SOC Mpeg Codec Modules (MCMs) are small yet powerful video processing PCBs designed to reduce the engineering effort needed to make use of our low-latency all-hardware video/audio Codec IP.
MCM Modules are built with all the IC and interfaces that our Codec IP cores need to process real-time video:
- a high-performance Xilinx/Intel FPGA/SoC
- DDR memory
- Flash/EEPROM
- Audio-codec capabilites
- Run-time API interface
MCM modules are pre-loaded with firmware according to customer specifications. They are shipped as ready to use, plug-in-and-play Codec processing systems.
To use MCM modules, add a 204-pin card connector on your PCB, and you are ready to encode/decode/transcode up to 4K/60 video (3840x2160 at 60fps), at ultra-low latencies (as low as 0.25ms!).
- Specifications
Codec Function : Decoding Compression Standard : H.264/AVC Channels : Two Precision : 8 bits per channel Max. Framerate : Up to 30 FPS (30/29.97, 25/24.97, 24/23.98...) Max. Resolution : Up to FHD/1080p (1920x1080) Codec FPGA : Xilinx A200T - Components
MCM Modules interface to user PCBs via a standard 204-pin SODIMM connector. You may recognize this connector as the DDR3 SDRAM connector used for connecting high-speed RAM to PCs. Coincidentally, this connector is also well-suited for streaming uncompressed and compressed video data.
You may purchase this connector from various electronics parts suppliers:
MM80 Series Inline Module Socket Connector
Manufacturer: JAE Electronics204-pin DDR3 SDRAM SODIMM Connector
Manufacturer: TE Connectivity AMP Connectors
Working reference designs may be licensed from System-On-Chip Technologies.
Video data is transferred on the HDMI_D[] data bus. Vertical sync and horizontal sync signals are used for frame synchronization.
10-bit capable systems use 10 bits per channel, 8-bit systems ignore the 2 lowest bits [1:0] (they can be set to '0').
| Signal Name | Dir. | Description |
|---|---|---|
| HDMI_CLK | I | Video Clock |
| HDMI_D[17:0] | I | HDMI Luma and Chroma Data |
VIDEO_CLK is driven by the video source (usually HDMI or SDI chipset). VIDEO_CLK frequency should be set according to the resolution and framerate of the video source:
| Resolution /FPS | Clock Frequency |
|---|---|
| 640x480p 60fps | 27 Mhz |
| 1280x720p 60fps | 74.25 Mhz |
| 1920x1080p 30fps | 74.25 Mhz |
| 1920x1080p 60fps | 148.5 Mhz |
Compressed data is transferred as an 8-bit stream over TS_BYTE[7:0] lines. At every rising edge of TS_CLK, if TS_DV is '1', this means that the current data on the TS_DATA bus is valid for reading.
| Signal Name | Dir. | Description |
|---|---|---|
| TS_CLK | I | Stream Clock |
| TS_RDY | O | Receiver Ready |
| TS_DV | I | Data Valid |
| TS_BYTE[7:0] | I | Stream Data |
Modules expose a serial UART interface for reading/writing API registers. For a list of available API registers, refer to the API Guide.
| Signal Name | Dir. | Description |
|---|---|---|
| UART_RX | I | UART data to module |
| UART_TX | O | UART data from module |
The standard UART protocol uses these parameters:
| Baudrate | Data bits | Start bits | Stop bits | Parity bits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 115200 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Working reference designs may be licensed from System-On-Chip Technologies.