Nielsen ID3 User manual

Nielsen Confidential
ID3 Tag Validator Application
User Guide
Release 1.8 Revision F

ID3 Tag ValidatorApplication UserManual
Release1.8 RevisionF 1 Nielsen Confidential
Copyright © 2017 The Nielsen Company (US), LLC. All rights reserved.
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Publication, disclosure, copying, or distribution of this document or any of its contents is prohibited.
Detailed Revision History
Revision Date Changes Made Responsible Engineer
A 2015-01-26 Initial Draft Lois Price
B 2015-05-15 Revised for Release 1.5 Lois Price
Pre-release 2016-02-03 Revised for beta release of 1.7 Lois Price
Lore Eargle (editor)
C 2016-02-08 Production release of 1.7 Lois Price
Lore Eargle (editor)
D 2017-04-05 Internal Release of 1.8: added MPEG-DASH Lois Price
Lore Eargle (editor)
E 2017-06-29 Updated Figure 3 – Summary Reports Contents and
Figure 5 – SID List Contents Lois Price
Lore Eargle (editor)
Harish GP (reviewer)
F 2017-09-27 Clarified examples of –d, -df, and –dr input segment
designators Lois Price
Lore Eargle (editor)
Harish GP (reviewer)
Julia Wen (reviewer)

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Contents
Overview..........................................................................................................................................................................................6
Purpose ..........................................................................................................................................................................6
Customer Support.............................................................................................................................................................6
Intended Audience............................................................................................................................................................7
Terminology......................................................................................................................................................................7
Related Documents...........................................................................................................................................................7
Using Validator in the Transcoder Certification Process ...........................................................................................................8
Pre-Validation Checklist.................................................................................................................................................................9
Running the Validator Application..............................................................................................................................................12
Basic Instructions............................................................................................................................................................12
Optional Parameters.......................................................................................................................................................14
Output Folder Specifier (-o).............................................................................................................................14
Report Type Specifier (-p)...............................................................................................................................14
Program Number Specifier (-n).......................................................................................................................15
Using Validator Output.................................................................................................................................................................15
Validator Output: Summary Report.............................................................................................................................................16
Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................16
File Header......................................................................................................................................................................17
Description and Example................................................................................................................................17
Diagnostic Tips................................................................................................................................................17
SID List ........................................................................................................................................................................18
Description ......................................................................................................................................................18
Examples.........................................................................................................................................................19
Diagnostic Tips................................................................................................................................................19
INFO Tag Listing.............................................................................................................................................................20
Description and Example................................................................................................................................20
Setting Requirements......................................................................................................................................20
Test Results....................................................................................................................................................................21
Test 1 Result: DATA Tag Count......................................................................................................................21
Test 2 Result: Tag Format Test.......................................................................................................................22
Test 3 Result: Sequence Number Test...........................................................................................................23
Test 4 Result: Time Gap Test.........................................................................................................................24
Test 5 Result: Tag Duration Test....................................................................................................................25
Test 6 Result: CID SID Test............................................................................................................................26

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Test 7 Result: CID Timestamp Test................................................................................................................27
Test 8 Result: CID Timestamp (TS) Offset Test..............................................................................................28
Test 9 Result: Breakout Type Test..................................................................................................................29
Test 10 Result: Watermark Time Test.............................................................................................................30
Test 11 Result: Watermark Level Test............................................................................................................31
Test 12 Result: INFO Tag Count.....................................................................................................................32
Tests 14 and 15: INFO TAG CID and Offset Tests.........................................................................................34
Test 16 through 21 Results: INFO Tag Tests..................................................................................................35
Test 22 Result: Tag Placement Check............................................................................................................36
Test 23 Result: Tag-Time Test........................................................................................................................37
Test 24 Result: PES Packet Header Check....................................................................................................38
Test 25 Result: PES Owner-ID Check............................................................................................................39
Test 26 Result: Metadata PES PTS Check.....................................................................................................39
Test 27 Result: PES Header Test...................................................................................................................40
Test 28 Result: PES Incomplete Tag Test......................................................................................................41
Tests 29 and 30 Result: PMT Elementary Stream and Descriptor Checks.....................................................42
Detailed Tag Listing – DATA Tag ................................................................................................................................................43
Tag Number....................................................................................................................................................................44
Transport PID..................................................................................................................................................................44
PTS ........................................................................................................................................................................44
PC CID ........................................................................................................................................................................44
FD CID ........................................................................................................................................................................44
Seconds since FD Day-Start (FD CID Offset).................................................................................................................45
Seconds since PC Day-Start (PC CID Offset) ................................................................................................................45
Break-out Flag.................................................................................................................................................................45
Sequence Number (Seqno)............................................................................................................................................46
Tag Times (First, Last)....................................................................................................................................................46
EDUs (Elemental Data Units)..........................................................................................................................................46
NAES 2 EDU...................................................................................................................................................47
NAES 6 EDU...................................................................................................................................................48
Evaluating EDUs for Inclusion in the Summary SIDList.................................................................................49
Comma-Delimited Tag Listing.....................................................................................................................................................50
Example ........................................................................................................................................................................50
Troubleshooting Tips................................................................................................................................................................... 56
Tag Time Not Advancing Properly..................................................................................................................................56
Background.....................................................................................................................................................56
Symptoms.......................................................................................................................................................56
Possible Causes..............................................................................................................................................56
Suggestions for Follow-up...............................................................................................................................56

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Processing Set to Incorrect Mode (Streaming or MDI)...................................................................................................57
Background.....................................................................................................................................................57
Suggestions for Follow-up...............................................................................................................................57
Missing INFO tags...........................................................................................................................................................57
Background.....................................................................................................................................................57
Symptoms.......................................................................................................................................................57
Suggestions for Follow-up...............................................................................................................................58
Improper Set-up of MPEG Multiplexer............................................................................................................................58
Background.....................................................................................................................................................58
Symptoms.......................................................................................................................................................58
Suggestions for Follow-up...............................................................................................................................58
ID3 Tags Out-of-Sync with Corresponding Audio...........................................................................................................59
Background.....................................................................................................................................................59
Symptoms.......................................................................................................................................................59
Suggestions for Follow-up...............................................................................................................................59
Missing or Invalid INFO Tag Settings..............................................................................................................................59
Background.....................................................................................................................................................59
Missing or Invalid Breakout Type Setting........................................................................................................................60
Background.....................................................................................................................................................60
Suggestions for Follow-up...............................................................................................................................60
Unexpected SIDs in Tags...............................................................................................................................................60
Background.....................................................................................................................................................60
Suggestions for Follow-up...............................................................................................................................60
Checking Tag Synchronization in MPEG-DASH Content..........................................................................................................61
Glossary ........................................................................................................................................................................................62
List of Figures
Figure 1 – Tagging Process............................................................................................................................................................11
Figure 2 – Summary Report Contents............................................................................................................................................17
Figure 3 – Summary Report File Header........................................................................................................................................17
Figure 4 – SID List Contents...........................................................................................................................................................19
Figure 5 – INFO Tag Contents........................................................................................................................................................20
Figure 6 – INFO Tag Tests.............................................................................................................................................................36
Figure 7 – Tags.txt File...................................................................................................................................................................49
List of Tables
Table 1 – Pre-Validation Checklist....................................................................................................................................................9

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Table 2 – -p Option Settings...........................................................................................................................................................14
Table 3 – Default Output Files........................................................................................................................................................16
Table 4 – Interval in Seconds.........................................................................................................................................................19
Table 5 – NAES 2 EDU Description................................................................................................................................................47
Table 6 – NAES 6 EDU Description................................................................................................................................................48
Table 7 –Comma-Delimited Tag Listing Imported into Microsoft Excel with Added Headings.......................................................50

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Overview
Purpose
As part of its strategy to measure audience viewing of content on consumer devices,
Nielsen supports or endorses a variety of products that generate Nielsen ID3 tags and
insert them into segmented MPEG-2 transport streams or into MPEG-DASH containers.
The Nielsen Validator application (referred to as “Validator”) is a diagnostic tool that
analyzes Nielsen ID3 tags and helps in troubleshooting problems with applications that
generate such tags.
These are six principal ways to use Validator:
•Process a transport stream (TS) with embedded Nielsen ID3 tags (option –t)
•Process an HLS stream with the m3u8 index and transport segments zipped into a
file (option –m)
•Process a file of encrypted ID3 tags such as the output of the PCM-to-ID3 SDK
sample application or the log file of a mobile device that processes Nielsen ID3 tags
(option –r)
•Process specific MPEG-DASH segments in a folder, guided by the user’s command-
line instructions, to guarantee that the segments are processed in the proper order
(-dr option – this is the preferred method of processing MPEG-DASH content)
•Process a set of MPEG-DASH segments that have been merged into a single file
(option –d)
•Process all MPEG-DASH segments in a specific folder that end with a user-defined
extension (option–df)
This manual explains how to use Validator as a diagnostic tool. It focuses on the testing
and debugging of applications that use the PCM-to-ID3 SDK to generate Nielsen ID3
tags. It describes issues that commonly arise during the integration process and how to
resolve them.
In addition, developers who create applications based on the Nielsen ID3 Tag Validator
SDK can use Validator prior to sending their test files for transcoder certification.
Customer Support
Your Nielsen support team welcomes any questions about Validator and its output.

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Intended Audience
This manual is written for the following users:
•A software developer who has integrated PCM-to-ID3 SDK into an application that
supports Nielsen ID3 Tag generation and who may or may not be submitting their
application or device for Nielsen certification
•A quality-assurance professional who is testing an application into which the PCM-to-
ID3 SDK has already been integrated
Terminology
To properly interpret the output of Validator, you should be familiar with the basic
components of the Nielsen ID3 tag. For an in-depth description of a typical ID3 tag, see
“Detailed Tag Listing – DATA Tag” on page 43.
This manual uses a number of other terms and acronyms that are specific to the process
of generating Nielsen ID3 tags. For definitions, see “Glossary” on page 62.
Related Documents
•Apple. iOS Developer Library, “Timed Metadata for HTTP Live Streaming.”
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/AudioVideo/Conceptual/HTTP
_Live_Streaming_Metadata_Spec/2/2.html
•ID3 Tag Validator SDK Developer Guide: provides instructions on how to create
applications that analyze and evaluate Nielsen ID3 tag streams
•ISO/IEC 23009-1:2014(E): Information technology—Dynamic adaptive streaming
over HTTP (DASH), Part 1: Media presentation description and segment formats
specification. See Section 5.10.3.2 for a discussion of MPEG-DASH Media
Presentation Description (MPD) signaling of in-band events.
•PCM-to-ID3 Tag SDK Developer’s Guide: describes how to use the Nielsen PCM-to-
ID3 SDK to generate Nielsen ID3 tags. It provides an overview of the format of
Nielsen ID3 tags and of their role in measuring audience viewing on a variety of
consumer devices.
•Transcoder SDK Certification Process – Vendors: describes the test files for
implementation of the Nielsen ID3 SDK and instructions on how to run the tests

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Using Validator in the Transcoder
Certification Process
Use of Validator for certification of a transcoder is based on two assumptions:
•Your software application follows the process outlined in the Nielsen PCM-to-ID3 Tag
SDK Developer’s Guide.
•The output of your application is one of the following:
oA zipped package holding an HLS stream that includes Nielsen ID3 tags
oA zipped package holding an MPEG-DASH stream where Nielsen ID3 tags are
stored in emsg boxes. The emsg boxes should be attached to audio segments.
Validator is the primary tool used in evaluating the files that you deliver to Nielsen for
analysis. Before delivering the test files to Nielsen, you may use Validator to process the
files yourself.
Note the following cautions and contact your Nielsen support team with any questions:
•For certification tests, a failure of the CID SID test is not unusual. If most of the CID
SID errors listed in the log file or noted in the Comma-Delimited Tag Listing are
associated with the watermark SID transitions that periodically occur, ignore the
errors. See “Test 6 Result: CID SID Test” on page 26.
•You may see occasional watermark decoding errors that result in invalid EDU SIDs
or timestamps. Occasional watermark errors are to be expected. An excessive
number of watermark SID or timestamp warnings, however, may result from faulty
audio decoding.

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Pre-Validation Checklist
A common source of tag-generator errors is the misinterpretation or omission of one or
more of the processes listed in Table 1. To avoid these mistakes and save yourself some
time, review these steps.
Table 1 – Pre-Validation Checklist
Step Process Requirements Note
1 Your application receives a source
MPEG-2 transport stream that
contains Nielsen watermarks
Ensure the source content is
watermarked.
2 Your application extracts the audio
stream from the source transport
stream and converts the audio to
PCM format.
If the source program
contains more than one
audio elementary stream,
your application selects the
first stream in the Program
Map Table (PMT).
3 Your application delivers buffers of
PCM audio data to the PCM-to-
ID3 SDK and stamps each buffer
with the “current time.”
Ensure the “current time:”
advances by 1 second for every
second of audio processed.
Potential and most
frequent error: The
application feeds system
clock time to the ID3 SDK
when it processes the
incoming audio content
faster than the rate at which
the audio is normally
delivered during live
streaming.
4 The PCM-to-ID3 SDK decodes the
Nielsen watermarks in the
incoming audio stream, generates
ID3 tags, and delivers ID3 tags
and log messages to your
application
Ensure your application stores the
log messages in a retrievable log
file.
5
ID3 Tags in HLS Steams Only
Your application inserts each
Nielsen ID3 tag into two transport
packets in a single metadata
Packetized Elementary Stream
(PES) packet.
Ensure the PMT elementary loop
defining the metadata PES
includes the required ID3 tag
descriptors, as defined in “Timed
Metadata in HTTP Live
Streaming.”
Within the metadata PES, the two
transport packets carrying the ID3
tag must be contiguous.
See “Related Documents”
on page 7.

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Step Process Requirements Note
ID3 Tags in MPEG-DASH
Steams Only
At the start of processing, your
application generates an MPD that
includes the line
<InbandEventStream
schemeIdUri="www.nielsen.com:i
d3:v1" value="1"/>
6
ID3 Tags in HLS Steams Only
Your application stamps the
metadata PES packet with the
Presentation Timestamp (PTS) of
the most recently processed audio
PES packet.
Apply the proper PTS to the
metadata PES packet to
synchronize the ID3 tags with the
corresponding audio.
ID3 Tags in MPEG-DASH
Steams Only
Your application inserts the entire
Nielsen ID3 tag in an emsg box.
See section 5.10.3.3 of ISO / IEC
23009-1-2014(E) for a detailed
explanation of emsg box format
and signaling. The
DASHEventMessageBox
scheme_id_uri should be set to
the null-terminated string
“www.nielsen.com:id3:v1”. The
‘value’ field must be set to the null-
terminated ASCII string “1”. The
message_data field must hold the
entire Nielsen ID3 tag.
The entire 271-byte ID3 tag
delivered by PCM-to-ID3
SDK (step 4) must be
included, without alteration,
in the emsg box. Eliminating
or modifying any portion of
the ID3 tag may result in
crediting errors.
7 ID3 Tags in HLS Steams Only
Your application multiplexes the
metadata PES packet into the
outgoing MPEG stream.
8 ID3 Tags in HLS Steams Only
Your application delivers the
transport stream to an HLS
segmenter.
The segmenter splits the
transport stream into
multiple transport-stream
(TS) segments and
generates the required
m3u8 index.
9 The segmented content is
delivered downstream to mobile
devices and/or browsers.

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Figure 1 is a visual representation of the tagging process for HLS and MPEG-DASH
Streams. The green boxes represent the functionality your application provides. The blue
box represents functionality that the Nielsen PCM-to-ID3 SDK provides.
Figure 1 – Tagging Process

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Running the Validator Application
Basic Instructions
Validator is typically delivered as a Microsoft® Windows® console application. Follow
these steps to run it.
1. Open a command prompt.
2. Change directories to the location of the Nielsen ID3 Tag Validator executable.
3. Determine which of the following file types you want to validate and type the
corresponding command that follows:
oUse –r for a log file in the format generated by the Nielsen sample application
installed on your computer or mobile device or any other file that holds encrypted
Nielsen ID3 tag payloads (249 bytes, starting with “www.nielsen.com”):
NielsenId3TagValidator -r <full path name of file holding the ID3 tags> -p 6
Note Validator locates and analyzes all ID3 Tags in the log file and ignores all text entries between
tags.
oUse –t for a transport stream with Nielsen ID3 tags “muxed” into it:
NielsenId3TagValidator -t <full path name of the transport stream> -p 6
oUse –m for a set of transport-stream segments, accompanied by an HLS m3u8
index file:
NielsenId3TagValidator -m <full path name of the m3u8 file> -p 6
oUse –dr for a folder holding MPEG-DASH segments, where some of the
segments hold emsg boxes containing Nielsen ID3 tags. Use this call to
guarantee that segments are processed in the correct order:
NielsenId3TagValidator -dr <folder name> -b <base segment name> -e
<extension> -first <index of first segment> -last <index of last segment> -i <index
interval between segments>-p 6
Example: Folder C:\test has ten MPEG-DASH segments with the following
file names:
test12109tmp.m4s
test12209tmp.m4s
test12309tmp.m4s
test12409tmp.m4s
test12509tmp.m4s
test12609tmp.m4s

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test12709tmp.m4s
test12809tmp.m4s
test12909tmp.m4s
test121009tmp.m4s
The file names are in the format <base segment name><segment><extension> as
follows:
First segment test12109tmp.m4s
Last segment test121009tmp.m4s
Segment increase interval 10
To process these MPEG-DASH segments, use the following command:
NielsenId3TagValidator -dr C:\test -b test12 -e 9tmp.m4s -first 10 -
last 100 –i 10 -p 6
oYou can also use either the –d or –df commands. The –d command requires that
the segments be in order. For the –df command, there is no guarantee that the
segments will be presented in order. The –dr command described above,
therefore, is the best option.
•For a single file holding a set of MPEG-DASH segments, where some of the
segments hold emsg boxes containing Nielsen ID3 tags, you can use the -d
command as follows:
NielsenId3TagValidator -d <full path name of file> -p 6
•For a folder holding MPEG-DASH segments, where some of the segments
hold emsg boxes containing Nielsen ID3 tags, you can use the -df command.
The tag listing displays the name of each segment followed by the string, ***
EMSG: www.nielsen.com:id3:v1, before it lists the tags found in that
segment.
Note Within the folder, the segments must be arranged in such a way that the copy /b command
would gather them in the order in which they would normally be played back by a DASH
player.
NielsenId3TagValidator -df <folder name>-e <file extension of segments> -p
6
Example: To process all MPEG-DASH segments with extension .m4a
located in folder C:\test, use this call:
NielsenId3TagValidator -df C:\test -e .m4a -p 6

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Optional Parameters
The only required command-line argument is the input-type designator, which has a
value of -r, -t, -m, -d, -df, or -dr. In addition, there are three optional command-line
parameters: -o, -p, and -n.
Output Folder Specifier (-o)
The -o option allows you to specify the folder where your output files should be stored. Do
NOT end the path name with a trailing slash (\). If you do not use the -o option, Validator
stores the output files in the same folder as the input file.
Report Type Specifier (-p)
The -p option allows you to generate one or more of the following reports:
•Summary Report:always generated, regardless of -p setting, this reports the
following:
oINFO tag fields
oBreakout type
oList of PC (Program Content) and FD (Final Distributor) SIDs
oResults of the 30 tests described in “Test Results” on page 21
•Log File:always generated, regardless of -p setting, the file contains the following:
oReports on errors that Validator detects
oLists the sequence number and a helpful error message for each
oWhere applicable, lists the structure and contents of the transport stream
•Detailed Tag Listing:reports all fields of the decrypted ID3 tag with multiple lines per
tag
•Comma-Delimited Tag Listing:summarizes content of a single ID3 tag in a single line
with comma-delimited fields. The best way to use this data is to import this file into a
spreadsheet.
For analysis of content stored in files, use any of the -p settings shown in Table 2.
Table 2 – -p Option Settings
-p Setting Summary Report Log File Detailed Tag Listing Comma-Delimited Tag Listing Periodic Report*
0 (default) x x
1 x x x
2 x x x
3 x x x x

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-p Setting Summary Report Log File Detailed Tag Listing Comma-Delimited Tag Listing Periodic Report*
4 x x x
5 x x x x
6 x x x x
7 x x x x x
Program Number Specifier (-n)
It would be unusual for a transcoder to deliver its final output as a multi-program transport
stream. However, if you do happen to ask Validator to process a multi-program transport
stream (MPTS), you may want to designate a specific program to be processed. Each
program has its own set of ID3 tags. Use the -n option to specify the program number of
the program with the ID3 tags that Validator should analyze. For example, -n 2 instructs
Validator to report only on ID3 tags associated with program 2 in a multi-program
transport stream.
Note that Validator lists identifying information for all programs in the PAT and PMT, even
if the program number does not match the program number that you provide. Validator,
however, parses only the metadata stream associated with the program that you specify.
Using Validator Output
There are three possible outcomes from running Validator:
•All tests pass, and the error count for each test is acceptably low.
•Some or all of the test reports include an excessive error count in the first field. To
check these, do one or both of the following tasks:
oExamine the log file and Detailed Tag Listing. See “Detailed Tag Listing – DATA
Tag” on page 43.
oImport the Comma-Delimited Tag Listing into a spreadsheet and note the error
messages in the last column. For specifics, see and “Comma-Delimited Tag
Listing” on page 50.

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Validator Output: Summary Report
Overview
Validator always generates the two output files listed in Table 3.
Table 3 – Default Output Files
File Ends With Description
Summary Report _report.txt Summarizes the results of the
ID3 tag analysis
Log file _log.txt Lists messages about errors or
anomalies found in the ID3 tag
stream
Do the following:
1. To determine whether the source ID3 tag stream contains errors, review the
Summary Report.
The code labeled as Figure 2 below shows an example of a Summary Report
generated when the application was run with the -m option. The Summary Report
has four major components, which are described in detail in the sections that follow
this one:
•File header
•SID list
•INFO tag list
•30 pass/fail test reports
2. To see more details on any errors, review the log file.
VALIDATOR SUMMARY REPORT, Version 1.8
File evaluated: stress_test.m3u8
Duration: 915 seconds
Breakout Type: 0
FD SID 9120: NAES 2 count = 129, NAES 6 count = 114
PC SID 9020: NAES 2 count = 111, NAES 6 count = 103
PC SID 9051: NAES 2 count = 108, NAES 6 count = 106
FD SID 9151: NAES 2 count = 128, NAES 6 count = 127
INFO TAG:
Vendor ID: 999
Device Type: Transcoder or related device
Device ID: C81F66B8057C
SystemVersion: 1234
SDK Version: 2.3

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Audio CODEC: AAC 2.0 64kbps
Distributor ID: www.example.com
TEST RESULTS:
DATA Tag : DATA Tag Count: Pass <105/81/0>
DATA Tag : Tag Format Test: Pass <0/0/11>
DATA Tag : Sequence Number Test: Pass <0/0/2>
DATA Tag : Time Gap Test: Pass <0/0/2>
DATA Tag : Tag Duration Test: Pass <0/0/3>
DATA Tag : CID SID Test: Pass <3/0/11>
DATA Tag : CID Timestamp Test: Pass <0/0/11>
DATA Tag : CID TS Offset Test: Pass <3/0/11>
DATA Tag : Breakout Type Test: Pass <0/0/1>
DATA Tag : Watermark Timecode Test: Pass <30/0/57>
DATA Tag : Watermark Level Test: Pass <19/0/57>
INFO Tag : INFO Tag Count: Pass <4/2/0>
INFO Tag : INFO Tag Interval Test: Pass <0/0/1>
INFO Tag : INFO Tag CID Test: Pass <0/0/1>
INFO Tag : INFO Tag Offset Test: Pass <0/0/1>
INFO Tag : Vendor ID Test: Pass <0/0/1>
INFO Tag : Device Type Test: Pass <0/0/1>
INFO Tag : Device ID Test: Pass <0/0/1>
INFO Tag : System Version Test: Pass <0/0/1>
INFO Tag : SDK Version Test: Pass <0/0/1>
INFO Tag : Distributor ID Test: Pass <0/0/1>
MPEG - 2 : Tag Placement Test: No Status <0/0/0>
MPEG - 2 : Tag Time Test: Pass <0/0/6>
MPEG - 2 : PES Packet Header Test: Pass <109/81/0>
MPEG - 2 : Nielsen Owner ID Test: Pass <109/1/0>
MPEG - 2 : Missing PES PTS Test: Pass <0/0/6>
MPEG - 2 : PES Header Test: Pass <0/0/6>
MPEG - 2 : PES Incomplete Tag Test: Pass <0/0/3>
MPEG - 2 : PMT Descriptor Test: Pass <98/1/0>
MPEG - 2 : PMT Elem Stream Test: Pass <98/1/0>
Figure 2 – Summary Report Contents
File Header
Description and Example
The Summary Report header identifies the name of the input file, specifies the length of
the analyzed content, and lists the breakout type. If you used the -m option when you ran
Validator, the Summary Report header looks similar to that shown in Figure 4.
VALIDATOR SUMMARY REPORT, Version 1.8
File evaluated: index.m3u8
Duration: 918 seconds
Breakout Type: 0
Figure 3 – Summary Report File Header
Diagnostic Tips
•Verify the Validator version number is correct.
•Check the “File evaluated” line to ensure that the report refers to the expected file or
set of segments. See “Basic Instructions” on page 12.

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oFor the -m option, the “File evaluated” line should specify an HLS m3u8 index file
as shown in Figure 2.
oFor the -r option, the “File evaluated” line should be an mp4 file that has
embedded tags or an encrypted tag file such as a file extracted from a mobile-
device log running the Nielsen sample application.
oFor the -t option, the “File evaluated” line should refer to an MPEG-2 transport
stream.
oFor the -d option, the “File evaluated” line should refer to a set of MPEG-DASH
segments merged, in the correct order, into a single file.
oFor the -df option, the “File evaluated” line should hold the folder name, followed
by “MpegDash.txt.” Note that there is no file named “MpegDash.txt.” The name is
simply a placeholder. The folder name, however, should refer to the folder that
you named after the -df option.
oFor the -dr option, the “File evaluated” line should hold the base name (including
the folder name) of the segments that were processed. When stripped of the path
name, this base segment name should match the string that you entered on the
command-line after the -b option.
•Check the “Duration” line to make certain that the PCM-to-ID3 SDK generated tags
for all of the watermarked content that it processed.
Note The reported duration (in seconds) is calculated by subtracting the tag time of the first
decoded ID3 tag from the tag time of the last decoded ID3 tag.
If the beginning or the end of the processed file has no Nielsen watermarks, the
reported duration is less than the number of seconds of processed audio/video
content. Otherwise, the duration listed in the Summary Report header should be
within 20 seconds of the duration of the processed content.
•Make certain that the reported breakout type matches the setting that you used when
you configured your application. Your application should always set the breakout
code to 0.
SID List
Description
The SID List identifies the PC (Program Content) and FD (Final Distributor) SIDs (source
identifiers) that Validator found in the ID3 tags in the analyzed content. Validator lists only
the SIDs that it associates with the PC or FD code. Due to bit errors during the decoding
process, invalid SIDs may appear in the SID List, but their counts are significantly less
than those of valid SIDs. SIDs with a “UK” (unknown) watermark level or distribution type
may not appear in this list at all, even if the same SID is later identified as a PC or FD
SID.
In the SID List in Figure 4, the valid FD SID is 9151, and the valid PC SID is 9051. In the
entire file, the level was incorrectly interpreted as PC instead of FD for five unique NAES
2 audio codes.

ID3 Tag ValidatorApplication UserManual
Release1.8 RevisionF 19 Nielsen Confidential
FD SID 9151: NAES 2 count = 160, NAES 6 count = 166
PC SID 9151: NAES 2 count = 5 , NAES 6 count = 0
PC SID 9051: NAES 2 count = 110 , NAES 6 count = 120
Figure 4 – SID List Contents
Note that some streams may have up to three different FD SIDs in the same file
segment. However, there should be only one PC SID in a single portion of a specific file.
“Single portion” refers to a commercial, a program segment, etc.
Table 4shows the interval in seconds at which we would ideally expect to see a specific
SID within any segment of the stream with the listed characteristics. The first three rows
in the table show the most common configurations.
Table 4 – Interval in Seconds
Segment Type
NAES 2 NAES 6
PC FD PC FD1 FD2 FD3
PC-Only 4 N/A 4.8 N/A N/A N/A
PC + FD 4 4 4.8 4.8 N/A N/A
FD Only N/A 2 N/A 4.8 N/A N/A
FD+FD N/A 2 N/A 4.8 4.8 N/A
FD+FD+FD N/A 2 N/A 4.8 4.8 4.8
PC+FD+FD 4 4 4.8 4.8 4.8 N/A
Examples
For a 15-minute segment of audio that has only a PC SID of 100, expect to see a SID List
similar to this:
PC SID 100: NAES 2 count = 225, NAES 6 count = 187
For a 15-minute segment of audio that has a PC SID of 100 and an FD SID of 200, expect
to see a SID List similar to this:
PC SID 100: NAES 2 count = 225, NAES 6 count = 187
FD SID 200: NAES 2 count = 225, NAES 6 count = 187
For a 15-minute segment of audio that has only an FD SID of 200, expect to see a SID
List similar to this:
FD SID 200: NAES 2 count = 450, NAES 6 count = 187
Diagnostic Tips
In evaluating the SID List, remember that the process of encoding and decoding NAES
watermarks does not always produce ideal results. The following factors may significantly
reduce the number of NAES watermarks detected: