[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]
Custom stream authoring tools are used to generate a stream for shows that use a standard enhancement template. For example, a weekly quiz show might have an enhancement that displays a "play at home" version of the show. The format of the enhancement would be the same each week, with only the question data changing.
For an authoring scenario where most of the enhancement stream is the same from week to week, you could create a tool to automatically generate the components of the enhancement stream that do not change, and enable the user to modify the components that do change. In the preceding example this would be the question content. Streamlining the tool simplifies the authoring process for the user.
The drawback of a custom stream authoring tool is its inflexibility. If the show's enhancements change, the tool must be rewritten.
The software supporting Broadcast Architecture includes a sample custom stream authoring tool, Quizstr.exe, which generated an enhancement stream for a quiz show. To locate Quizstr.exe, see Broadcast Architecture Sample Applications.