Patent ID: 6512538
Filing Date: 2003-01-28
Classification: G10L

Abstract:
A method of testing communications equipment, comprising:detecting distortions in an input stimulus having a plurality of components received through the communications equipment under test, determining the extent to which the distortions would be perceptible to a human observer, generating an output indicative of the subjective effect of the distortions in accordance with the distortions, and using high level application data associated with the stimulus, and indicative of the nature of the transmission being made, the high level application data being in the form of descriptors of the content or the intended use of the data being transmitted, and the high level data being used to weight the subjective importance of the components of the stimulus; wherein the high-level application data relates to the intended information content of the input stimulus, the distorted input stimulus is analysed for actual information content, a comparison is made between the actual and intended information content, and the output generated is indicative of the extent of agreement between the intended and actual information content.