Xilinx making immersive 3D and 4K2K displays possible with 7 series FPGA system integration

SAN JOSE, USA: Xilinx Inc. introduced new 28nm Kintex-7 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based targeted reference designs and a new development baseboard for accelerating the development of next-generation, 3D and 4K2K display technologies aimed at giving consumers a rich, immersive experience.

At next week's 2012 International CES, the world's largest consumer electronics tradeshow, attendees can visit Xilinx in suite #MP25556 in the Las Vegas Convention Center to see a demonstration of these development resources that consists of 4K2K Mosaic and HDTV-to-4K2K up-converter targeted reference designs and the new ACDC (Acquisition, Contribution, Distribution and Consumption) 1.0 Baseboard using Kintex-7 FPGAs, all jointly developed with Premier Xilinx Alliance Program member Tokyo Electron Device Ltd. (TED).

"As one of the providers of IP, development kits, and design services to Xilinx customers, Tokyo Electron Device is pleased to collaborate with Xilinx for next generation display technologies and strongly believes that our Kintex-7 FPGA baseboard under the 'inrevium' brand will contribute to improve the development process," said Yasuo Hatsumi, Vice President of Solution Business.

The processing performance and flexibility provided by 28nm Kintex-7 FPGAs allows manufacturers to build stunningly immersive technology into new consumer TV screens that come with features such as multiple windows/picture-in-picture, 3D graphics for games and ultra-realistic viewing that goes far beyond HDTV. By having development resources that include the baseboard, tools, IP cores, and reference designs needed to begin developing their system, manufacturers can accelerate their development of cutting-edge televisions, projectors, and monitors.

"We're on the cusp of an era that offers better-than-ever display technologies for an excitingly immersive viewer experience," said Bruce Berkoff, Chairman of the LCD TV Association. "Just as we've seen the emergence of 3DTV for consumers closely following the deployment of faster, cheaper FPGAs, we anticipate a similar trend in the industry's deployment of 4K2K."

Xilinx's 28nm Kintex-7 FPGA-based development technologies are on the front edge of a revolution in display technologies that is expected to be rolled out to consumers in the near future. The combination of hardware, IP cores, and targeted reference designs from Xilinx and TED allows display makers who have 1080i systems (HD) or 1080P (Full HD) and designs in their labs to quickly develop systems so they can be ready with the new displays with little additional engineering investment before 4K2K content becomes widely available. In fact, the 4K2K up-converter reference design makes it possible for 1080i or 1080P content to be displayed on 4K2K systems.

"The ACDC 1.0 Base Board with the Kintex-7 FPGA enables the entire chain of development from broadcast to consumer in support of ultra-high definition consumer displays, not just 4K2K," said Ben Runyan, director of Broadcast and Consumer Segment Marketing at Xilinx. "Today we're showcasing the immersive experience that can be enabled by our FPGAs that will be available to viewers in the near future. Since Xilinx FPGAs enable 4K2K video capture with broadcast quality cameras, as well as the rest of the broadcast contribution and distribution networks in between, consumer electronics and broadcast manufacturers have a single platform for developing a wide range of related applications."

Kintex-7 FPGA system integration for display
The ACDC 1.0 Base Board forms the heart of Xilinx's system integration tools for developing consumer displays. Designers who are already working with 1080i or 1080P technologies can quickly migrate to 4K2K by using the Mosaic reference design and HDTV-to-4K2K up-converter included as part of the platform.

The HDTV-to-4K2K up-converter also solves the content dilemma by providing a necessary tool to be able to use any standard 1080i (HD) or 1080P (Full HD) content on a rich immersive 4K2K display. The base board and optional FPGA Mezzanine Cards (FMC) can also support:

* Video In Connectivity via DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI standards;
* Video Processing with De-interlacer, Video Scaler, Color Space Converter, Gamma Correction, Edge Enhancement, Motion Adaptive Noise Reduction, Frame Rate Converter, Color Grading, and On-Screen-Display features that come with the Video and Image Processing Pack (VIPP) from Xilinx;
* Video-out Connectivity to the display panel through V-by-One HS, DisplayPort, and LVDS.

FPGAs enabling immersive video experience
In addition to the 4K2K display, the Xilinx suite will also have several other demonstrations including:

* A new generation of smart immersive 3DTV that is currently only available in Europe. The 3DTV has the fastest refresh rate in the industry at 1200Hz, significantly reducing motion blur.
* New glassless 3D 8-way viewing technology.
* A 3D head mount visor: that uses two 1280x720 0.7-inch panels mounted in front of each eye to provide a spectacular viewing experience.
* Another 3D eyewear that simulates viewing a 75-inch 3D 16:9 display from 10 feet away. Each eye features a single 852x480 monitor and supports input resolutions up to 1280x720.
* An eReader that can display sheet music or kanji characters in 12 pt font with a fast page turning capability.
* An Android-based color display that can play music, video, and display PowerPoint slides even in direct sunlight.

The ACDC 1.0 Baseboard with the Kintex-7 FPGA as well as the targeted reference designs will be available in Q2 2012.