Media Center And PC Reliability

1. Media Center And PC Reliability Dr. Kailash C. Kapur Professor of Industrial Eng. Kkapur @ u.washington.edu University of Washington Talal Batrouny Group Program ManagereHome TV Core Microsoft Corporation

2. Session Outline • Delivering on the promises of convergence • Overview of Media Center accomplishments in 2004 • Press reviews, then and now • Why reliability is important to Media Center • Expanding the role of the PC as an entertainment device • Customers challenges and expectations today • Reliability definition and challenges • High level plan to achieve a higher level of reliability • Call to action • What Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs) can do to improve reliability • Where to go for more information

3. The Mossberg Report, February 2004 MCE 2004 Mixed Press Reviews… “The Windows XP Media Center Edition is one of the best pieces of software Microsoft has produced in years” “What makes a Windows Media Center PC so much better than past efforts is that Microsoft has added a whole new user interface to Windows that's meant to be used from across a room and run with a remote control, not a keyboard. It's this software, not exotic hardware, that's the key to a Media Center PC.” “The one big downside to a Windows Media Center PC is TV reception. In my tests, three out of four models had lousy reception, with lots of static — and that was over cable. This hardly makes you want to record shows. It's often caused by cheap video components in the PC.” SmartMoney

4. Media Center Accomplishments in 2004 Signal Tuner Video Decoder MPEG2 Encoder MPEG2 Decoder Graphics H/W Cables Display Input Capture Playback Output

5. MCE 2005What the Press is saying… “Now the video quality is very, very good – not only on the Sony computer monitor, but also on the Sharp 37-inch LCD TV in my bedroom and the Samsung 26-inch direct-view TV in another room.  I also saw Media Center 2005 video on a huge projection screen (40-feet diagonal) and the quality there was pretty amazing as well. “ – Gary Krakow (MSNBC) Oct. 12, 2004 “MCE 2005 is the most polished and tightly integrated desktop DVR we’ve seen“ – Matthew Elliott (C|net) October 12, 2004 “Microsoft may have unleashed the perfect OS for a home PC” By Bill Howard (PC Magazine)October 12, 2004 Winner: Overall Best in Show Digital Life Oct 2004 “Well, I'm blown away too. You can call this release a minor revision, a point release, or whatever. I can't hear you. From where I stand, this is a lifestyle revolution. And from here on out, life will never be the same.” – Paul Thurrott (SuperSite) October 12, 2004

6. High Level MCE Architecture Windows Provided by: Media Center Microsoft My Music Play DVD My Videos My TV My Pictures ISV Extensibility Application Extensibility Application IHV Shell Objects OEM XML PVR UI Framework Fonts Control Development Platform MPEG2Decoder CLR DShow DX WMPOCX DRM WMCodecs Driver Layer Tuner Driver Graphics Driver PM Audio Driver 1394 IR USB Hardware(Tuner, Video decoder, MPEG2 Encoder, Graphics, Audio, etc..) Core (Fixed)System hardware Value-addedSystem hardware

7. PC/Windows CE Convergence Customer challenges MCE Reliability Pillars Robustness Supportability Setup AV Quality • Out-of-box and First Run issues (Connectors, Components out) • Configuring MCE for my display • Routing/Connecting of CE devices (AV, VCR, Set-top, etc.) • Network Configuration and Security Missed recording STB Interface problems Drivers crashes Hardware failures Performance (channel change) Extensibility application crashes Driver update problems No diagnostics tools No standardized support • A/V Sync problems • Picture fidelity • Color accuracy • Sharpness, noise reduction • Deinterlacing

8. CE Entertainment Reliability(End-to-end experience)

9. Example Of MCE Customers Challenges Today… • MCE 2004 PC Setup was still too difficult • Simply connecting all the wires is challenging for nearly one out of four (22%) of these buyers, and the experience gets progressively less easy as buyers try to set up the remote, the EPG and transfer content to their new PC • On the bright side, there has been some improvement in the remote/EPG setup since the last wave of this study * 7pt scale from Very Easy to Very Difficult **EPG and remote setup were asked combined in Jul 03

10. Example Of MCE Customers Challenges Today… • 61% of those who purchased a desktop PC said they purchased a wireless keyboard and mouse to use with their new Media Center PC; this is a significant increase from 25% in July ‘03 • 29% said they had to buy additional cables or other supplies in order to set up their Media Center PC, down from 38% in July ‘03; items needed included • 27% printer cable • 25% Coax cable for TV • 18% RCA cable for AV connection • 11% Ethernet cable • 9% Cable splitter • 6% USB cable • 6% DVI/video cable • 6% Phone line • 5% Surge protector • Most of these cables were not included in the original purchase

11. MCE Robustness Customer Pain 2004 data • Third-party driver crashes in MCE (SP1 and SP2)* • In 2004, an average of 1 out-of 4 MCE machines have reported a Tuner or Graphics driver crash * Microsoft OCA crash data for calendar year 2004

12. How Is Reliability Defined? • A device’s ability to repeatedly perform a required function, without failure, under stated conditions for a stated period of time

13. Reliability Life Cycle Plan, monitor, and improve product reliability throughout the product life cycle • Partner Focus • Commitment to reliability • Communication (cause/effects) • Fixes delivery • System Focus • Commitment to reliability • Holistic view • Protected from external unreliable components Customer Satisfaction • Continuous Improvements • Measure and analyze • Evolutionary fixes • Track and control stability • Future Focus • Preventative (tools) • Proactive • Innovative solutions

14. Industry Challenges • Media Center end-to-end reliability (software and hardware) is a key to the PC/CE convergence success to achieve broader adoption • Good enough is not an option for success… • Reliability must be defined, measured, evaluated, verified, controlled, and sustained in the market • Help reduce support cost for OEMs and IHVs • Drive consumer confidence in Media Center PC hardware component and system reliability to a level not previously targeted • Build solutions for the steps from original purchase to installation, operation and support • To successfully meet a higher standard of PC reliability to meet our customer expectations, Microsoft needs the support and participation of OEM and IHV partners

15. Setup Improvement Overview MCE Reliability Pillars Robustness Supportability Setup AV Quality • Microsoft • Investigating tools to aid users through MCE configuration and setup • Diagnostics tools to identify potential setup issues • Address default resolution issue with component out • Graphics IHVs need to enable proper detection/config of display connection • OEMs • Ship most common CE connectors and cables in the box • Ship wireless mouse and keyboard • Ship Windows logo’d/ISF-certified systems and components (graphics, tuners, displays) • Design back panels to adhere to CE type labeling and color coding for connectors and cables • See the Media Center PC Design Node link for more details (link at the end of the presentation)

16. Robustness Improvements Overview… MCE Reliability Pillars Robustness Supportability Setup AV Quality • Microsoft • Modularization of the MCE experiences • Improve error/exception handling in MCE components • Help catch potential instabilities • Sandbox MCE processes such as Stream Buffer Engine • Support for Windows codenamed “Longhorn” Glitch-free initiative • Capture/playback resilient to CPU and I/O stress • Improve SDK/DDK docs and driver samples to help IHVs better develop analog and digital tuners • New test tools to help identify driver reliability issues • Fault injection, new stress test cases

17. Robustness Improvements Overview… MCE Reliability Pillars Robustness Supportability Setup AV Quality • Industry • Instrument your driver code to isolate and fix reliability issues • Driver instrumentation specs would be posted to Betaplace.com website • Need IHVs and ISVs to fix all Pri1 and Pri2 bugs communicated by Microsoft • Run long haul testing on your driver • Should run for 6 months non-stop! • Test power management scenarios • Hardware and driver must always work after a suspend • Proven reliable drivers would be considered to ship inbox • Give serious consideration to managing the overall heat generated by system components • Design and ship passive cooled components • Minimize fan noise for placement in the living room • Reduce hardware failures due to heat

18. AV Quality Improvements Overview MCE Reliability Pillars Robustness Supportability Setup AV Quality • Microsoft • AV Glitching/AV Sync • Improved tools to detect dropped frames • Instrumentation of the Capture and Playback pipeline to isolate video glitches and lip-synch problems • Better display calibration • 10’ ProcAmp video adjustment for various source quality • DDC/CI support for easier display calibration • Industry • Design and ship high quality tuners (RF, capture, encode) • Better quality tuner started to ship this year, more coming… • More focus by graphics IHVs on video quality enhancement features • Ensure your Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) info is accurate • OEMs: Ship ISF certified hardware

19. Supportability Improvements Overview… MCE Reliability Pillars Robustness Supportability Setup AV Quality • Microsoft • Intelligently targeted process and driver restart for better recoverability • Detect potential reliability degradation or misbehavior and take appropriate actions to correct the problem • All MCE systems components including drivers/hardware must support instrumentations • Report their status and support recommended mitigation methods • Investigating new diagnostics tools to identify and recommend fixes for potential instabilities • Support Remote Debug (for development purposes)

20. Supportability Improvements Overview… MCE Reliability Pillars Robustness Supportability Setup AV Quality • Industry • New logo program • Silver (Driver quality and reliability) • Gold (Premium Longhorn Experience); new marketing incentive… • New driver singing requirements for MCE Quality and Reliability • DQS + New test tools to help improve driver reliability • Prefast for drivers, Static driver verifier, Call usage verifier, Device path exerciser, Driver verifier • All tuners and graphics driver for MCE must be signed for reliability • Use Windows Update as the standardized source of signed drivers • Help streamline driver update and minimize user confusion for the best driver version to install

21. Call To Action • Ensure your display EDID information is accurate • Run MCE tools to test your driver quality/reliability • Run Long-Haul testing on your driver • Instrument your drivers based on the MCE instrumentation guideline • Fix all Pri1 and Pri2 bugs reported by Microsoft • ISF certify your hardware (system, graphics, tuner) • Ship all necessary cables, connectors, and wireless keyboard/mouse with MCE PCs • Design back panels to adhere to CE type labeling and color coding for connectors and cables • Follow the details on www.microsoft.com/whdc to ensure that your device is Logo’d and signed

22. Customer-Centered Quality And ReliabilityPrinciples And Roadmap Phone: (206) 543-4604 Fax: (206) 685-3072 E-Mail: kkapur @ u.washington.edu http://faculty.washington.edu/kkapur Dr. Kailash C. Kapur, P. E. Professor Industrial Engineering Box 352650 University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195-2650

23. Session Outline • Introduction • Quality and reliability • What, why, where, when, how, how much, …? • Definitions and measures • Global perspectives and importance • Principles for quality and reliability • Based on lessons learned, and old and new wisdom • Implementation-based on these principles for the Company, OEMs, and hardware/software vendors • Recommendations and summary

24. Quality And Reliability • What? • Operational definitions • Measures and evaluation processes • Why? • Internal and external motivators • Demanded, expected, and required by customers

25. Quality And Reliability • Where? • In Organization, field, external customers… • Main Company, OEMs, software and hardware Vendors, … • When? • During which phases of the Life Cycle of the product, process, system, …

26. Quality And Reliability • How? • Methods, tools, … • Engineering, mathematical, statistical, and other sciences • How much? • Philosophies • Guiding principles • Standards, guidelines, … • Development of manuals, systems and procedures, handbooks, educational/training programs, …

27. System Quality Focus on all elements of the System and their interfaces and integration SOFTWARE HARDWARE HUMAN

28. Definitions Quality ( Latin qualitas) comes from qualis, meaning “how constituted” and signifies “such as the thing really is” Quality n. The essential character of something, nature, an inherent characteristic or attribute

29. Quality Customer Satisfaction Quality Characteristics or Qualities Technological Hardness, inductance, software logic, math models Psychological Taste, beauty, status, surprise and delight Time-Oriented Reliability, safety, security, maintainability Contractual Guarantee provisions Ethical Courtesy of sales personnel honesty of service shops Cost Purchase price life cycle cost (LCC) Delivery Product/process and hardware/software development cycle

30. “Nothing is more demotivating than doing a fine job of implementing the wrong thing”

31. In order to make sure that we do the right thing, one of the objectives is to present principles [based on lot of research, experience with other companies, old and new wisdom] which will be useful to implement processes for quality and reliability improvement for the 21st century and beyond Principle – Centered Quality Objectives

32. Principle – Centered Quality • Customer Focus • Defined and evaluated by the customer • Constancy of purpose • System Focus • System integration • Synergy • Holistic • Interdependence • Process Focus • Cross-functional teams • Concurrent/simultaneous engineering and design

33. Principle – Centered Quality • Hierarchical Structure • Cause and effect • Means and ends • Purpose of the purpose • Future Focus • Future perfect versus past perfect • Life Cycle – Infinite Planning Horizon • Continuous Improvement • Statistical stability versus improvement • Continuous, evolutionary, and breakthrough management

34. Principle – Centered Quality • Prevention, …, Proactive, …,Strategic Planning, … • Economics of prevention • Scientific Approach • Not anecdotal but based on scientific principles • Experimental, analytical, … • Axiomatic

35. Principle – Centered Quality • Integration • Cultural issues, values, beliefs and broad habits for framework for quality • Understanding the Transformation… • Data  Information  Knowledge  Wisdom  Enlightenment  …

36. “Time”-Oriented Qualities And Changes With Time Impact Customer Satisfaction

37. Reliability – A Relative Measure • The Reliability “Number” changes with • Intended function definition – Multiple functions • Usage and environmental conditions • Actual or perceived definition of satisfactory operation • Time

38. Reliability Research • The main focus of the research that I have been doing for the last two decades is • To make sure that the reliability measures capture the reality of multiple states and degradation over time for the systems and the components • To assure that reliability measures can capture the total experience of the customer with the system over time

39. Transition from to Integrated and Distributed Integrated And Distributed Process

40. Call this aquality process How to preventrecurrence ofcauses ofproblems How to design themeans to achieve theends and developbetter products Prevent potentialfuture problemsfrom happening Concept of a Quality Processhigh quality that satisfies customers What is quality of a …? Sounds like an easy question, but hard to answer Something is needed Future Past Present

41. A process to facilitate integration and application of world class quality and reliability technologies, disciplines, and methods to all phases of the life cycle of the system must be developed in the organization; The purpose of the process is to plan, develop, define, measure, manage, evaluate, and improve quality of company’s product and processes Q And R Process And Management

42. Life Cycle Cost And Product Life Cycle 100 Life Cycle Cost (LCC)determination Approximately90% of LCCdetermined 80 Cumulative Percent 60 Actualfundsspent 40 20 Approximately10% of LCC spent 0 I 0 II ProductandProcessDesign III IV V Basic Research Production FieldOperationandSupport Concept Development

43. Law On Safety Serious injury 1 Minor injury 29 Near accident 300 In order to eliminate one serious injury, you must first decrease the occurrence of minor injury and many occurrences of near accident

44. Quality Law Claim from customer Defective process Process instability In order to eliminate one customer claim, you must first improve the process and reduce abnormalities (variations)

45. Quality Law Claim from customer Process defective Processabnormality Impossible Possible

46. The Design Process: Traditional Versus Ideal Traditional FEEDBACK CONFORMING DESIGN PROCESS PRODUCT Y NONCONFORMING Ideal B C A PRODUCT Y DESIGN z E D Develop a functional relationship y = g(A, B, C, …) Use A, B, C, .......... to achieve the desired results

47. Basic Process Diagram Noises Uncontrollable . . . Process Inputs Outputs . . . . . . Control or Decision . . . Noises Decide not to control

48. Robust Method “voice of the customer” Objective function(This is customer’s world) Result Intent Noise Factors Response = y M = Signal System Ideal function(This is engineer’s world) Control Factors

49. Principle – Centered Quality And Reliability Summary and Recommendations

50. Principle – Centered Quality