The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has developed a set of standards built around Serial Digital Interface (SDI). These consist of:
| Standard | Name | Bitrates | Example Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMPTE 259M | Standard Definition (SD-SDI) | 270 Mb/s, 360 Mb/s, 143 Mb/s, 177 Mb/s | 480i, 576i |
| SMPTE 292M | High Definition (HD-SDI) | 1.485 Gb/s, 1.485/1.001 Gb/s | 720p, 1080i |
| SMPTE 424M | 3G | 2.970 Gb/s, 2.970/1.001 Gb/s | 1080p |
SMPTE uses uncompressed video signals as the typical application involves movement of digital data over 75 ohmcables less than 100 meters long for HD and 300 meters long for SD. SMPTE 259 transmits data at a rate of 270 Mbps, SMPTE 292 increases that to 1.485Gbps, and SMPTE 424M transmits data at 2.97Gbps. SMPTE has requirements for both timing jitter and alignment jitter. An FPGA with a SMPTE-capable transceiver must comply with both jitter standards, as well as the stringent parameters related to the amplitude and rise/fall times of the serial signals. In a typical solution, external components are used along with FPGAs to create a SMPTE-compliant solution. The primary pattern used to measure these jitter components is the 75% Intensity Color Bar.
HD-SDI or High Definition Serial Digital Interface is an interface that can transmit uncompress high definition video data. It is an upgrade to the current SD-SDI (Standard Definition Serial Digital Interface). An HD-SDI camera allows you the ability to have a megapixel sensor camera with a standalone DVR. HD-SDI also gives you the ability to upgrade an analog security camera system without rerunning coax cables. HD-SDI cameras can use the existing co-axial cable as an analog camera. Compare to upgrading your system to IP cameras, which utilize more bandwidth and higher storage, HD-SDI requires you only change the cameras and attach them to an HD-SDI DVR. This makes for an easy transition to higher-end megapixel systems, for a fraction of the cost of a an IP camera based system.

Figure: HD-SDI Camera
| Silicon | IP | Boards & Demos |
Two industry leading platforms are available for customers to develop their SMPTE Solutions.
Lattice provides a comprehensive portfolio of SDI IP. By targeting the LatticeECP3 and LatticeECP2M platforms, developers will drastically reduce cost, power and footprint over competitive solutions.
| IP | Vendor | LatticeECP3 | LatticeECP2M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-Rate SDI PHY | Lattice | ![]() |
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| Multi-Rate SDI PHY | Lattice | ![]() |
Lattice has developed various boards and demos to help customers develop SMPTE solutions.
| BOARDs |
Vendor | LatticeECP3 | LatticeECP2M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Protocol Board |
Lattice | ![]() |
|
| SMPTE SDI Evaluation Board | Lattice | ![]() |
|
| DEMOs |
Vendor | LatticeECP3 | LatticeECP2M |
| Tri-Rate SMPTE SDI Demo | Lattice | ![]() |