Product category:
Reference Designs
News Release from: PLX Technology Europe | Subject: Multichannel PCIe video board design
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 19 July 2006
Bridge and decoders combine for PCIe
video
Reference-design platform aids in the development of multichannel PCIe video boards.
PLX Technology and Conexant Systems have announced a reference-design platform for the development of multichannel PCIe video boards The platform, featuring the PLX' PEX 8111 PCI-to-PCIe bridge and eight Conexant Bt878 video decoders, enables designers to quickly create PCIe-based video-surveillance boards and other powerful video systems with up to eight channels, double the number currently on the market
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 20 Aug 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The platform demonstrates the high-bandwidth capabilities of the PEX 8111 and reflects the bridge's ability to manage eight or more independent video streams.
Additionally, the board at the heart of the platform was migrated from conventional PCI, illustrating the ease with which designers can upgrade their existing products based on conventional PCI to the rapidly expanding PCIe interconnect technology.
End-products using this platform will realise lower cost per channel, as well as faster time to market.
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The reference platform comes at an advantageous time for manufacturers, as the high-end video-surveillance market is growing rapidly.
Market researcher JP Freeman Co predicts the market, currently at $4 billion, is growing at a rate of 40% per year.
"The adoption of PCI Express continues to penetrate new markets, with high-end video now seeing double-digit growth", said Steve Moore, PLX senior marketing manager for PCIe bridges.
"This new PCI Express-based reference platform allows both Conexant and PLX to make inroads further into that market, while simplifying the design process for engineers".
"With the expanding market for surveillance and other high-bandwidth video systems, coupled with the new generation of PCs with PCI Express slots, PLX and Conexant determined that a reference platform blending the companies' respective technologies would be of tremendous value to board and system manufacturers", said Ed Munar, senior product line marketing manager at Conexant.
"We're assuring those manufacturers get a running start on robust new designs, including eight-channel PCI Express boards, which will set a new standard for the video market".
Blending the advanced interconnect technology of PLX's ExpressLane family of PCIe bridges and switches with Conexant's industry-leading line of media decoders, the new PEX-8111-Bt878 reference platform provides a complete solution for board and system development, minimising engineering resources for new or migrated designs.
The Bt878 decoder captures an analogue video signal onto the PCI bus, which is then arbitrated between a programmable logic device and the eight Bt878 devices on the PCI bus.
The PLX PEX 8111 bridges the PCI bus into the PCIe architecture.
The platform's board features an x1 PCIe edge connector, which can be inserted into standard PCIe slots with link widths of x1 or greater.
It also features an auxiliary hard-disk power connector and a form factor based on the PCI Local Bus Specification, Rev.
3.0.
The PEX 8111 is the industry's smallest PCIe bridge - 10mm by 10mm 161-ball plastic BGA package - and features a low power consumption of 0.3 watts (maximum).
The bridge's forward bridging, utilised in the PEX-8111-Bt878 reference platform, enables smooth migration from PCI to PCIe, while its reverse-bridging feature allows a host processor to reside on the PCI bus, preserving designer's legacy hardware and software architectures.
The PEX 8111 is compliant with the PCI Express Base Specification, Rev.
1.0a, as well as the PCI Express-to-PCI Bridge Specification, Rev.
1.0.
Conexant pioneered the PCI video decoder category, and its solutions provide the industry's the most comprehensive combination of, value, worldwide video standard support, integration, and software support.
Today, the Bt878 is the preferred PCI video decoding solution by system integrators and video grabber manufacturers in the video surveillance market.
The PEX 8111-Bt878 reference platform reflects PLX's ongoing commitment to enable high-speed serial interconnect in the broadest range of products.
PLX is among the industry's first suppliers to announce support, development efforts and actual silicon for PCIe technology.
The company began sampling its ExpressLane devices in 2004, and PLX customers presently are shipping revenue-generating products with those devices.
PLX is an active member of several standards bodies, including subcommittees within the PCI SIG.
PLX has been developing I/O interconnect solutions since 1986.
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