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Implementing the High Profiles of MPEG-2 & MPEG-4/ H.264 on an FPOA Architecture

Digital Video Processing

MathStar's 1 GHz FPOA is ideally suited for digital video processing applications.

• MPEG-2 Multi-stream Decoder
• MPEG-2 Encoder
• JPEG2000 Encoder
• Color Space Conversion, 4:2:2, 4:2:0
• Flat Field Error Correction
• H.264 Decoder
• H.264 Encoder
• 2D Convolution Filter
• 2D Image Processing
• Image Scaling

Broadcast Video Overview

The Broadcast and Professional Video market is experiencing a rapid growth in both size and innovation. With the US mandate to convert to digital video by February 2009, many equipment suppliers are re-factoring their products to take advantage. High Definition video, which transmits up to six times the video information as standard definition is driving processing and bandwidth requirements across the board. Satellite and Cable providers are in a heated race to deliver new HD content to the millions of already deployed 1080p60 HDTV sets.  This trend, combined with the move from established compression standards like MPEG-2 to newer approaches like MPEG4/H.264 is also driving an exponential increase in both processing capability and the need for flexibility. This is affecting all aspects of the video equipment value chain: Non-Linear Digital Video Editors, Digital Video Servers, Digital Video Recorders, Video Test Equipment, Video Encoders and Transcoders, High Performance Set-Top Boxes, Video Distribution, including Head-End Equipment and High-Definition Video Cameras.

Challenges in Broadcast Video

The desire to support multiple compression standards is driving many equipment vendors to look at re-programmable real-time codecs. MPEG-2 and MPEG4/H.264 are popular choices in broadcast and professional video while JPEG2000 is the basis for the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI). Even within the MPEG standards, there is a wide variety of solutions. Most off-the-shelf MPEG-2 and MPEG4/H.264 chips and IP support only Main Profiles, 4:2:0 color spaces and low, heavily compressed bit-streams. This is not acceptable to providers who value video quality over maximum compression. The leaders in these fields favor support for 422P Profiles (MPEG-2) and High422 Profiles (MPEG4/H.264) at bit rates exceeding 100 Mbps. A re-programmable codec that supports this kind of feature set is typically not available in an ASIC or standard FPGA. When coupled with the need for high performance image processing (filters, scene change detection, etc.), the processing requirements grow very quickly.

How Can FPOAs Solve Challenges in Broadcast Video?

There are many challenges facing designers of Broadcast and Professional Video equipment. Faster design cycles and the need to support multiple video standards such as MPEG-2 and MPEG4/H.264 are leading more designers towards programmable logic and away from custom silicon or ASICs. However, increasing performance requirements make DSPs and FPGAs untenable in many of these high-performance applications.  The Field Programmable Object Array™ (FPOA) was designed to overcome these performance challenges. The Arrix FPOA provides up to four times the performance of an FPGA while retaining the flexibility of a programmable device. MathStar's 1 GHz FPOA is ideally suited for video processing applications such as: MPEG-2 422P profile, MPEG-4/H.264 High/High10/High422 profiles, and high sample rate JPEG2000. The FPOA can be programmed in real time for 1080i/720p High Definition or multi-stream Standard Definition applications. The following application notes may be useful in understanding how an FPOA fits into your current design.

Applicable MathStar libraries and IP cores

Library / IP Core	Description	Product Brief
MPEG-2 HD/SD Multi-stream Decoder	MPEG-2 Decoder IP Core that supports 422P profile High-Definition (1080i/720p) or eight streams of 422P profile Standard-Definition video at bit rates up to 200 Mbps
MPEG-2 HD Encoder	MPEG-2 Encoder IP Core that supports low bit-rate, High-Definition 720p and Standard-Definition video formats
JPEG2000 Encoder	JPEG2000 Encoder IP Core that supports up to 200 Mega samples per second. Supports up to 10 bit monochrome or 8 bit 4:4:4 RGB inputs.
Color Space Conversion	1 Giga sample per second scalable color space conversion IP Core
Flat Field Error Correction	1 Giga sample per second scalable flat field error correction IP Core - includes documentation, design files, test bench and device mapping

MathStar Application Assessments

If you would like to learn more about MathStar's video applications, please contact your local sales rep today.

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