DTA-2178 | PCIe

Features

• Eight independently configurable ASI/SDI ports on a single-slot low-profile PCIe card!
• Ideal general-purpose card for interfacing uncompressed and compressed digital video streams to PCs, from ASI to 4K UHD.
• External synchronization of SDI outputs with analogue genlock port that accepts bi- and tri-level sync signals.

Applications

• Software-based 4K decoder and/or encoder with 12G-SDI or quad-link 3G-SDI interfacing.
• 4K decoder with 12G-SDI and downscaled triply-buffered HD/3G-SDI monitoring output.
• Multi-port SDI and/or ASI applications, e.g.:
  • Live production mixers;
  • Transport-stream multiplexers;
  • SDI multi viewers;
  • Multi-channel transcoding to/from IP.

Block Diagram

The DTA-2178 has three firmware variants, described in detail in application note DT-AN-2178-1. An overview of the three variants is shown below.

Variant 1 - Eight 3G-SDI/ASI channels with 12G-SDI to 3G scaling

Each channel can be configured independently as input or output, as ASI or SDI (SD, HD or 3G), or as copy of another port in a group of 4 ports. 12G-SDI input is supported by scaling to 3G in the 4K-to-2K block. Similarly, 6G-SDI can be scaled to HD.

Variant 2 - Dual 4K channels over 12G-SDI or quad link

This variant supports two full 4K UHD streams: 2x 4K input, 2x 4K output, or 4K input + 4K output. Each 4K stream can be carried over 12G-SDI or over SMPTE 425-5 quad-link 3G.

Variant 3 - Dual 12G-SDI with ASI/SDI side channel

Two 12G-SDI input or output channels with "side channels" that can be used for downscaled SDI output (up to 3G-SDI, downscaling to be handled by the software), or an independent ASI or SDI input or output. If the side channel is an output, it can be triply-buffered on ports 2/3/4 or 6/7/8.

DekTec Matrix API^® 2.0

The Matrix-API framework decodes incoming SDI data into pixels (in a programmable format), audio samples and ANC data structures. When a new frame has been received, the framework calls a user-supplied "frame-processor callback" for processing of the data. The user callback can create output video, audio and ANC data, which is encoded by the framework into SDI frames.

Synchronization of multiple input streams is straightforward: The video/audio/anc data of all SDI frames supplied to the callback function have the same arrival time by definition. Past frames can be accessed by an integer frame index. The framework ensures that if frames from different input ports have the same frame index, they have entered the system at the same time instance.

Key Characteristics

Hardware

Standards

PC Support

Software

Documentation

• DTA-2178 Leaflet    
• DT-AN-2178-1 (application note) Firmware Variants   

Dektec models are most often differentiated by the sufix e.g. SD, SXP etc., where suffix specifies the SW licence

• SP = Stream Player (allows you to play/modulate transport stream files, so this makes sence for devices with Output interface)
• SXP = Stream Xpert (this is MPEG TS ANALYZER, what makes sence for Input devices)
• SLP = Stream Xper Lite (very limited alternative of SXP, de facto allowing mainly capturing MPEG TS, again makes sence for Input devices)
• RX = RFXpert RF signal analysys
• SY = SD Eye (video analyzer)
• J = Jitter
• DGL = Dongle license for non Dektec devices

Meaning of abreviations used in beginning of Dektec model names

• DTA = Dektec adapter (typically PCI, PCI-e)
• DTU = Dektec USB device both USB-2 and USB-3
• DTE = Dektec Ethernet standalone networked device
• DTC = Dektec software license