Altera

The movie industries are creating more and more high-definition (HD) video content for distribution in order to meet increasing demand from consumers. The current practice in recording studios for supporting an HD 1080p format involves a dual-link connection (SMPTE 372) from the cameras to the mixing and recording equipment. Dual-link connections require twice the number of cables as single-link connections, resulting in increased equipment cost and increased complexity within the studio facility. A committee of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is working to finalize a single-link, 1080p-capable standard called SMPTE 424M that will simplify hardware design while reducing cost and facility set-up complexity. This paper describes Altera's implementation of a 3-Gbps SDI video interface supporting the new standard.