Test the Stream

[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]

Before an interactive show is broadcast to clients, the stream should be tested to ensure that the video and enhancements are properly synchronized and that the interactive show displays correctly. To simplify this process for the user, you can create an application that displays the interactive show locally.

A stream player enables users to play back the enhancement stream in conjunction with video, so the user can view the show exactly as it would appear on broadcast clients and check the interactive show. The player can either be implemented as a separate application, or built into a stream editing tool. Ideally, the player should be integrated with the editor so the user can easily correct any errors they discover while viewing the interactive show.

The following steps outline the functionality of an enhancement stream player:

  1. Read in an enhancement stream. For more information on how to do this, see Loading or Saving an Enhancement Stream.
  2. Start Microsoft WebTV for Windows or a Web browser to display the interactive show.
  3. Play the video from a multimedia file or a VCR. For more information on how to do this, see Displaying Video and the Enhancement Video Control.
  4. Synchronize the enhancement stream with the video. This ensures that the enhancement stream starts to play at exactly the same time that the show starts. This is essential to test the timing of stream events.
  5. Play or transmit the enhancement stream locally so that the client responds to the enhancement events. For more information on how to do this, see Broadcasting an Enhancement.

Note  The interactive show can only be tested on a computer that has the broadcast component of the Microsoft® Windows® 98 operating system installed. The broadcast component installs the broadcast client, which contains controls, such as the enhancement control, required to display the interactive show.

The software provided with the Broadcast Architecture Programmer's Reference includes a sample stream player application. To locate this sample application, see Broadcast Architecture Sample Applications.