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Digital Broadcasting
Technical Case Study: Digital Broadcasting
Designing Dependable Video Performance into a Small Form Factor
A broadcast specialist wants to develop a high-definition MPEG decoder board for head-end-redistribution applications. Demanding performance requirements are to be matched by 24/7/365 reliability and crammed into a single-height rack-mounted PCB.
The challenge
Squaring the circle between leading-edge performance and extreme reliability leads to the initial challenge of selecting the right components for the job. These components then need to be integrated into a high-performance system, with a board layout design that won't interfere with other subsystems and won't fail or overheat.
The solution
We can bring together a unique range of specialist skills and disciplines to meet the requirements at every level - from systems in operation, through board layout and hardware engineering, to failure mode analysis and reliability calculations and would use an HD decoder to put a powerful CPU, decoding engine and FPGA-based video processor together with memory, power supply and interfaces, on a single 1U card.
Digital challenges
Such an advanced system demands the latest processors and a state-of-the-art FPGA, which brings with it the challenges of high-speed data processing, with asynchronous serial interfaces running at 1.GHz and DDR2 memory banks clocked at 400MHz. In many cases the reliability goals would only
be achieved by over-specifying key devices and using industrial rated parts.
PCB layout
A complex 16-layer board calls for close integration of design, hardware engineering and in-house layout expertise. In particular, problems associated with switch mode power supply noise and high-frequency signal paths must be eliminated, along with thermal hotspots caused by fast digital ICs.
Testing and quality
As one would expect for such a critical part of the broadcast chain, the HD decoder must be subjected to exhaustive testing - a task which typically takes around 20% of the design cycle. During all stages of design, results are fed back through our comprehensive and rigorous quality management processes, resulting in excellent performance and reliability in the field.
