Abstract: A streaming media assessment system comprises assessment servers, media clients, data collection points, helper agents, and report servers. An assessment tool is downloaded or otherwise installed on an end-user client machine and associated with its media player. An assessment server is in communication with the assessment tool over the network and can send control messages to conduct tests and gather information from the assessment tool. The client machine media player is controlled to stop and start by the assessment tool and it will provide measurements that can be forwarded to the assessment servers. Analyses are then produced by the assessment servers of the actual media streams that were received by many such client machine media players. The report servers issue various formatted reports for the system's sponsors and subscribers.

Abstract: A streaming media assessment system comprises assessment servers, media clients, data collection points, helper agents, and report servers. An assessment tool is downloaded or otherwise installed on an end-user client machine and associated with its media player. An assessment server is in communication with the assessment tool over the network and can send control messages to conduct tests and gather information from the assessment tool. The client machine media player is controlled to stop and start by the assessment tool and it will provide measurements that can be forwarded to the assessment servers. Analyses are then produced by the assessment servers of the actual media streams that were received by many such client machine media players. The report servers issue various formatted reports for the system's sponsors and subscribers.

Abstract: A scheme of evaluating performance of a network connecting a remote terminal to a data service system is described. The scheme emulates a communication protocol to transfer data reliably and in sequence with congestion control. The communication protocol includes mechanisms for acknowledgment and retransmission and a dynamic window size. The scheme restricts the dynamic window size not to be greater than a predetermined maximum window size, and the amount of data transferred to a predetermined data transfer size, thereby accurately measuring user-perceived network throughput without significantly impacting network performance.

Abstract: A scheme is described for a data service system having a number of modules. Some of the modules are interdependent. To measure the status of an individual module, the scheme first collects measurements from a number of measurement routes that involve the module. Then the scheme analyzes the interdependencies of the measurements to determine the status of the individual module. The scheme may also determine status of the data service system with a minimal number of measurement routes. This is done by determining (1) all possible measurement routes, (2) determining the dependency between the modules and the measurement routes, and (3) analyzing the dependency to select minimal number of the measurement routes. The scheme can diagnose whether a module is a problematic module or not by analyzing a number of measurements that involve the module. If one of the measurements is good, the module is identified as non-problematic.

Abstract: An electrically heated oven has three heater elements, two of which are used together for broiling. Switches provide for connecting selected heating elements in different parallel, series or series-parallel arrangements to provide different temperature levels and heat distribution for broiling, baking or cleaning, all from a single-voltage power source.