Enhanced Xilinx real-time video engine accelerates path to production for next generation video processing equipment

LAS VEGAS, USA: Xilinx Inc. announced at the National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB), Booth #N4319, that its Real-Time Video Engine (RTVE) reference design now allows equipment makers to leverage Xilinx video processing LogiCORE IP cores for quick implementation of video processing-intensive designs.

The RTVE enables AMBA® AXI-4 interconnects and directly supports Kintex(TM)-7 field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices to power the next generation of multiviewers while accelerating the path to production for OEMs and broadcast equipment designers. Kintex-7 FPGAs are 28nm devices which deliver more than twice the computational power at half the power consumption as compared with previous generations of FPGAs.

The RTVE free source code reference design, built with industry expert and Certified Xilinx Alliance Program Member OmniTek initially for Virtex-6 and Spartan-6 FPGAs, is a critical tool for broadcast equipment engineers developing products used in the acquisition, contribution, and distribution broadcast networks (ACDC) as well as in consumption applications like consumer digital televisions.

"Xilinx is the leader in programmable logic devices and we are the leader in productizing electronic designs for the broadcast and post production industries," said Roger Fawcett, managing director of OmniTek. "We're working together on these reference designs to provide broadcast engineers with distinct platforms that accelerate design production, reduce overall bill-of-material (BOM) costs through system integration into fewer devices which lowers power consumption."

The RTVE is best suited for broadcast switchers, broadcast routers, multiviewers and display systems, all of which are undergoing intense development with industry and consumer demands for ever higher definition video and the resulting bandwidth and processing implications.

"Broadcast equipment designers are under intense pressure to get cutting-edge products to market faster than ever before," said Ben Runyan, director of broadcast and consumer segment marketing at Xilinx. "Currently, I know of several designs relying on our FPGAs that are being used for live broadcasts from the Olympic Games in London this summer to a global TV audience. Our platforms and reference designs, like the RTVE, enable engineering teams to shorten design cycles and focus on differentiating their product while developing ever higher performance systems. By developing this on our industry leading 28nm FPGAs they can attain much lower power systems than prior generations as well."

RTVE v1.5 with enhanced functionality
The improved RTVE reference design adds the ability to now process two video pipelines, features a web-based GUI, and improves video quality with the following enhancements:

* 10-bit video data path (VDP) with 4:4:4 processing;
* OmniTek Chroma Resampler;
* OmniTek Color Correction Matrix (CCM);
* Support for native RGB processing; and
* New interlacer function.