March 3, 2014. Agilent Technologies Inc. has announced it will work with Vprime LLC to improve automated testing for HDMI. The undertaking includes the design and integration of Vprime’s VTF-501 FlexEDID, a design that implements flexible Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) circuitry that can be controlled and changed on demand by Agilent’s HDMI transmitter compliance test software.
The latest development in HDMI is the creation of the HDMI 2.0 specification by the HDMI Forum, an organization formed in 2011 to address the high-resolution and high-end display content for theater and gaming systems. HDMI 2.0 builds on the wide acceptance of the HDMI 1.4b specification, originally developed by HDMI Licensing, LLC.
“Agilent approached Vprime to employ our experience and expertise to develop a product that automates a portion of the HDMI testing process to reduce operator interaction and thus reduce testing costs,” said Tim Mostad, president of Vprime. “Our product supplements the advanced capabilities of Agilent’s oscilloscopes to bring a unique capability to market.”
Vprime has expertise in the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) as well as the EDID standard. The company designed the VTF-501 FlexEDID to meet Agilent’s design goals of improving the testability of HDMI products and simplifying testing for customers. The VTF-501 FlexEDID is controlled over a USB interface by an application programming interface (API) that selects standard resolutions and timings using Video Identifier Codes (VICs) in the EDID. The API also enables arbitrary resolutions and timings.
Though optional for customers, the VTF-501 FlexEDID is the final component in a complete standalone HDMI transmitter automated test solution. It complements the test-plan design in Agilent’s compliance software and the unique calibration and use of resolution switching for unattended, comprehensive testing of the high-speed Audio/Video TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling) lanes.
The Agilent HDMI compliance solution is available on the Infiniium family of oscilloscopes so that customers can continue to rely on the most accurate and lowest noise performance in the market. Agilent’s transmitter compliance testing solution includes
- Infiniium DSO/DSA91304A 13-GHz or higher-bandwidth oscilloscope,
- Agilent N5399C HDMI transmitter compliance test application, and
- HDMI test fixtures supplied through integration partner BitifEye Corp.
Additional information about Agilent’s HDMI Compliance test solution is available at www.agilent.com/find/N5399C.
The Vprime FlexEDID VTF-501 is available from the Vprime website, www.vprime.com, for $2,500.