Patent ID: 9218265
Filing Date: 2015-12-22
Classification: G06F,H04H,H04N

Abstract:
1. A system for monitoring and controlling the operation of devices in a distributed network of broadcast devices, the system comprising: at least one AV decoder device for decoding video and/or audio signals, the AV decoder device being operable to output state information representative of its internal state; a controller; and a network for transmitting data signals between the controller and the at least one AV decoder device; wherein, during a device testing phase, the controller is operable to transmit control and AV content data to the at least one AV decoder device causing the at least one AV decoder device to undertake an action in response to the data, wherein, during the device testing phase, the at least one AV decoder device is operable to undertake an action in response to the control and AV content data transmitted by the controller, and to transmit state information data to the controller, wherein the state information corresponds to the state of the AV decoder device during the action undertaken in response to receiving the control and AV content data; and wherein the controller is operable to output a data result based on the state information data received from the at least one AV decoder device, wherein, during the device testing phase, the controller runs a script defining the nature of the control and AV content data, and the sequence in which the control and AV content data is to be transmitted, wherein, at the end of the device testing phase, the controller is operable to output the data result that comprises an instance of the script that was run during the device testing phase with the state information, and wherein the state information transmitted by the at least one AV decoder device includes debugging information.