Barco Silex and Vanguard Video announce strategic partnership for FPGA based H.265/HEVC encoder showcasing on Xilinx FPGA

Louvain-La-Neuve, April 3rd, 2014 – Barco Silex, the leading provider of FPGA based video solutions and Vanguard Video, leader in broadcast quality video compression technology, are joining forces to develop and provide the market with high quality H.265/HEVC encoder solutions based upon Xilinx FPGA devices.

As value-added distributor of Vanguard Video, Barco Silex is developing a complete HEVC encoder using the Xilinx® Virtex®-7 FPGA family integrating the Vanguard Video H.265/HEVC encoder core. This platform offers broadcast quality, real-time H.265 video compression with optimized performance and power consumption together with the flexibility of a FPGA based system.

The partnership brings together the best of both worlds: Vanguard Video’s excellence in video compression in general and H.265/HEVC in particular, combined with Barco Silex’s widely recognized expertise in the implementation of complex and high quality video encoding using the latest FPGA technologies. This project is also actively supported by Xilinx which provides IP cores and technical assistance.

“We are delighted to partner both with Vanguard Video and Xilinx to create an H.265/HEVC FPGA encoder,” said Thierry Watteyne, CEO of Barco Silex. “This collaboration offers us the unique opportunity to become a key player in the development of high quality, real time H.265 encoders. Vanguard Video is the obvious partner of choice, as their H.265/HEVC technology has already given them a leading position on the market, while Xilinx, a long term partner of ours, has clearly set HEVC as one of their Smarter Vision priorities.”

“Vanguard Video is proud to provide H.265/HEVC encoding technology to Barco Silex. Barco Silex offers unique know-how and experience to integrate Vanguard Video H.265/HEVC encoding technology with Barco Silex’s own IP to create a powerful, low power solution” added Raul Diaz, CEO of Vanguard Video. “With this joint effort and with Xilinx support, Barco Silex and Vanguard Video are bringing an important new FPGA component into the H.265 broadcast equipment eco-system.”

“Xilinx is pleased to be working with Barco Silex and Vanguard Video to develop and produce a high quality H.265/HEVC encoding solution that targets Xilinx devices. The intelligent transport of video is a key focus to expanding our Smarter Vision footprint, and this platform is a critical solution for the market,” said Aaron Behman, senior manager of the broadcast and professional A/V business segment at Xilinx.

Vanguard Video, Barco Silex and Xilinx will be present at NAB in Las Vegas from April 7th to April 11th. You can discover Vanguard Video H.265/HEVC technology in the South Hall at SU11613. Barco Silex will showcase the first version of the Xilinx based HEVC/H.265 Encoder, together with its 4K Video over IP reference design in central Hall at C4743.

About Barco Silex

Barco Silex is the leader in video processing, encryption and security IP cores and platforms as well as electronic design services (ASIC, FPGA, DSP, Board). The full-range of Barco Silex JPEG 2000 IP cores enable high-performance and high-quality coding and support a wide range of features and options: ultra-low latency, mathematically lossless compression, multichannel HD, 2K, 4K, 8K, UHD. The video platforms integrate a full-range of networking and video compression modules and enable customers to accelerate their product developments. Barco Silex security platforms and encryption cores deliver unrivaled speed performance and compact footprint.

About Vanguard Video

Founded in 1995, Vanguard Video is a supplier of professional, broadcast quality H.265/HEVC and H.264 codec SDKs to top tier customers around the world. Vanguard Video offers unparalleled video compression technology for various industry markets including device and handset manufacturers, mobile platform providers, manufacturers of professional broadcast equipment, application service providers, network operators, software and services integrators, and cloud streaming services. Vanguard Video codecs support a wide range of platforms including software implementations for x86 and ARM microprocessors, OpenCL acceleration for GPUs, and IP Cores for FPGA devices

About Xilinx

Xilinx is the world’s leading provider of All Programmable FPGAs, SoCs and 3D ICs. These industry-leading devices are coupled with a next-generation design environment and IP to serve a broad range of customer needs, from programmable logic to programmable systems integration. For more information, visit www.xilinx.com.