DVB Inspector is an open-source, Java-based MPEG Transport Stream (TS) analyzer used to diagnose faults, timing errors, and compliance issues in digital television broadcasts. By parsing the logical structure of DVB SI (Service Information) and PSI (Program Specific Information), the tool allows broadcast engineers to visually map data and target structural anomalies.
To effectively troubleshoot broadcast streams using the software, engineers focus on specific tabs and reporting views that map directly to the global ETSI TR 101 290 monitoring standard. 1. Identifying TR 101 290 Priority Errors
Broadcast compliance relies heavily on three priority levels defined by ETSI TR 101 290. DVB Inspector highlights structural violations within these groups to pinpoint why a stream is failing:
Priority 1 (Critical Decodability): DVB Inspector flags missing Program Association Tables (PAT) or Program Map Tables (PMT). If the Continuity Counter (CC) view reveals jumps or dropped packets, it indicates packet loss—often caused by network congestion or bad source switching.
Priority 2 (Sync & Clock Health): The tool actively calculates timing between timestamps. It flags PCR Repetition Errors if Program Clock Reference intervals exceed 40ms (or the updated 100ms standard), which causes video freezing. It also catches CRC Errors when service tables are modified but their checksum values fail to update.
Priority 3 (Application/SI Layer): DVB Inspector maps out structural issues in Electronic Program Guides (EPG) or missing Service Description Tables (SDT), preventing TVs from properly displaying channel names or schedules. 2. Troubleshooting Clock & Timing Issues
Lip-sync issues and choppy playback are typically born from synchronization errors. DVB Inspector isolates these through specialized data trees:
EricBerendsen/dvbinspector: DVB Inspector is an … – GitHub
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