A Multistandard Digital HD/SD Audio Multiplexer With Modular Ancillary Packet Substitution

This article presents a multistandard digital high-definition (HD)/standard-definition (SD)-serial digital interface (SDI) audio multiplexer (embedder) capable of inserting and replacing existing ancillary Audio Engineering Society-European Broadcasting Union packets. The insertion of audio packets in SD-SDI video is achieved with an ad hoc modular unit that shifts the existing audio packets in the video frame. This block enables the use of the entire multiplexer system in cascaded configuration along the same video line, a fundamental requirement in professional television studios. The embedder, implemented on a Virtex-5 field programmable gate array, accepts 48 kHz AES3 synchronous audio, and Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) 259 M-C and SMPTE 295 M full HD video. It occupies a small area, and installs on a system board inclusive of dedicated signal conditioning integrated circuit. The full system is tested for robust operation in audio or video production environments and for compatibility with older equipments.