Cavium Networks Unveils New Micro-Mezzanine Modules

Cavium Networks, a provider of highly integrated semiconductor products, recently unveiled its CNW2XXX micro-mezzanine modules that support full-HD (high definition) H.264 (MPEG-4) encoding and decoding with sub frame-rate latency.


Supporting resolutions up to 1080 pixels and frame rates up to 60fps, the CNW2XXX modules are ideal for real-time, video-centric embedded applications, such as in broadcast quality cameras, surveillance, tele-medicine, tele-robotics and industrial imaging, said the company.

Cavium Networks (News - Alert) said that it has integrated company's leading PureVu video processor family of H.264 video encoder and decoders into a ready-to-use compact mezzanine module with audio encode and decode, in order to develop CNW2XXX modules.

The CNW2XXX micro-mezzanine modules are available in two types, namely WW20BACM and WW20BADM. The WW20BACM is an A/V (audio video) encoder module and the WW20BADM is an A/V (audio video) decoder module. Both the modules support standard signal interfaces for video, audio and MPEG-2 transport streams as well as digital video broadcasting (DVB).

The support for standard connectivity of new micro-mezzanine modules facilitates video equipment integrators as well as manufactures to easily integrate full-HD video encode and decode functionality with sub frame-rate latencies into new systems and upgrade existing systems. This is possible because the module's 16-bit video data interfaces interface directly to off-the-shelf HD-SDI, HDMI or Component Video ADCs and DACs, while the 8-bit transport stream interface can be directly connected to off-the-shelf DVB-ASI, DVB-SPI and most other transceivers.

Apart from featuring 16-bit BT (News - Alert).709 video data I/O as well as I2S and analog stereo line-in audio I/O, the CNW2XXX modules also support PCM audio encode/decode. Both the modules feature audio sample rates of up to 192KHz. The modules also feature SPI and UART host interfaces.

Both, WW20BACM encoder and WW20BADM decoder, modules of CNW2XXX are Pb (lead)-free and RoHS-6 complaint. The modules have 100mm x 55mm x 5mm micro-mezzanine form factor, said the company.

"Cavium PureVu processor technology is being widely adopted in real-time video applications like live HD sports broadcasting, HD video conferencing and netHD applications," said Lars Herlitz, General Manager, Multimedia Group at Cavium Networks. "Offering our PureVu processors in ready-to-use micro-mezzanine modules will enable our OEMs to quickly and reliably implement innovative, true real-time H.264 HD video applications with minimal development cost and time."

Cavium Networks said that its PureVu video processors and CNW2XXX modules will be showcased at the NAB Show underway this week in Las Vegas, NV.