我沒有用過. 不過既然 7-11 都有在賣, 我想我已經落伍了, 只好研究一下.

首先, 網路讀卡機是一個 PC 的外接裝置, 通常是 USB 介面. 插上 PC 之後, 就可以在網路 ATM 做一些操作. 網路銀行我是有用過, 但是它有一些功能上的限制, 比方說不能轉帳到非約定帳號. 但是有了網路 ATM, 我們可以做的事情就和在 ATM 上面操作是一樣的, 不用特別再跑到提款機前面. 當然, 這裡不會吐錢、也不能存錢.

有一個網站內容非常完整, 看這裡就對了! 因為它就是一家賣網路讀卡機的公司的網站.

http://www.easyatm.com.tw/

至於這個讀卡機要怎麼賣呢? 大約都是幾百塊錢 (160~ 599 NTD).

http://shopping.pchome.com.tw/?mod=store&func=style_show&SR_NO=ADAA0V

據說有鍵盤和螢幕的是二代機, 會比較安全. 一台網路讀卡機要符合的規格包括:

1. 經常使用網路ATM服務(繳費、轉帳)、帳戶存款金額較高者，建議您選購有通過「銀行公會安全認證」的機種. 當然，網路ATM使用不頻繁且無須擔心銀行帳戶安全者，可直接選購第一代晶片讀卡機(無鍵盤無螢幕機型)
2. 符合Microsoft PC/SC介面規格，也就是通過Microsoft WHQL的認證。
3. 符合EMV 2000 Level 1的規格
   

4. 通過BSMI(CNS)認證

每家讀卡機的廠商應該都會提供軟體和驅動程式, 但是 Yahoo 也有一個公用的網路 ATM 的介面, 只要自備讀卡機就可以使用.

http://tw.atm.money.yahoo.com/atm/

Chipmakers Hope Widgets Bring the Web to TV

Chipmakers Hope Widgets Bring the Web to TV
Stacey Higginbotham | Monday, February 23, 2009 | 5:30 PM PT | 6 comments

Broadcom said today that it would make sure content from Chumby, a nascent (發生中的) widget syndication (企業組織化) effort for televisions, would run on its chips. It’s one of a handful of integration deals Broadcom has inked with software vendors to port their content to its chips. As broadband reaches more devices,
deals between chipmakers and software vendors like these are becoming
increasingly important.

For anyone who recalls the Chumby as a countertop (櫃檯上) device for accessing
widgets, you’re thinking of the right company. It’s merely joining a
growing pack of those looking expand its efforts beyond hardware to become
a platform. In January it signed a similar integration deal with Marvell to
get its widget platform onto digital picture frames.

Such heightened (提高的) integration efforts are a natural outgrowth (成果) of adding broadband to phones, TVs, set-top boxes or even picture frames, because
when you add broadband, you add the Internet. And as the mobile world has
shown, no one wants a bastardized (非純種的) version of a “mobile web” or a “TV web;” they want the real deal. So that means the chips powering these devices
need to be smarter, and have the right software to deliver a web-like
experience on a screen that doesn’t belong to the PC.

Other examples on the TV side include Intel teaming up with Yahoo to
deliver Yahoo’s television widget platform on the chip giant’s
semiconductors for set-top boxes. Sigma Designs, a competitor in the
digital television space, also has a deal to port Flash Lite properly to
its chips. Broadcom does, too.

With that in mind, Broadcom’s decision to add Chumby is a nice way for the
platform to gain traction (附著) in TVs or in set-top boxes, because it won’t have
to go to each television maker to get integrated into the device (though
notably the TV makers can disable the Chumby integration on their Broadcom
chips if they feel like it).

Shriraj Gaglani, a senior director of business development for Broadcom,
also thinks Chumby will get consumers psyched (抓狂? 哈!) about accessing the web through their TVs. He likens (比方) the Chumby platform to a cell phone’s
application store and says, “What we’ve felt we lacked in the ecosystem (生態系統) is the critical mass of apps and services that can leverage broadband
televisions.”

I’m not sure if an App Store-like option will make the difference given
that most consumers in the U.S. get their TV programming and set-top boxes
from a cable provider that may disable such functionality. Broadcom has
integrated other platforms on its DTV and set-top box chips but cannot
disclose them. When I asked if Broadcom was integrating any platforms built
by MSOs (Multi-System Operator?) or carriers into its chips, Gaglani declined to discuss it.

Aside from making a bet on delivering the web to televisions, this deal
underlies the prominence (聲望) of Adobe’s Flash platform for viewing video
online. When asked if Broadcom has any integration deals with Microsoft’s
Silverlight platform (a competitor to Flash), Gaglani said, “We don’t have
anything to announce on that.”

有個小疑問? 如果把 web 應用搬上 IC 平台是這麼吸引人, 那麼為何不 porting Windows Mobile 當 OS 呢? 這樣很多應用程式不是不用寫了嗎? 即使是 LInux 平台, 用 Moonlight (Silverlight 姊妹品) 好像也可以做到類似的效果啊? 不過那些什麼 “光" 都工具而已, 沒有類似 Flash 的專屬遊戲或是動畫, 相容性就差了.  

我讀 «暮光之城 – 新月»

隨著桌上的書愈來愈少, 我終於讀到這一本了. 老實說, 作者的文筆比起第一集真是大有進步, 省略掉想要寫實又寫實不了的段落之後, 這本 “新月" 無論是在劇情上或是結構上都算是耐讀一些.

這本書的開頭, 女主角以為在夢中看見了自己的祖母, 其實那只是在鏡子中看到的年老的自己. 這個 “起手式" 巧妙地點出了女主角渴望青春永駐的慾望, 因此對於後續故事的發展也增加了一些說服力. 不然沒事就去找死的女生, 怎麼看都是匪夷所思, 難以認同的吧! 另外, 作者大膽地不顧地球環保, 把書頁當作日曆或月曆來用的手法, 也算是達到了搞怪新詩作家的等級.

在這一集當中, 吸血鬼和狼人終於產生了衝撞. 由於兩邊都是好人 (愛德華 vs. 雅各), 又是貝拉前後任的男朋友, 只不過兩個種族偏偏是互相是世仇. 這使得故事本身就有比較大的吸引力. 雖然說這個伏筆是在第一集當中就埋下的, 但是那個開頭敗筆真是不少.

既然這群狼人和吸血鬼都是好人, 女主角自己又迫不及待地想當吸血鬼, 以便長生不老. 所以壞人只好給義大利吸血鬼來當. 最後貝拉會不會、以及何時會變成吸血鬼, 就成了這個故事一直可以賣下去的主軸. 我應該沒有很大的可能再去買續集來讀, 我想不撐到最後, 女主角是不會變成吸血鬼的~~~

在這集的故事當中, 最巧妙的安排就是義大利吸血鬼厄洛. 他的超能力是透過接觸別人而得知他人的想法. 因為他摸了有預知能力的艾利絲的手, 所以在心裡盤算了如何處置貝拉的各種手段與結局, 由於沙盤推演推演的結果, 決定暫時讓愛德愛、貝拉、艾利絲一行人平安離開. 這個情節相當地巧妙! 書中雖然還是有一些小 bug, 不過看在第二集比較精彩的份上, 就不囉嗦了.

另外, 在這場愛情故事當中, 吸血鬼真是佔盡了便宜. 因為吸血鬼有感染力, 咬了人就變成同類, 狼人卻是遺傳的, 嗚, 雅各真是輸定了~~