High bandwidth video systems are becoming harder to design as resolutions increase, interfaces fragment and OEMs try to keep power budgets under control. Medical imaging machines, industrial cameras and robotic vision platforms often need to run multiple video links at once, pass data across long cables and maintain predictable latency, all while staying fanless and secure. Microchip Technology’s latest updates to its PolarFire smart embedded video ecosystem are aimed directly at those challenges by adding new SDI IP cores and a quad CoaXPress bridge that can sit at the center of a full video pipeline.
The company’s approach is built around the idea that video systems are no longer defined by a single interface. Developers frequently have to combine CoaXPress, SDI, SLVS EC and HDMI into one platform while keeping power consumption low enough for compact or thermally constrained designs.
Microchip is positioning its expanded ecosystem as a way to consolidate those interfaces into a single programmable architecture rather than stitching together multiple devices and third party IP.
Bridging Sensor and Transport Formats in Real Time
One of the more unusual aspects of the update is that Microchip remains the only FPGA vendor offering a native quad CoaXPress solution. That matters for vision systems that need to aggregate high bandwidth camera streams or handle multiple optical paths with consistent latency. The quad bridge enables direct SLVS EC input at up to 5 Gbps per lane and CoaXPress 2.0 output up to 12.5 Gbps per lane, which covers everything from machine vision cameras to long distance industrial links.
SDI support sits alongside this. The new SDI receive and transmit IP cores deliver SMPTE compliant 1.5G, 3G, 6G and 12G operation. For teams working with professional imaging formats or embedded broadcast systems, this helps simplify transport from sensor to processing. HDMI to SDI and SDI to HDMI paths are also supported, which adds flexibility when systems combine consumer grade interfaces with professional or industrial signalling. It gives engineers a way to build full pipelines without juggling additional bridge components.
Why PolarFire FPGAs Fit High Resolution, Low Power Video Systems
PolarFire FPGAs are already known for their low static power and non volatile architecture, so they tend to appear in systems where thermal budgets are tight or active cooling is not an option. That is often the case in medical diagnostics, portable imaging equipment or compact robotics. By combining the new video IP with the existing device characteristics, Microchip is positioning PolarFire as a platform for compact and fanless designs that still need multi gigabit video transport.
Security is another area where the architecture helps. The devices use built in anti tamper protections and support secure boot and secure debug features that can be important in regulated environments. When video data contains patient information or industrial telemetry, hardware level protections become part of the system specification rather than an optional extra.
Design Tools That Aim to Shorten the Prototyping Cycle
One of the practical advantages for engineers is the ability to develop and test full pipelines without writing every component from scratch. Microchip’s Libero Design Suite and SmartHLS high level synthesis tool give developers a way to integrate their own processing logic with the ready made interfaces provided by the updated ecosystem. It is particularly useful for designs migrating from discontinued components, as native SLVS EC sensor support offers a direct upgrade path without redesigning the entire chain.
The focus is clearly on reducing integration overhead. Instead of sourcing multiple evaluation boards or combining IP from different vendors, the expanded ecosystem lets developers explore sensor input, processing, security features and high bandwidth transport on one platform.
What This Means for Next Generation Embedded Vision
The updates to the PolarFire video ecosystem highlight how much embedded vision has evolved. Resolutions continue to climb. Interfaces keep diversifying. Latency requirements tighten as robotic and industrial systems move toward more real time behaviour. At the same time, the push for smaller, cooler and more power efficient hardware is not easing.
Bringing SDI, CoaXPress and SLVS EC into one FPGA based solution gives engineers a way to manage that complexity earlier in the design and cuts the number of discrete parts needed to build a full imaging pipeline. It also reinforces the role of low power FPGAs in high resolution video systems, especially where thermal constraints and long life operation make fanless designs necessary.
Learn more and read the original announcement at www.microchip.com
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