Award-winner uses Xilinx FPGA
21 October 2008
Phabrix Limited has used Xilinx technology in handheld 3G-SDI test signal analysers.
The handheld 3G-SDI test signal analysers for broadcast applications has been awarded an IABM Peter Wayne award and is claimed to be the first portable test signal analyser to support standard definition (SD), high definition (HD) and emerging 3G serial digital interface (SDI) standards.
The Phabrix design team used the integrated features of Xilinx Spartan-3A FPGAs and CoolRunner-II complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) to integrate audio and video functionality with rugged reliability into their latest generators, analysers and monitors.
The Phabrix SxA product was recently announced as the winner in the IABM Technology Peter Wayne Award for Design and Innovation, and Phabrix credits the use of Xilinx Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) and National Semiconductor’s 3G-SDI chipset in enabling their ability to achieve this success
“Xilinx allowed us to track with the latest standards and customer requirements, which in the case of our Phabrix-Sx products is support for 3G video,” said Philip Adams, managing director of Phabrix. “The inherent programmable capabilities of Xilinx silicon allowed us to fully develop numerous audio/video processing algorithms through multiple design iterations. We were able to develop precisely the functionality we needed, quickly and at the right price points. With this flexibility, Phabrix will continue to adapt the SxA platform to address customer needs and the continually evolving SDI specifications.”
Field programmability not only played a role in enabling Phabrix to adapt to the evolving standards and feature requirements of the broadcast market, Xilinx FPGAs made it possible for Phabrix customers to receive automated firmware upgrades through the company’s website.
Both the Phabrix-Sx handheld and Phabrix-Rx 2U rack mounted systems incorporate functions, such as SDI test signal generation and TX, zone plate generation, video RX analysis and capture, video scaling for 3G/HD/SD SDI video formats on a 4.3inch TFT display, video keying and mixing, EDH/CRC insertion and analysis, scrambling, word alignment, waveform monitor and vector display, PLL control and clock generation, audio embedding, de-embedding and processing.
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