Xilinx Introduces Dual Link HD-SDI and 3G-SDI Reference Designs on Industry's First Interoperability Platform

High-Performance Virtex-5™ FPGAs offer early interoperability tests  for emerging 3G-SDI broadcast equipment

LAS VEGAS, April 16, 2007 – At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference today, Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ:XLNX), the world’s leading programmable logic supplier, introduced a suite of new reference designs supporting the Dual Link (SMPTE 372M) and 3G-SDI (SMPTE 424M and SMPTE 425M, level A and level B) serial digital video standards based on Xilinx Virtex™-5 FPGAs leveraging the industry’s first available interoperability platform, the Xilinx ML571 evaluation board. The new reference designs will showcase conversion from Dual Link HD-SDI to 3G-SDI, a 3G-SDI pass through demonstration with frame synchronisation for improved jitter performance, and conversion from 3G-SDI back to Dual Link. In-booth demonstrations of the reference designs and ML571 platform are available at this week’s NAB, April 16-19, Booth #SU14609, South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Xilinx ML571 evaluation board can also be utilized as an interoperability testing platform for a variety of professional broadcast and digital cinema applications that require these new interfaces for which there is no 3G-SDI test equipment currently available. The Xilinx portfolio of serial digital audio and video solutions is the widest available for any FPGA enabling designers to quickly and easily implement these free of charge.  Designers can focus their efforts on the value-add portions of their system.

“There is a growing requirement for broadcasters to support full bandwidth 1080p60 video, particularly in the digital cinema and post production environments,” said Andy DeBaets, senior director of Systems and Application Engineering at Xilinx. “By offering a complete suite of new video connectivity designs at the nascent point of these standards, our objective is to present all broadcast equipment providers with the means to implement next generation interfaces with as little effort as possible. This is an example of how Xilinx is a true solutions provider.” 

Pricing and Availability
Free preliminary reference designs are available now, with fully productized versions to follow in coming months. The ML571 is available to buy now from Cook Technologies for $3,999 (http://www.cook-tech.com/ctxil406.html). For additional details, please contact a Xilinx sales representative or distributor.

About Xilinx in Broadcast
Xilinx is the worldwide leader in programmable logic solutions offering a wide array of solutions for the broadcast industry, ranging from video, audio and network connectivity, real-time HD video processing and high speed DSP for transmission and modulation. Xilinx offers reference designs and IP cores as building blocks for complete broadcast systems.  For more information, visit www.xilinx.com/broadcast.

About Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs
Built upon the industry’s most advanced 65nm triple-oxide technology, breakthrough new ExpressFabric™ technology and proven ASMBL™ architecture, the Virtex-5 family represents the fifth generation in the award-winning Virtex FPGA product line. Key design team innovations in process technology, architecture and product development methodology have led to unprecedented performance and density gains with Virtex-5 FPGAs. Xilinx has been delivering the benefits of 65nm Virtex-5 FPGAs since May 2006, and is now shipping 12 devices across three of the four platforms (LX, LXT, and SXT). Devices may be purchased online or through Xilinx distributors. Visit www.xilinx.com/virtex5 for more information.

About Xilinx
Xilinx is the worldwide leader in complete programmable logic solutions. For more information, visit www.xilinx.com.