Digital video broadcasting, video compression, and ever
expanding video resolutions such as 4k x 2k dominate the news in
electronics magazines. Yet that little yellow RCA connector
remains ubiquitous and large numbers of people still rely on
NTSC or PAL analog broadcasting for their viewing pleasure. This
article looks at how FPGAs are breathing new life into this
presumed dead format.Introduction There are two main components
to enable analog video transmission: the encoder at the
transmitter (e.g., the camera) and the decoder at the receiver
(e.g., the television). Most major semiconductor manufacturers
offer at least one of these components – most offer both. Not
surprisingly, these components are usually older designs, some
perhaps having their origins as much as 20-30 years ago. After
all, the standards have not changed, so why the need to update
the ICs. In this article I will consider how the introduction of
low-cost, high-functionality FPGAs justifies looking once again
at analog video transmission.Re