Conexant, Grain Media deliver design solution for high-density video surveillance apps

NEWPORT BEACH, USA: Conexant Systems Inc. and Taiwan-based Grain Media, a leading system-on-chip (SoC) design company for video, image processing, and surveillance applications, announced the availability of a complete hardware and software reference design for 16-channel digital video recorders (DVRs) used in security and surveillance applications.

The new reference design is based on Conexant’s multichannel video decoders and Grain Media’s advanced H.264 compression SoC solution.

“Businesses globally are increasing the size and scope of their video surveillance footprint to provide an added level of security throughout their operations, which is driving demand for high-density video recording systems,” said Phil Pompa, senior vice president of product marketing for Conexant. “Our jointly developed reference design allows manufacturers to quickly develop high-density video surveillance and security products for this growing market segment. Working with Grain Media also allows us to reach and serve a broader customer base,” Pompa concluded.

“The co-development project with Conexant enables us to provide our customers with the best system architecture for high channel surveillance equipment. This competitive platform also delivers superior system performance including the superb video and image quality required for multiple-channel IP surveillance equipment,” Raymond Lai, director of sales and product marketing at Grain Media.

“Many video surveillance equipment manufacturers are based in Taiwan and China, where both Conexant and Grain Media engineering design centers are located. This geography advantage helps us to provide our joint customers with real-time local support, an added level of service, and enables them to further simplify their design processes.”

The new reference design allows manufacturers to develop optimized video surveillance DVRs that support 16-channel encoding, recording and playback, and have dual- or triple-display output capabilities. Additional features include support for embedded keypad and remote controller functionality, without the need for an external micro-controller, and a single crystal for full system operation.

The design platform is based on two Conexant CX25838 video decoders, which deliver the industry’s lowest power consumption and heat dissipation per channel. The decoders integrate eight industry-standard NTSC/PAL video decoders with 10-bit analog-to-digital converters and five-line comb-filtering to enable superior digital quality output while minimizing noise and facilitating low compression bit rates.

The decoders also include eight high-quality mono analog-to-digital converters with integrated Inter-IC Sound (I2S) audio inputs. Additional features include programmable motion detection logic, and 48 general input/output (GPIO) pins to maximize design flexibility and product customization.

The solution platform also includes Grain Media’s GM8186/GM8187 H.264 SoC with an embedded Linux operating system to enable high-quality video performance with low bit rates. The powerful SoC with 540MHz CPU and DDR2 up to 810MHz has been optimized for 16-channel DVR systems.

The reference system platform also supports multiple peripheral interfaces, including SATA 2.0 port, USB OTG and host, key scan, remote controller, HDMI, VGA and NTSC/PAL display output. It also includes a PCI interface to support value added functions such video as analytics.

Conexant’s video product portfolio includes decoders and media bridges for surveillance and security products with digital video recording capabilities. The company also offers low-power video encoder solutions that enable visual verification with passive infrared technology sensors used in residential “smart home” and commercial security applications.