SEVEN Generator: The Protocol Analyzer Software

Published December 21 2020, by Tom Devine

The software that takes your SEVEN-G to the next level of testing with every HDMI event down to the nanosecond.

The SEVEN Protocol Analyzer allows you to analyze the HDMI IN/OUT activity over a specified time period. When testing with this device and software you are able to see all events relating to:

5V
CEC
HPD
eARC
SDA (Data)
SCL (Clock)

On top of that you can also parse specific data types, view and navigate in “wave view” or “list view” and delve into details of I2C and eARC transactions. If you need to know what is happening to your HDMI pipeline down to the nanosecond? The SEVEN Generator’s Protocol Analyzer software has you covered.

You can download the Software and manual here: Software/Manual

The Murideo Seven G is a powerful piece of HDMI test equipment capable of many different functions for integrators, manufacturers, and engineers, and today we are looking specifically at the device’s Protocol software. This is a very unique and helpful piece of software that will allow you to monitor all incoming and outgoing HDMI protocol traffic. This is especially useful for manufacturers and engineers as the data that is extracted from testing can be used to diagnose HDMI issues, ultimately leading to fixing these issues for a better overall product. The best part is that the Device protocol software is 100% free with the purchase of the Seven G!

How to Connect and Use the Software:

First, connect the Seven G to a PC using the supplied USB cable.
Next, download the software from the Murideo website or the link provided above. From here you can download the Software manual and the software.
Once you download the software, your PC may warn you that the file is “not commonly downloaded and may be dangerous”. You can ignore this warning and keep the file. Go ahead and open the file, and you may have a pop up that says “Windows protected your PC”. Click “More Info”, then “Run anyway”.
Once the software is open and the generator is connected via USB, click the “Search” button. The software will automatically find the Seven G and will let you know that it has connected.
Next, connect the HDMI device that you would like to test. You can connect to either the input to test incoming signals, or the output to test how the device you are testing responds. In this example I am going to connect the output of the Seven G to a TV.
In this example, I want to collect all of the HDMI protocol exchanges between the Seven G and the TV. Choose the amount of time (in seconds) that you would like to run the test for. In this example we are going to run the test for 10 seconds. Then click “Start”.
Wait for the test to finish.
Now that the test is done we can look at the results. First let’s take a look at the left side of the screen which can show you each protocol parsed out. For example if I just want to see when the 5v exchanges happened, I can click on “Parse 5V”. This will show me a time stamp from when every 5v exchange happened during the test. I can also click on “Parse HDP Out” which will show me every hot plug event that happened during the test. If you are looking for specific events you can parse out anything that you’d like by clicking any of the buttons in the bottom left of the screen.
At the top you will notice 2 buttons…”Wave View” and “List View”. Here you can see every HDMI event or transaction as it happened during the test. If you use the “Wave View” you can see each event that occurred in real time. Use the “Previous Event” and “Next Event” buttons to advance through each event as it happened. To see each event in real time throughout the test, use the “Shift Left” and “Shift Right” buttons.
You can also use the “List View” to see the entire list of every event in your test in chronological order. Notice that we can see when each event happened down to the microsecond. If I want to only see a specific protocol, such as 5v, CEC signals, Hot Plug events, eARC signals, or anything that happened within I2C, I can do so by checking or unchecking these boxes.
You can see a detailed view of an eARC signals coming in or leaving the Seven G, and you can see all of the I2C information as well. At the top of the page, click on either of the 4 available tabs under “Detailed View” to access this information. You can save these readouts and share them with your clients or co-workers for analysis.