Thorough characterization and validation of HDMI-based designs - Agilent HDMI Test Solutions

April 23, 2008

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a digital standard that delivers quality video and content that doesn't require a conversion from analog to digital signals. The current standard, HDMI 1.3B, is presently being implemented in devices such as high-definition televisions, set-top-boxes and personal computers.

HMDI -- transmitted via a single cable -- addresses bandwidth requirements, improves audio and video quality and supports multimedia content. It builds upon the electrical specifications of the Digital Visual Interface (DVI) standard (video only) by including audio, using a smaller connector plug and supporting a longer distance range.

The interface makes creates sharper digital, defines contrast details such as text and speeds up transmission rates. In addition, HDMI features two-way communication between a video source and a device, creating consumer ease-of use by decreasing complex technology processes and reducing the cost of having multiple cables. HDMI 1.3B supports 10-bit, 12-bit and 16-bit color depths (previous specifications supported 8-bit depths), and also has a built-in foundation that will enable future versions of HDMI to reach higher speeds.

Agilent Technologies has been involved with HDMI since the standard was first established to help companies meet compliance testing and address the challenges presented by this technology. "We are committed to contributing our expertise to advance HDMI and continue working with the Authorized Test Centers (ATCs) to provide a complete and reliable test platform, which will ultimately help build better consumer electronics products," states Kurt Hellinga, HDMI Program Manager,  Agilent Technologies.

Development of HDMI

According to In-Stat, nearly 200 million consumer devices featuring HDMI are expected to ship in 2008, with an installed base of nearly 1 billion products by 2010. HDMI was developed when a group of leading technology companies started a consortium, HDMI.org, to address the growing needs of the consumer electronics industry to conduct physical, data link and protocol test layer testing before delivering products.

The product manufacturers are concerned about the interoperability and performance of how digital content is driven from one instrument via a cable to a receiving device such as a television. Therefore, testing of devices is necessary for companies to help meet specification standards set by the ATCs, which are managed by HDMI.org, and conduct compliance testing for consumer devices, including MP3 players, DVDs and televisions.

Six out of the seven ATCs utilize Agilent's HDMI platform to test products and identify problems, measure data and determine whether tests have passed or failed. There are four areas of HDMI characterization methods that are followed: source testing; sink testing; media physical layer evaluation and protocol test.  Agilent offers solutions in each of these areas to determine what signals can be captured, how to analyze data and how to deliver a clearer picture.

The source tests measure standard waveform parameters, evaluate eye diagrams to correlate with receiver performance and conduct jitter analysis for accuracy. HDMI sink testing requires a source such as a television receiving a signal that can generate a range of patterns and provide precise jitter signal. A successful sink test includes injecting controlled and calibrated jitter signals to determine jitter tolerance and accurate signals. In terms of the HDMI media test, this is done to determine the display quality, and it is conducted on cables and printed circuit boards to preserve superiority. The HDMI protocol test has to properly evaluate output patterns, process complex patterns, automatically identify errors and troubleshoot the source.

Benefits and Capabilities of Agilent Technologies' HDMI Test Solution Platform

Agilent, which has a 60% HDMI market share, has developed tools in the physical, data link and protocol layers to meet the challenges posed by the standard. The solutions are designed to reduce development costs, provide accurate test results and simplify the measurement processes for test engineers in the consumer electronics, cable manufacturer and semiconductor industries.  Agilent's HDMI solutions are different than its competitors due to its full automation software testing capabilities, which speeds up testing; efficient electrical performance of the devices and fast test throughput, increasing productivity up to 50 percent. Furthermore, Agilent offers scalable solutions, considered an improvement in the HDMI market because companies now have the flexibility to test from 3-7 Gb per second.

Agilent's complete HDMI solution platform includes:

N5990A Test Automation Software Platform - designed to automate overall HDMI compliance testing and for in-depth device characterization. It controls Agilent instruments from a PC, providing test integration, minimum calibration time, maximum test throughput and ease-of-use. 

80000B Series Infiniium 13GHz Bandwidth Oscilloscope - offers the highest performance real-time measurement, lowest noise floor, jitter noise floor and trigger jitter, all essential capabilities for signal integrity and jitter measurements.

90000A Series Infiniium Oscilloscope - offers the deepest acquisition memory (1Gpts) and the first hardware/software integrated triggering system (InfiniiScan Plus). It also features the industry's lowest noise floor, fastest Off-Load Speed (remote), the largest front-panel display and the fastest measurement speed.

N5399A HDMI Electrical Compliance Test Software - provides a fast and simple way to verify and debug HDMI designs. The software makes it possible to automatically execute HDMI electrical checklist tests and displays the results in a flexible report format. The program's measurement data provides an analysis report to show if a device passes or fails each test.

N5998A HDMI 1.3 Protocol/Audio/Video Analyzer and Generator - controlled by HDMI analysis software running on an external PC, the solution offers patterns required for source tests, analysis tools and can capture up to 4GB of data.

E4887A HDMI TMDS Generator - provides parallel signals with low intrinsic jitter and fast edges up to 7 Gb/s. The software can be used for manual testing and debugging and can be configured with various HDMI video frames. It can also test for jitter tolerance and source testing.

E5071C ENA RF Network Analyzer - offers high RF performance, fast speed and 8.5 GHz to 9kHz frequency range. The solution features low trace noise and a wide range of accuracy measurements on low level signals. Calibration is performed rapidly and differential measurements can be easily made.

86100C Infiniium DCA-J Wide Bandwidth Oscilloscope with TDR - can view optical and electrical waveforms with bandwidths up to 80 GHz electrical and 65 GHz optical. Jitter analysis is simplified and random and deterministic jitter components can be reviewed.