Application of PCI express interface in high-performance video systems

Rapid evolution of the high-performance digital cameras entailed a development of new gigabit interfaces for video streaming and further image processing. A 25 megapixel camera, shooting with 100 frames per second, can easily produce a stream of data reaching tens of gigabits per second. The situation is more complex in case of image processing systems that acquire video stream from many cameras. In this case the video data throughput could reach 100 Gbps. Image acquisition systems require a flexible interface that allows sending data with high throughput. The image stream is usually transmitted to a high performance CPU that collects video data and performs further image processing. The PCI Express (PCIe) bus is widely used in modern computers. The PCIe standard provides a scalable, low latency connection between a CPU and peripheral devices. The paper discusses the application of a PCIe interface in an image acquisition system based on MTCA.4 standard. The system uses an external CPU connected to a MTCA.4 chassis. The initial results of performance evaluation are presented and discussed.