SDI (Serial Digital Interface) is a digital video over coax standard with up to 540Mbs of bandwidth. For now it's only found on high-end a/v hardware. Retired broadcast engineer Robert Cobler hacked a SDI interface into his his satellite reciever and Danny Mavromatis did his DVD changer for the ultimate in digital video quality. Robert built the 'Poor Mans SDI' to show that SDI doesn't need to be expensive. He interfaced a National CLC020 to the Bt865 video chip and added some logic hardware to impliment the required SAV/EAV signals. If you've got the right video chip(with the right clock), you can use the evaluation kit to make your own. Check out danny's blog entry for a beautiful screen capture.
[Update: The DVD mod is by Danny Mavromatis - Robert wrote up the satellite mod on AVSforum - Thanks Scott]
SDI video-out mod
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Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. Cool Stuff, I love video hacks. Though I'm curious what kind of displays would even accecpt an SDI signal?
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Twistedsymphony
3. Woohoo!!! 2nd most worthless post!!!
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Joe Mamma
4. man i dont see a price anywhere. maybe im a tard and not reading it enough. but monsters inc is a great movie
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by bird603568
5. Actually Danny Mavromatis made this hack with help from several people around the world on the avsforum. Not Robert Cobler as reported. I know as I helped get Danny started on this. The blog you link to in the article is actually Danny's Mavromatic blog.
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Scott jappinen
6. http://www.digitalconnection.com/Products/Video/sdikitp.asp
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by az1324
7. just a reminder to everyone... when you post a comment, change your name to steve. maybe that will give the real one the right idea. on another note, i seriously wish i had the equipment to do this... :(
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by steve
8. Steve? What? Anyway, how much did this cost? I don't see where it says anything about how much it set him back.
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Bryden
10. SWEET! Video hacks are my fave, do more of them
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by danadamkof
11. this is so cool we need more hacks like this also sorry to say it but i think steve is realy cool his know nonsense aproach apeals to many readers long live steve
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by dave the hack
12. The truth is, Steve had grown so rich, he wanted to retire. He brought me onto his Private IRC channel and he told me his secret. 'I am not Steve' he said. 'My name is Ryan; I inherited the IP and name from the previous Steve, just as you will inherit it from me. The man I inherited it from is not the real Steve either. His name was Cummerbund. The real Steve has been retired 15 years and living like a king in Patagonia.'
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by steve
13. Hmm... Anyone else get the impression that Dave the hack is actually steve the troll? no nonsense? hell... quite the opposite really. only problem with my theory is that dave can spell much better than steve-o.
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by colonel_panic414
14. iH, its' stev e agani an i cant help tha t im a troll plz leev me aloen!!1
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by steve
15. SDI has a data rate of 270mbs not 540.
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by crispy
16. The spec I read said that it's up to 540, but 270 is what's usually used.
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Will o'brien
17. What display was used to test this? I can make this modification but I need a display that accepts sdi.
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Michael
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1. first post!
Posted at 3:38PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by w00tbike