FOR FREE MAGAZINE

Altera Demonstrates Broadcast Solutions at IBC 2013

UntitledAltera Corporation shared its latest innovations in programmable logic devices for diverse broadcast end-market applications at IBC 2013 in Amsterdam.

Altera is demonstrating how its field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) can help the broadcast industry achieve the highest levels of performance and systems integration at the lowest power for High Definition (HD) and beyond. Altera’s engineering experts demonstrated the following innovations:

  • Improving video quality and lowering bit rates with hardware-accelerated High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), a video compression standard also known as H.265
  • 4K60 transport over existing 3G serial digital interface (SDI) using TICO – a visually lossless, low latency and compact compression solution from intoPIX, which can be used as a smart upgrade path to manage ultra-high-definition (UHD) resolution workflows and higher frame rates
  • 4K UHD video processing that leverages Altera’s edge-adaptive sharpening algorithms, downscaling from 4K or upscaling to 4K
  • SMPTE 2022 video over 10G Ethernet for uncompressed video over IP, and increased channels with compressed video over a 1 Gbps network with JPEG2000

In addition, Altera and Texas Instruments showcased an industry-first 12G demo in the TI booth. The demo showed how TI’s 12G UHD SDI reclocker, using an Altera Stratix® V GX FPGA device, doubles transmission rates over competing 6G devices, allowing broadcast video equipment to capture, record and play back 4K video signals at 60 Hz over a single link of coaxial cable.

Altera FPGA technology helps manufacturers adopt the emerging 4K UHD standard, which delivers four times the image resolution compared to current 1080p HD video equipment. By enabling a screen display resolution of 3048 x 2160 pixels, 4K UHD presents video in much greater detail, offering  a more immersive TV viewing experience.

“Broadcast equipment manufacturers are increasingly required to deliver integrated products that provide more bandwidth and processing power, while minimizing cost and power, said Umar Mughal, senior manager for the Altera Broadcast business unit. “Altera offers 40 nm and 28 nm FPGAs tailored to deliver studio equipment developers higher integration and customization than ASSP-based systems, while avoiding the lengthy development times and costs of full custom ASICs.”

www.altera.com