1080p Video Framework
1080p is referred to as a full high-definition (HD) video offering, the highest level of resolution the standards enable and is free of the complexity and motion errors associated with interlace formats. 1080p television displays are being widely adopted by consumers, setting the stage for content creation and distribution in 1080p. Today, much of the studio and video distribution hardware, such as switchers, video encoders, and set-top boxes do not support 1080p, but that is expected to change soon.
To enable 1080p, hardware manufacturers rely heavily on FPGAs for 3G Triple Rate serial digital interface (SDI) (SD/HD/3G) and 1080p video processing. Once you have captured 1080p video, it needs to be processed in uncompressed domain which needs a framework capable of supporting bandwidth and performance requirements of 1080p. Typical processing functions include scaling, de-interlacing, chroma resampling, color space conversion, and mixing. A studio system commonly involves most of these functions stitched together along with high-speed memory interfaces. You can also use third-party intellectual property (IP) along with your custom design to build such systems. However, to rapidly develop such high-performance systems, you need a framework which has readily available functions with standard interfaces and a means for designers to add customization or third-party IP into their design. Such a framework would make the integration of these functions fast and easy.
1080p Framework and Reference Designs
Altera provides the 1080p framework, including a library of functions (see Table 1). You can configure and parameterize these functions to handle full HD (1080p) data rates. All these functions are also SOPC Builder ready and use the Avalon® streaming video interface, making it easy for you to interface the functions along with custom logic. SOPC Builder makes it easy for you to integrate the different components into your system.
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Table 1. Video and Image Processing Suite IP MegaCore Functions
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IP MegaCore® Function
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Description
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Color Space Converter
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Converts image data between a variety of different color spaces such as RGB to YCrCb.
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Chroma Resampler
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Changes the sampling rate of the chroma data for image frames, for example from 4:2:2 to 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 to 4:2:0.
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Gamma Corrector
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Performs gamma correction on a color space to compensate for the non-linear characteristics of display monitors.
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2D FIR Filter
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Implements a 3 x 3, 5 x 5, or 7 x 7 finite impulse response (FIR) filter on an image data stream to smooth or sharpen images.
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2D Median Filter
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Implements a 3 x 3, 5 x 5, or 7 x 7 filter that removes noise in an image by replacing each pixel value with the median of neighboring pixel values.
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Alpha Blending Mixer
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Mixes and blends multiple image streams—useful for implementing text overlay and picture-in-picture mixing.
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Scaler
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Resizes image frames using bilinear, bicubic, and custom polyphase algorithms. Also supports real-time updates of both the image sizes and the scaling coefficients.
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Deinterlacer
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Converts interlaced video formats to progressive video format.
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Line Buffer Compiler
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Efficiently maps image line buffers to Altera on-chip memory.
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Altera also provides 1080p reference designs for broadcast applications that you can use as a starting point for development of 1080p systems. Using Altera’s optimized solutions, tools, and development kits, manufacturers can get a head start over their competition in enabling 1080p content creation and distribution.
1080p Design Example
This design example shows a two-channel, compile-time, parametizable video processing system capable of capturing and processing 1080p video. Channel one accepts interlaced video using an SDI interface and converts into progressive video. The second channel accepts any resolution progressive video. The two inputs are mixed and scaled and output on a DVI interface at 1080p resolution. See Figure 1.
Figure 1. 1080p Design Example Block Diagram
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These reference designs will be on display at NAB 2008 at Altera’s booth. For more information, set up a meeting to see the 1080p-capable reference designs or contact your Altera sales representative.
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