Matrox Solios eA, Installation And Hardware Reference, Page: 19 / 196

Matrox Solios boards 19
Processing capabilities
To reduce the number of image processing tasks performed by the CPU of the
host computer (Host), most Matrox Solios boards (except for those mentioned
earlier) can be purchased with the optional Processing FPGA. Using this FPGA,
Matrox Solios can process and format image data.
Processing FPGA
The Processing FPGA is a highly customizable processing core, based on the Altera
Stratix family of pin-compatible FPGA devices. The Processing FPGA can be
programmed to perform functions that satisfy your application’s needs. The
Processing FPGA includes a high-speed serial interface, a PCI-X interface, and
can include up to two memory controllers for access to DDR SDRAM and QDRII
SRAM memory.
On-board memory
As a standard feature, Matrox Solios supports up to 256 Mbytes of linearly
addressable DDR SDRAM
1
to store acquisition data. This memory is referred to
as acquisition memory. Up to 256 Mbytes of additional DDR SDRAM and up
to 8 Mbytes of QDRII SRAM is included if the Processing FPGA is installed.
This memory is referred to as dedicated Processing FPGA memory. This memory
holds preprocessing data and is accessed by the Processing FPGA.
Additional functionality
In addition to the core video capture and optional processing capabilities, Matrox
Solios incorporates a variety of features to simplify overall system integration.
These features include:
• LVDS or RS-232 compatible serial interfaces (number depends on the type of
Matrox Solios) for Matrox Solios eCL/XCL and Matrox Solios eA/XA,
respectively. Each interface is mapped as a COM port so that it can be accessed
through the Win32 API. The serial interface can both receive and transmit signals,
in full-duplex mode.
• Color space converter. The converter, part of the Video-to-PCI-X bridge, allows
captured data to be converted to YUV or YCbCr formats.
1. Except Matrox Solios eCL/XCL-B which supports up to 128 Mbytes of linearly
addressable DDR SDRAM.