Automotive network supports video applications

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Oct 17, 2007

MOST150 features an isochronous transport mechanism to support extensive video applications, as well as an Ethernet channel for efficient transport of IP-based packet data.

The MOST Cooperation has released the MOST150 automotive multimedia network, offering a bandwidth of 150Mbit/s.

In addition to higher bandwidth, MOST150 features an isochronous transport mechanism to support extensive video applications, as well as an Ethernet channel for efficient transport of IP-based packet data.

Audio and video signals can be transported with high bandwidth efficiency and without any overhead for addressing, collision detection/recovery or broadcast.

This way MOST150 offers capacity that packet-switched networks can only achieve with much higher gross bandwidth.

Consequently multiple high-definition (HD) video streams and multi-channel surround sound with premium quality of service can be transmitted, while simultaneously moving high loads of packet data around.

Like MOST25 and MOST50, MOST150 offers the well known channels for synchronous, packet and control data - but in addition it offers also two new channels: an Ethernet channel and an isochronous channel.

The Ethernet channel can transport unmodified Ethernet frames.

This permits software stacks and applications from the consumer and IT domain, where the speed of innovation is much faster, to be seamlessly migrated into the car.

TCP/IP stacks or protocols using TCP/IP can communicate via MOST150 without any modification.

This way MOST150 is the automotive-ready physical layer for Ethernet in the car.

In addition MOST150 offers an isochronous channel to support streams which are not synchronised to the MOST frame rate.

A typical application is the transport of MPEG streams over a MOST network since MPEG streams generally use variable bit-rate.

MOST150 adds significant enhancements to the control channel (which is used for real-time control of devices) by doubling the bandwidth in comparison to MOST25.

MOST150 allows carmakers to continue to use POF and LEDs as light sources.

They can continue to use their established optical wire harness and assembly processesm which makes the transition to higher bandwidth networking with MOST150 a smooth transition.