[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]
Generic stream authoring tools offer the widest range of stream authoring functionality. In effect, such a tool attempts to meet the needs of all users. An apt analogy to a generic stream authoring tool is a full-featured word processor application.
The drawback of a generic stream authoring tool is its complexity. This slows development and increases the amount of time it takes users to learn the tool. A full-featured stream authoring tool can be overwhelming to a user who simply needs to make small changes to a stream.
If your users are developing enhancements for a wide variety of shows, each with different enhancement formats and requirements, producing a full-featured authoring tool may be your best option. On the other hand, if users are producing enhancements for a single show that employs a standard template they may be better served by a custom stream authoring tool.
The software supporting Broadcast Architecture includes two generic stream authoring tools, Enhancement Stream Editor and Stream Player, which edit and play a generic enhancement stream. To locate these sample tools, see Broadcast Architecture Sample Applications.