2012年8月31日 星期五

GOP, I/P/B frame


I noticed some confusion about B frames, so I thought I would write down a quick explaination of an MPEG "GOP", or, "Group Of Pictures", as explained to me by a professor

GOP - Begins with an "I" frame, followed usually by a number of "P" 
and "B" frames (divx5 only uses B frames I believe)

- each GOP is independant: all frames needed for predictions are contained within each GOP

- GOP's can be as small as a single I frame, or as large as desired, but usually no more than 15 frames in length.

- the longer the GOP, the more efficient, but less rubust the coding

I frame - "Intra-coded" frames : average 7:1 reduction.

- like JPEG, every video frame is broken into blocks of 8x8 pixels of Y, R-Y, and B-Y (although, I am not sure how this "1/4 pixels" divx5 has plays into all this)

- blocks are grouped into "macroblocks" of 16x16

- macroblocks are grouped horizontally into slices which have similar average block levels.

- multiple slices form a frame, and these frames are the resulting "I" frames.

P frame - P frames are predicted based on prior I or P frames plus the addition of data for changed macroblocks.

- average about 20:1 reduction, or about half the size of I frames

- I don't think divx5 uses these, MPEG2 does though.

B frame - Bidirectionally predicted frames based on appearance and positions of past and future frames macroblocks.

- B frames require less data than P frames, averaging about 50:1 reduction.

- B frames require more decoder buffer memory because 2 frames are compared during the reconstruction process.

- B frames also require manipulation of the coding order: frames moving from the coder to the decoder are NOT in presentation sequence. 

basically, the the B frame will say something like "this frame is the same as the GOP's "I" frame except this one part, I will only contain the data needed to encode this one part, and combine it with the info from the I frame", in laymen's terms of course. This give DivX5 it's optimal reduction capability.

This also means of course, that your P3500 media box in you living room might struggle with decoding a high rate D5 encode (not sure about that, but D5 is a more intense encoding/decoding process, but DVD's use I, P, and B frames, sooooooo...

Oh, BTW, in MPEG2 at least, a GOP order is always IPBBPBBPBBIPBBPBB etc etc. (pending on your GOP size), but it is always 1 I, 1 P, and 2 B's, then you can stack more groups of "PBB"'s in that one GOP if needed (usually up to 15 total frames.

I frame: 參考圖像, 內容是一個完整圖像
P frame: 非完整圖像, 內容記錄其與前一個I frameP frame之間的差異. (只參考前面的frame)
B frame: 非完整圖像, 內容記錄其與前一個以及後一個I frameP frame之間的差異. (前後frame都參考)



There are three types of pictures (or frames) used in video compression: I‑frames, P‑frames, and B‑frames.
An I‑frame is an 'Intra-coded picture', in effect a fully specified picture, like a conventional static image file. P‑frames and B‑frames hold only part of the image information, so they need less space to store than an I‑frame, and thus improve video compression rates.
P‑frame ('Predicted picture') holds only the changes in the image from the previous frame. For example, in a scene where a car moves across a stationary background, only the car's movements need to be encoded. The encoder does not need to store the unchanging background pixels in the P‑frame, thus saving space. P‑frames are also known asdelta‑frames.
B‑frame ('Bi-predictive picture') saves even more space by using differences between the current frame and both the preceding and following frames to specify its content.

資料來源: http://forum.doom9.org/archive/index.php/t-19436.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_compression_picture_types

2012年8月28日 星期二

SDXC


SD協會(SD Association,SDA)順應潮流地在2009年春季美國CES消費性電子展發佈了最新的SDXC(Secure Digital Extended Capacity)標準規格。

SDXC的儲存上限達到2TB(2048GB),介面讀寫速度最高可達104MB/s(未來並將發展到300MB/s),能提供更高速的傳輸需求,同時採用最新的exFAT檔案格式,提高記憶卡本身與相關應用產品間的交互相容性。另外,在SDXC這個新規格中,還另外添加了新的UHS的設計架構,UHS-1代表著Ultra-High Speed Bus 1,可讓傳輸速度最高達到104MB/s,並在未來開發提升至300MB/s。



exFAT


exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) is a proprietary file system designed especially for flash drives[3] developed by Microsoft, which hasapplied for patent protection[1]. It is supported in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 with update KB955704,[2] Windows Embedded CE 6.0,Windows Vista with Service Pack 1,[4] Windows Server 2008,[5] Windows 7Windows Server 2008 R2 (except Windows Server 2008 Server Core),Mac OS X Snow Leopard starting from 10.6.5[6]Mac OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion.
exFAT can be used where the NTFS file system is not a feasible solution, due to data structure overhead, or where the file size limit of the standardFAT32 file system (without FAT+ extension[7]) is unacceptable.
exFAT is also supported in a number of media devices such as modern flat panel TVs, media centers, and portable media players.

Advantage
The advantages over FAT file systems include:
  • For the typical user, seamless interoperability between Windows and OS X platforms for files in excess of 4 GiB. NOTE: Windows XP may require Update for Windows XP (KB955704) to manage exFAT formatted drives.
  • Scalability to large disk sizes: 64 ZiB[nb 2] theoretical max, 512 TiB recommended max, raised from the 2 TiB (16 TiB with 4 KiB sectors) limit of FAT32 partitions.[8]
  • File size limit of 16 EiB–1 byte.[nb 1] (limited by volume size), raised from 4 GiB−1 byte in a standard FAT32 filesystem.[2] (The open FAT+[7]specification proposes how to store files larger than 4 GiB on FAT32 volumes as well, but this extension is only implemented in some versions of DR-DOS and FreeDOS so far.)
  • Cluster size up to 32 MiB.[2]
  • Free space allocation and delete performance improved due to introduction of a free space bitmap.
  • Timestamp granularity of 10 ms (same as in FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 for creation time, but not as fine as NTFS's 100 ns).[1]
  • Optional support for UTC timestamps (starting with Vista SP2).[9]
  • Optional support for access control lists (not supported in Windows Vista SP1).[10]
  • Optional support for TexFAT, a transactional file system standard (optionally WinCE activated function).
  • Provision for OEM-definable parameters to customize the file system for specific device characteristics


Disadvantage
The disadvantages compared to FAT file systems include:
  • Microsoft has not released the official exFAT file system specification, and a restrictive license from Microsoft is required in order to make and distribute exFAT implementations. Microsoft also asserts patents on exFAT which make it impossible to re-implement its functionality in a compatible way without violating a large percentage of them.[11] This renders the implementation, distribution, and use of exFAT as a part offree or open-source operating systems or of commercial software, for which the vendors could not obtain a license from Microsoft, not only technically difficult, but legally impossible in countries that recognize United States software patents.
  • Limited or no support outside Windows and Mac OS X operating systems as of 2012—most consumer electronic devices could only handleFAT12/FAT16/FAT32, rendering exFAT (and flash memory formats using it) impractical as a universal exchange format. (This may change ifSDXC cards and Memory Stick XC come into wide use, as they define exFAT as the file system to be used in their specifications even though this is not a technical requirement.)
  • Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users must have Service Pack 2 or later and install an update to support exFAT.
  • Windows Vista must be Service Pack 1 or later for exFAT support.
  • Drives formatted using exFAT cannot be read by any version of Windows prior to Windows XP or by any version of DOS or OS/2 (unless emulated as otherwise).
  • Windows Vista is unable to use exFAT drives for ReadyBoostWindows 7 removes this limitation, enabling ReadyBoost caches larger than 4 GiB.[12]
  • The standard exFAT implementation only uses a single file allocation table and free space map. FAT file systems instead used alternating tables, as this allowed recovery of the file system if the media was ejected during a write (which occurs frequently in practice with removable media). The optional TexFAT component adds support for additional backup tables and maps, but may not be supported.
  • Support for up to 2,796,202 files per subdirectory only.[1][nb 3] While Microsoft documents a limit of 65,534 files per sub-directory for their FAT32 implementation, technically there is no such limit and FAT32 implementations in other operating systems allow an unlimited number of files up to the number of available clusters (that is, up to ca. 268,304,373 files, 228 - 11[13] - 131,072[14]).
  • Reduced file data I/O performance compared to FAT32 due to smaller cluster sizes and more complex data structures.[citation needed]
  • More complex design results in higher code footprint and memory usage compared to FAT implementations. FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 can be implemented in as little as a 512 bytes code and 1 KB data for low-performance read-only versions and a few kilobytes code plus a few hundred KB data for high-performance read-write versions, allowing native support for them even in light-weight operating systems such as DOS, thereby enabling their usage also on older PCs and in small embedded systems. exFAT implementations require magnitudes more system resources rendering this approach impractical.


2012年8月24日 星期五

QoS - Quality of Service

The quality of service (QoS) refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements. In particular, much technology has been developed to allow computer networks to become as useful as telephone networks for audio conversations, as well as supporting new applications with even stricter service demands.


In packet-switched networks, quality of service is affected by various factors, which can be divided into “human” and “technical” factors. Human factors include: stability of service, availability of service, delays, user information. Technical factors include: reliability, scalability, effectiveness, maintainability, grade of service, etc.[4]
Many things can happen to packets as they travel from origin to destination, resulting in the following problems as seen from the point of view of the sender and receiver:
Low throughput
Due to varying load from other users sharing the same network resources, the bit rate (the maximum throughput) that can be provided to a certain data stream may be too low for realtime multimedia services if all data streams get the same scheduling priority.
Dropped packets
The routers might fail to deliver (drop) some packets if their data is corrupted or they arrive when their buffers are already full. The receiving application may ask for this information to be retransmitted, possibly causing severe delays in the overall transmission.
Errors
Sometimes packets are corrupted due to bit errors caused by noise and interference, especially in wireless communications and long copper wires. The receiver has to detect this and, just as if the packet was dropped, may ask for this information to be retransmitted.
Latency
It might take a long time for each packet to reach its destination, because it gets held up in long queues, or takes a less direct route to avoid congestion. This is different from throughput, as the delay can build up over time, even if the throughput is almost normal. In some cases, excessive latency can render an application such as VoIP or online gaming unusable.
Jitter
Packets from the source will reach the destination with different delays. A packet's delay varies with its position in the queues of the routers along the path between source and destination and this position can vary unpredictably. This variation in delay is known as jitter and can seriously affect the quality of streaming audio and/or video.
Out-of-order delivery
When a collection of related packets is routed through a network, different packets may take different routes, each resulting in a different delay. The result is that the packets arrive in a different order than they were sent. This problem requires special additional protocols responsible for rearranging out-of-order packets to an isochronous state once they reach their destination. This is especially important for video and VoIP streams where quality is dramatically affected by both latency and lack of sequence.



資料來源: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_service

2012年8月18日 星期六

PMP 考試

PMP PMP(Project Management Professional)是PMI(Project Management Institute,專案管理學會),在1984年針對專案管理人員所提出的認證考試,其目的在於培養專案規畫、執行與控管方面的知識,以及所需之技巧與領導能力。截至今年8月份為止,臺灣地區一共有3,099人取得PMP認證。
和CISSP相同的是,想要參加這項認項考試,必須先取得參加考試的資格,也就是成為所謂的候選人,首先必須在PMI認可的教育機構接受35小時的課程,另外,具備大學學歷(專科專歷不包含在內,碩士以上學位的應試資格也等同學士)的人要有4,500小時以上的專案管理經驗,高中學歷則是7,500小時;PMI會從所有參加考試的人員,抽出10%到20%的比例,要求提供資料進行資格審查,每位候選人在1年內有3次考試資格,如果不幸沒有通過,則必須明年再來。
考試方式以線上作答為主
PMI發行的PMPBOK是PMP認證的指定教材,內容以PMP強調的「9大知識,5大流程」為主,本書有正體中文的翻譯版本,不過目前的考試內容仍以英文為主,另外,也有簡體中文的版本可供作答,根據PMI-TW(專案管理學會台灣分會)網站的說法指出,正體中文的PMP考試已經在2007年5月向PMI提出申請,目前正在進行審查作業中,一切順利的話,預計可在2008年1月推出。
想參加PMP考試,需要到PMI網站填寫資料報名,考試時間為4小時,題目總共有200題,全部是英文的單選題,採用線上方式作答。200題當中有25題是做法未來出題的參考用題,無法答對、答錯均不計分,候選人必須在剩下175題當中答對106題以上,換句話說,越過60%的門檻才算過關。
一般來說,PMP的單次的考試費用為555美元,如果候選人第一次考試並未通過,之後在報考第二次時,PMI將會自動在考試費用的計算上有所減免。有加入PMI會員者,則可以在報考PMP認證時得到405美元的折扣價格,至於加入會員的費用則是每年129美元。
日後到期僅需完成換照
和大多數的證照一樣,PMP證照的有效期限是3年,但是日後到期時並不需要重考,僅需完成換照的動作便可繼續維持證照的效力,這是比較特別的一點。



PMP考試資格類別
第一類
1. 大專以上畢業
2. 具備3年4500小時專案工作經驗
3. 35小時專案管理訓練接觸小時(contact hours)
**/非PDU***
第二類:
1. 高中以上畢業
2. 具備5年7500小時專案工作經驗
3. 35小時專案管理訓練接觸小時(contact hours) /非PDU
***


*** PDU(professional development units)又稱為「專業發展學分」,是指通過PMP認證的人士,必須在通過PMP考試之後的特定期間內,持續進修或參加專案管理相關課程或活動的小時數。因此PMP考生在沒有考取PMP之前,不能取得PDU、也不需要取得PDU,跟考試資格完全無關。



為了得到PDU,作了些小小的研究。
資X會:有一系列與專案管理有關,和ITIL有關的PDU課程,每個PDU約需NTD 600.-。
博X:較專注於PMP認證班。不定期舉辦相關活動,大多是2-3個PDU的活動,每個PDU約需NTD 300 - 500。
博X負責人就是PMI台灣分會的會長。
長X:較專注於PMP認證班。長X負責人就是台灣專案管理學會的會長。



PMP申請考試程序
1. 加入PMI網站會員(免費)
2. 加入PMI正式會員(美金129)
3. 線上填寫報名表(主要是學歷/專案經驗說明/35個接觸小時)
4. 等候確認報考資格(1~2週)
5. 報考資格審核通過通知繳費(美金405)
6. 線上預約考場
7. 採電腦測驗並於完成考試後立即取得成績單



PMP考試時間地點
台北考區台大語言測驗中心 台北市辛亥路二段170(台大校總區內)

考試時間:週一至週五 上午場: 8:00~12:30 下午場: 13:00~17:30

考試準備:
ipass全功略??
考試的題目,最常考CPI,EV也有好幾題,浮時也是考一堆圖,結果答案是0,寶典的題目幾乎有80%,所以心情也沒那麼緊張了,計算題我都先MARK起來,最後在來做,也還有時間檢查
以Flow Chart 的觀念來記 47 個processes 的互相關係及異同點。在一些流程、Input/Output 的邏輯考題上很有幫助,也完全排除死背的需要。
寶典??
Test ABC??
實力測驗??

PDU & Whizlabs
到Whizlabs-PMP的網站可以看到不同的PMP學習方案。
1.    Exam Simulator: 提供4次模擬考服務,但不能申請PDU。
2.    Self-Study Training: 提供講義、線上影音課程和四次模擬考服務,如果通過四次模擬考就可以申請60 PDU。
3.    Live Online Training: 線上Live教學和無限次數的模擬考。

1. Whizlabs是全英文的網站,所以選擇Whizlabs的朋友需要有一定的英文基礎。不然模擬考做起來會很辛苦。
2. Whizlabs的模擬考界面和PMP正式考試介面很像,所以也可以用以熟悉PMP的考試
3. Whizlabs的考題比較多ITTO的題目和基礎觀念題,不像正式的PMP考試是很多實際狀況題。所以Whizlabs考題是相對簡單的。但是,這樣的考題能幫助你釐清對哪個流程或是對十大領域中哪個領域比較不熟悉,用以作為重點複習的項目。

4. Whizlab在每年感恩節或聖誕節前後都會有五折優惠。大家可以多加把握。

書籍
PMBok & Rita, ITTO

每三年Review一次, Review需要花USD$60
對完全沒有PMP概念的朋友,非常推薦這一本書作為入門的書籍。維持”深入淺出”系列一貫的圖文風格,將原本枯燥無味的文字與內容,變成容易閱讀和吸收的內容。每張節中的表單範例,讓讀者更快速的了解每個流程的產出實際的樣貌與應用。小練習題與課後練習題,能協助辨識出不熟悉或沒有掌握好的概念。 
 
Rita的PMP可以說是準備PMP考試的聖經,聽說很多補習班的講義都是有Rita的書彙整而成。
PMP講義是用一種”老師講課的口吻”撰寫而成,所以不向一般的原文教科書一樣艱澀難懂。書中有詳細的講解PMBOK中的觀念,也有考試上的小撇步,適合深入的閱讀。但因為是英文版的,前提當然是要有一定的英文基礎,而且要能習慣讀原文書。
 
PMBOK

我是把PMBOK當作工具書使用,在做完模擬考以後,針對錯的題目要深入的研究時,都會先看PMBOK中的敘述,再看Rita中的延伸內容。 PMBOK中的關聯圖,也適合當作ITTO的複習,知道每個Input是從哪個子流程產生,有助於將整個流程的架構融會貫通。 (在加入PMI會員之後,可以在PMI 的網站上下載PMBOK電子書)


資料來源: http://itking-sunny.blogspot.tw/2007/12/pmp.html
http://jeric.pixnet.net/blog/post/3835806-%E3%80%8A%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%E3%80%8Bpmp-%E8%AA%8D%E8%AD%89%E4%B9%8B%E6%BA%96%E5%82%99%E8%88%87%E6%87%89%E8%A9%A6%E7%B6%93%E9%A9%97
http://www.projectup.net/blog/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=556:pmp-200902&catid=9:life&Itemid=25
http://www.twpmp.org/pmp01.html
http://ithelp.ithome.com.tw/questions/10017977
http://imyachi.pixnet.net/blog/post/190116451-%E8%87%AA%E4%BF%AE%E8%80%83%E4%B8%8Apmp%E5%BF%83%E5%BE%97%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB-%28%E4%B8%8A%29---%E5%A0%B1%E5%90%8D%E6%B5%81%E7%A8%8B-%7C-whizlabs-
http://imyachi.pixnet.net/blog/post/190124266


2012年8月4日 星期六

UL

1 UL認證是什麼?
UL是美國保險商試驗所(Underwriters Laboratories Inc)的簡寫。它是國際上知名度極盛的民間安全檢測機構,也是一個獨立的、非贏利的、為公共安全作試驗的第三方認證機構。目前UL公司主要從事產品測試、管理體系評估、品質體系評審註冊,產品檢驗及標準制定等多方面的工作。UL標誌已成為世界著名的安全認證標誌之一。

2 UL認證是強制性的嗎?
在美國,儘管產品的安全認證並不是強制性的,即法律上並不要求產品必須帶有安全認證標誌。但事實上,產品如果沒有安全認證標誌,就很難找到市場。美國消費者在購買機電產品時總是先看產品是否帶有UL標誌;零售商和分銷商也希望其經銷的產品帶有公眾認可的認證標誌;建築師和產品說明書的起草人在設計產品和起草說明書時一般都要參考UL列名產品目錄;美國司法機構驗收部門,如電器和建築檢查員對安裝於建築物之內的產品和系統都要求帶有UL標誌。

3 UL使用僅限於美國嗎?
企業在出口時可能會遇到加拿大客戶,要求產品有 CUL 認證,其實這個 CUL 認證相當於加拿大的 UL ,引用的標準基本相同。當然,某些產品的標準也有差異,比如,手持電動工具就有兩套標準: UL45 僅在美國適用。 UL745-1 適用於美國和加拿大。兩種標準類似,都源自國際電工協會 IEC60745-- 手持電機驅動工具安全標準。獲 CUL 認證後,該產品可以符合加拿大全國所有省份對安全性的要求。 
在申請 UL 的同時一併申請 CUL 有一個好處,因為 UL 和 CUL 的很多檢測專案是重複的,所以申請 CUL 時只需少做幾項,然後多一道申請程式,這樣能以較低的費用,於較短時間內一次獲取兩國認證。

4 UL認證應用於哪些領域?
UL 標誌應用於六個大的產品領域:防盜和信號裝置,如 UL153 是對手持電燈的要求;防止火災和化學性危害的設備, UL8 是對泡沫滅火器的要求;電器,如 UL1459 是對電話設備的要求; UL1026 是對家用電器的要求;防火設備;採暖、製冷和空調設備及水上用品。 
UL 產品標準自成體系 , 共有七百多種,且 75% 的安全標準被美國國家標準學會( ANSI )採納為國家標準。測試鑒定重點專注於產品安全性能,如對大小電器的開關、變壓器、導線等產品都要作多項試驗。

FCC


FCCFederal Communications Commission美國聯邦通信委員會)於1934年由COMMUNICATIONACT建立是美國政府的一個獨立機構,直接對國會負責。FCC通過控制無線電廣播、電視、電信、衛星和電纜來協調國內和國際的通信。涉及美國50多個州、哥倫比亞以及美國所屬地區,為確保與生命財產有關的無線電和電線通信產品的安全性,FCC的工程技術部(Office of Engineering and Technology)負責委員會的技術支持,同時負責設備認可方面的事務。許多無線電應用產品、通訊產品和數字產品要進入美國市場,都要求FCC的認可。FCC委員會調查和研究產品安全性的各個階段以找出解決問題的最好方法,同時FCC也包括無線電裝置、航空器的檢測等等。
  根據美國聯邦通訊法規相關部分(CFR 47部分)中規定,凡進入美國的電子類產品都需要進行電磁兼容認證(一些有關條款特別規定的產品除外),其中比較常見的認證方式有三種:Certification、DoC、Verification。這三種產品的認證方式和程式有較大的差異,不同的產品可選擇的認證方式在FCC中有相關的規定。其認證的嚴格程度遞減。針對這三種認證,FCC委員會對各試驗室也有相關的要求。
  目前,美國已連續幾年成為我國第二大貿易伙伴,中美貿易額呈逐年上升趨勢,因此對美出口不容小覷。美國的產品技術標準、進口法規的嚴謹堪稱世界第一,瞭解美國市場準入規則將會幫助我國產品進一步打開美國市場。
  聯邦通訊委員會(FCC)----管理進口和使用無線電頻率裝置,包括電腦、傳真機、電子裝置、無線電接收和傳輸設備、無線電遙控玩具、電話、個人電腦以及其他可能傷害人身安全的產品。這些產品如果想出口到美國,必須通過由政府授權的實驗室根據FCC技術標準來進行的檢測和批准。進口商和海關代理人要申報每個無線電頻率裝置符合FCC標準,即FCC許可證。

FCC認證種類

自我驗證
  製造商或進口商確保其產品進行了必要的檢測,以確認產品符合相關的技術標準並保留檢測報告,FCC有權要求製造商提交設備樣品或產品的檢測數據。適用於自我驗證的設備包括商用電腦、TV和FM的接收器及FCC Rule Part 18 的非大眾消費者使用的工業、科研和醫療設備。
符合性聲明
  設備負責方(一般為製造商或進口商)在FCC指定的合格檢測機構對產品進行測試,以確保設備符合相關的技術標準並保留檢測報告,FCC有權要求負責方提交設備的樣品或產品的檢測數據。適用於符合性聲明的設備包括家用電腦及外設、民用廣播接收器、超再生接收器、FCC RulePart 15的其它接收器、電視機介面設備、電纜系統終端設備和Part 18 的大眾消費者使用的工業科研和醫療設備。負責方應使設備上有如下標記:
Image:标记1.jpg
ID認證
  FCC對申請者提交的樣品(或照片)及檢測數據進行審核,如果符合FCC規則的要求則給設備授權一個FCC ID號碼。適用於認證的設備包括低電發射器如無繩電話、自動門的遙控器、無線電遙控玩具和安全警報系統,Part 15的故意性發射無線電頻率能量的設備,Part 18的大眾消費者使用的工業、科研和醫療設備,自動變頻接收器和超再生接收器,電視介面設備,以及家用電腦及其外設。負責方應使設備上有FCC ID的標記:
Image:标记2.jpg
註:如果某設備適用於兩種或三種認可種類,則由負責方選擇。



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