Xilinx Consumer Video Kit Drives Innovation for 3DTV and Other Digital Displays with More Bandwidth and Standards Support

Xilinx and Tokyo Electron Device Help Alleviate TV OEMs' Challenges of Shorter Market Windows In the Face of Proliferating New High-Definition Technologies

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2011  -- Xilinx, Inc. (Nasdaq: XLNX) today announced at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show a new version of its popular Spartan(R)-6 FPGA Consumer Video Kit that gives systems designers a complete development platform for easily tapping into the flexibility and real-time video processing capabilities of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Co-developed with and distributed by Tokyo Electron Device, the Consumer Video Kit supports the latest serial digital TV interfaces, including DisplayPort 1.1a, V-by-One(R) HS, HDMI(TM) 1.4a (now supporting 3DTV) and LVDS of up to 1.05 Gbps, to help original equipment manufacturers meet the challenges of shorter market windows and focus on the innovation and delivery of stunning 3D, Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), Quad HD (4K2K resolution) and many other digital display technologies.

"New consumer video technologies like 3DTV and the standards that support them are proliferating like never before as competition and innovation in digital television development pushes the limits of video processing and bandwidth," said Aaron Behman, Senior Marketing Manager, Consumer Segment, at Xilinx. "FPGAs have already made the delivery of 3DTV to consumers possible and are being used by leading manufacturers in their development of new generations of digital TV technologies and features."

At the heart of the Consumer Video Kit is a Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA, a low-cost, low-power programmable logic device that designers can use to simulate video algorithms in silicon during the development phase and then move into production without having to worry about coding video interface infrastructure. Spartan-6 FPGAs deliver 30% lower power and 15% faster performance than competing FPGAs to support emerging technologies such as locally dimmed LED and super-high resolution 4K2K (Quad HD), which are driving up the bandwidth requirements for next-generation displays.

"Manufacturers of consumer video are challenged to develop innovative 3D and other display technology applications while reducing the overall power consumption of their end equipment," said Masoud Beheshti, worldwide marketing manager, Power Management, TI. "Through this continued collaboration with Xilinx and Tokyo Electron, designers can easily implement TI's digital power management solutions to simulate power consumption in real-time in their FPGA-based designs."

"Aiptek selected Xilinx Spartan FPGAs to get to market first with the world's only pocket camcorder that captures 2D and 3D in high definition," said FH Cheng, Aiptek Vice President of Operations. "While others shoot in lower, VHS-type resolutions, our i2 3D-HD 720 Camcorder captures pristine quality, 720p HD video - the highest resolution for a 3D camcorder priced below $1,000. Xilinx met all of our performance, cost and power requirements, along with the flexibility to support new and evolving video standards. The company's strategy to offer a complete Targeted Design Platform for digital display design gives companies like Aiptek a fast path to low-cost innovation. Building upon our success with the i2 3D, we're planning to support full HD in 1080p with a larger screen with our next-generation camcorder."

Xilinx will be demonstrating the Aiptek camcorder and other customer innovations at CES Suite #MP25333.

Xilinx Consumer Video Kit Drives Innovation for 3DTV and other Digital Displays

The Spartan-6 FPGA Consumer Video Kit 2.0 is one of many market and application-specific Targeted Design Platforms from Xilinx and its network of third-party vendors that provide system designers with simpler and smarter methodologies for creating FPGA-based system-on-chip solutions. Targeted Design Platforms enable software and hardware designers to leverage open standards, common design methodologies, development tools, and run-time platforms so they can spend less time developing the infrastructure of an application and more time building differentiating features into their products. In addition to domain-optimized silicon devices, these platforms include IP (intellectual property) cores, design environments and reference designs, along with a base set of digital audio/video development boards and industry-standard FPGA Mezzanine Cards (FMCs) supporting specific video interfaces (1.05 Gbps LVDS, DisplayPort 1.1a (Tx/Rx), V-by-One HS and HDMI 1.4a).

The Spartan-6 FPGA Consumer Video Kit has been refreshed since its introduction at the CES 2010 as part of Xilinx and Tokyo Electron Device's continuous efforts to improve the out-of-the-box experience for designers. In addition to HDMI 1.4a support for immediate 3D development and new power-management modules from Texas Instruments, the Consumer Video Kit 2.0 increases video processing bandwidth in several ways, including:

• Multi channels of 1.05 Gbps LVDS
• DDR3 memory for frame buffering with memory bus increased from 32bits to 48bits
• FMC user I/Os increased from 250 to 312, providing access to increased bandwidth

For more information about Xilinx Targeted Design Platforms for Consumer applications, including a video demonstration of the Consumer Video Kit, please visit http://www.xilinx.com/esp/consumer/index.htm.

"The Xilinx Consumer Video Kit supports the need for development environments that enable designers to stay on schedule as standards such as DisplayPort 1.1a and V-by-One HS evolve," said Randy Lawson, Manager and Principal Analyst, Display and Consumer Electronics at iSuppli. "Development platforms such as the Xilinx Consumer Video Kit 2.0 help to enable the adoption of FPGAs, allowing new features to be introduced into consumer electronic products sooner than fully integrated solutions would allow, due to the expense often incurred when transitioning SoC solutions to smaller geometries below 90nm."

Pricing & Availability

The Spartan-6 FPGA Consumer Video Kit 2.0 is available for order entry today from Xilinx Alliance Program member Tokyo Electron Device under the Inrevium brand name. Designers can purchase the entry-level foundation kit with LVDS and FPGA Mezzanine Connection (FMC) support for $1,395. The fully featured Consumer Video Kit Pro 2.0 which includes HDMI 1.4a TX & RX FMCs, DisplayPort, V-by-One HS, & LVDS FMC support is priced at $3,395. FMC cards supporting USB 3.0 and SATA Gen 2 are scheduled to be available at the end of Q1 2011. Please visit http://www.xilinx.com/esp/consumer/index.htm for more information.

About Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGAs

The Spartan-6 FPGA family delivers an optimal balance of low risk, low cost, low power, and high performance for cost-sensitive applications; including integrated low-power transceivers, memory controllers for higher performance, lower power, and greater productivity. Spartan-6 FPGAs are supported by a broad range Targeted Design Platforms that provide fully integrated and tested hardware, software and IP, and application frameworks to reduce time to market. Spartan-6 FPGAs are available in volume production today with immediate availability. Visit www.xilinx.com/products/spartan6 to learn more.

About Tokyo Electron Device

Tokyo Electron Device is a technical trading firm that provides semiconductor products and business solutions as well as commissioned design and the development of original products. For more information, visit: http://www.teldevice.co.jp/eng/.

About Xilinx

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