SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 7, 2009 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that Simplay Labs, LLC, the company operating four of the eight global HDMI Authorized Test Centers (ATCs), has selected Agilent Technologies as its High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) test solution provider. Agilent's test solution meets, or exceeds, the requirements of the HDMI Compliance Test Specification (CTS) Version 1.4 and is listed as recommended test equipment. The Agilent test solution addresses four sectors: source testing, sink testing, media physical layer evaluation and protocol test. The test solution was designed to reduce development costs while providing accurate test results with greater flexibility.
Agilent's HDMI solution is unique in the market due to its full automation software, which speeds up testing; efficient electrical performance of the devices and fast test throughput, which increases productivity; and the HEAC (HDMI Ethernet and Audio Return Channel) sink test setup, which is independent of the TMDS signal generator, often heavily used for high-speed electrical sink testing.
Agilent has been involved with the HDMI specification since the standard was first established to help companies meet compliance testing and address the challenges presented by this technology. Agilent has developed tools in the physical, data link and protocol layers to meet the challenges posed by the standard. They are designed to reduce development costs, provide accurate test results and simplify the measurement processes for test engineers in the consumer electronics, cable manufacturer and semiconductor industries.
ATCs are using Agilent's HDMI platform to test products, identify problems, measure data, and determine whether tests have passed or failed. Agilent's modular and reliable HDMI test platform helps customers improve the quality of their consumer electronics products and meet the demand of this rapidly advancing market.
"Upgrading our U.S., Korean and two China facilities will enable us to serve our customers with all HDMI Specification Version 1.4 test services," said Joseph Lias, president of Simplay Labs, LLC. "Continuing to work with Agilent and its partner BitifEye Digital Test Solutions ensures that our customers' products can be effectively tested in our ATCs for HDMI 1.4 features such as 3D over HDMI, 4K video format, Content Type and the new Color Spaces."
Benefits of the Agilent HDMI 1.4 complete test platform include:
ο modular, cost-efficient HEAC (HDMI Ethernet and Audio Return Channel) test upgrade using Agilent's powerful, highly flexible 81150A pattern generator platform and Infiniium oscilloscopes;
ο single high-speed N5998A audio/video timing and video picture analyzer recommended in the CTS Version 1.4;
ο unique TMDS electrical test coverage with a single E4887A TMDS signal generator, the only TMDS signal generator covering all high-speed digital tests, other industry solutions require two alternate TMDS signal generators; and
ο unique test automation with broadest test coverage using the N5990A software controlling TMDS signal generator, the N5998A, an oscilloscope and complementary Quantum Data 882EA (for EDID, CEC and HDCP test).
Agilent's HDMI 1.4 test platform includes the following:
ο Infiniium 90000A Series oscilloscopes with the N5399A compliance test software;
ο 81150A pattern generator;
ο ParBERT 81250-based E4887A TMDS signal generator;
ο N5998A protocol/audio/video generator and analyzer;
ο N5990A test automation software platform from Agilent's solution partner BitifEye;
ο E5071C network analyzer; and
ο N1080A Type A test point access fixtures.
"Being able to use advanced measurement tools for physical, data-link and protocol layers of HDMI enables developers to address potential design issues early in the design cycle and get products to market faster ," said Thomas Dippon, HDMI program manager at Agilent. "Our scalable, modular HDMI test solution enables our customers to meet the requirements and challenges presented by HDMI 1.4."