Scalable Ultra-High Throughput 8/10/12-bit JPEG Encoder with Video Rate Control

The UHT-JPEG-E core from Alma Technologies is a scalable, ultra-high throughput, 8-bit Baseline and 10/12-bit Extended hardware JPEG encoder, with optional video rate control functionality, designed to provide all the power needed in modern image and Ultra HD video compression applications. The scalability of this IP core enables highly cost-effective silicon implementations of applications that need to handle massive pixel rates and resolutions. The UHT-JPEG-E is available for ASIC or Intel, Lattice, Microsemi and Xilinx FPGA and SoC based designs.

This ultra-fast JPEG encoder IP core is fully compliant to the ITU T.81 specification and supports encoding of 4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:2:0 and 4:0:0 (grayscale) images or video streams, in 8-, 10- or 12-bit per component color depth. The UHT-JPEG-E can be implemented using only on-chip memory resources, while using off-chip memory too is also natively supported. Designed with a user configurable architecture, the encoder scales to offer a sustained encoding throughput from 1 to 32 samples per clock cycle.

Using multiple internal processing engines, the UHT-JPEG-E offers the needed performance through its scalable parallel architecture. Each input image or video frame is split internally into chunks and each chunk is assigned to one of multiple internal compression units. This is done in a way which is totally transparent to the system utilizing the IP, abstracting all the parallelization complexity from the rest SoC components. The number of internal compression units is configurable before synthesis, adapting to the implementation technology speed, and non-critical resources are shared between the multiple compression engines.

The UHT-JPEG-E uses a single uncompressed data input interface - accepting raster scan pixels - and produces a single, ready-to-use and fully compliant JPEG stream output. The encoder employs also a constant bitrate video encoding option, making it a best fit for the bandwidth or storage constrained Motion JPEG video applications. Its operation is completely standalone, without needing any host CPU or GPU power. The output JPEG byte stream can be decoded, as is, by any standard compliant decoder.

The UHT-JPEG-E core is designed with simple, fully controllable and FIFO-like, streaming input and output interfaces. Being carefully designed and rigorously verified, the UHT-JPEG-E is a reliable, easy-to-use and integrate IP providing a best value solution for your FPGA or ASIC design.

IP Deliverables

Clear text VHDL RTL source for ASIC designs, or pre-synthesized and verified Netlist for Intel, Lattice, Microsemi and Xilinx FPGA and SoC devices

Release Notes, Design Specification and Integration Manual documents

Bit Accurate Model (BAM) and test vector generation binaries, including sample scripts

Self checking testbench environment, including sample BAM generated test cases

Simulation and sample Synthesis (for ASICs) or Place & Route (for FPGAs) scripts

Symbol

Features

High-Performance, Compliant and Standalone Operation

Ultra high throughput in low-end silicon using scalable and transparent parallel processing

Full ITU T.81 compliance

4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:2:0 and 4:0:0 (grayscale) image or video input

8-, 10- and 12-bit per component sample depth encoding

Single - multiple pixels - raster scan interleaved input and single, ready-to-use, JPEG byte stream output

Motion JPEG payload encoding

CPU-less, complete and standalone operation

Advanced Implementation

Up to 32 samples per clock cycle encoding

Algorithmic encoding latency of approximately 32 scan lines for 4:2:0 and 16 scan lines for all other sampling formats

CQP - VBR encoding mode with programmable Quality Factor (1 to 100)

Constant Bitrate (CBR) video encoding mode

Programmable output frame size

Programmable transmission buffer size

On-the-fly video bitrate changes supported

Configurable full on-chip or mixed on/off-chip memories implementation

Flexible optional off-chip memory interface

Independent of external memory type

Tolerant to latencies

Allows for shared memory access

Can optionally operate on independent clock domain

Avalon-ST and AXI4-Stream compliant streaming data I/O

Trouble-Free Technology Map and Implementation

Fully portable, self-contained RTL source code

Strictly positive edge triggered design

D-type only Flip-Flops

Safe CDC transfers when using more than one clock domain

No special timing constraints required

No false or multi-cycle paths within the same clock domain

No CDC transfers that need to be constrained
(all CDC paths can be excluded)

Literature

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