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DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING
Using System Generator for DSP
to Create the J.83 Cable Modulator
System Generator enables the rapid development of multi-channel cable head-end
modulators to provide a true low-cost solution.
by Veena Kumar
Staff Design Engineer
Xilinx, Inc.
veena.kumar@xilinx.com
Hemang Parekh
Senior Design Engineer
Xilinx, Inc.
hemang.parekh@xilinx.com
The increased capability and capacity of
video, audio, data, and interactive services
through cable distribution has spurred
much interest. Applications such as videoon-demand
and cable telephony are natural
extensions of these services.
The ITU-T (International Telecommunications
Union – Telecommunication
Standardization Sector) has established the
J.83 specification to standardize the physical
layer transmission of audio, video, and data
services over cable networks. These cable
transmission networks as they apply to
Europe, North America, and Japan are
detailed in Annex A, B, and C of this standard,
respectively.
Xilinx addresses this interest with the
J.83 Cable Modulator IP, a flexible, scalable,
and cost-effective solution. In this
article, we’ll discuss the use of Xilinx J.83
cores in the downstream modulator at the
head-end (Figure 1), while focusing on
the physical layer implementation.
The Xilinx J.83 IP solution provides
flexibility to parameterize the modulator;
scalability to allow you to select any number
of channels on a single FPGA; and ease
of use in the System Generator for DSP
visual programming environment as the
design and delivery mechanism.
Winter 2004 Xcell Journal 51