CONFIDENTIAL
Z3-DM8168-PCI-RPS
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Z3 Technology, LLC ♦ 4701 Innovation Drive CB103 ♦ Lincoln, NE 68521 USA ♦ +1.402.323.0702
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1.
General Description
The Z3-DM8168-PCI-RPS is comprised of a set of hardware boards, software tools and applications designed
to enable the rapid development of media-centric PCI Express applications. It contains one Z3-DM8168-
MOD-3x system on module card and one Z3-DM8168-APP-2x application board with PCI Express interface
and bundled software with all of the necessary components for the user to quickly develop their own advanced
multimedia, graphics, and DSP applications.
The application board contains interfaces and I/O connectors to provide access to the module’s advanced video
processing capabilities, such as HDMI 1080p60 input and output, component input at up to 1080i60, and
RGB-S at up to 165 MHz pixel clock. The Z3-DM8168-APP-2x application board has a 2-lane PCIe interface
and can plug into a 4-lane or 16-lane PCIe slot or a 1-lane PCIe slot with open back. It has been proven on an
ASUS motherboard model P8H67-M PRO/CSM, revision 3.0.
In order to make custom hardware and software development easier, the Z3-DM8168-PCI-RPS is designed so
that standalone operation is possible. The system can then be developed and tested independently from any
hosts. To that effect, the DM8168-APP-2x board contains independent power, serial console, USB, Ethernet
and SATA jacks providing a direct connection to these DM8168 peripherals.
The Z3-DM8168-PCI-RPS software is based on the Linux OS. The kit comes with all the low level resources
such as the Linux kernel, u-boot, tool chain and starter file system pre-integrated and configured. There is no
need to port or integrate OS functions, media drivers, etc. The software bundle also contains tools to allow the
development of high level applications using hardware-accelerated video processing, DSP and graphics. The
many examples provided in source code are the ideal starting point for the development of custom
applications. Most software provided is made available in source code format as well as executable binaries.
Measuring at 68mm x 108mm, the
Z3-DM8168-MOD-3x
is a compact OEM processor module, supporting
H.264 High Profile codec capable of encoding and/or decoding up to two simultaneous channels of 1080p at
60 fps (frames per second). It’s rich I/O functions include Gigabit Ethernet, USB and SATA-II, making the
DM8168-MOD-3x module perfect for media storage and streaming applications, such as real time
transcoding, broadcast video encoding and decoding, digital signage and video kiosks, medical and industrial
video, video conference terminal and MCU, and high definition embedded video sub-systems. The
Z3-
DM8168-MOD-3x
features a unique expansion interface comprised of five high density connectors providing
easy access to the greatest majority of interface signals available from the DM8168 processor. Please refer to
the module’s documentation for more information on the available interfaces.
2.
Features
Media-centric Rapid Prototype System speeds up end-user systems application development
Modular approach allows for rapid and cost effective deployment of customer’s applications
Pre-integrated, ready to run hardware and software provides for zero-development project start up
Standalone operation independent of PCIe host makes it an easier development environment
PCI Express 2-lane add-in card footprint provides high bandwidth communication with a PCI host
