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DTA-2180 - H.264 HD Encoder for PCIe  

DTA-2180

H.264 HD Encoder for PCIe

A low-latency audio/video encoder taking zero CPU cycles. Ideal for compressing an HD-SDI signal, or for converting the PC's desktop to H.264 or MPEG-2 Video.
The hardware is based on field-proven Magnum encoding technology.

The DTA-2180 is an obsolete product that is no longer in production. It is still supported and available in limited quantities, but the DTA-2180 should not be used in new designs.

 

Key Characteristics

Video encoding H.264/AVC
MPEG-2 Video
Video format 525i, 625i, 720p
1080i, 1080p up to p30
8-bit 4:2:0
Encoded bitrate 256kbps to 80Mbps
Latency 150 to 650ms
Audio encoding Dolby Digital (AC3)
AAC-LC, HE-AAC
MPEG-1 Layer II
Pass-through
Audio channels Up to 8x stereo or 2x 5.1
Ancillary data Closed captions, AFD, VITC

Inputs and Outputs

Ports HD-SDI, HDMI in
ASI out

Input from HD-SDI or HDMI port

Connectors 2x 75-Ω BNC
HDMI 1.4a
PCI Express PCIe x1 +EXT25W

Requires power supply connection through 6-pin PCIe power connector

Profiles and Levels

H.264/AVC High, Main
Level: 3, 3.1, 3.2, 4, 4.1
MPEG-2 Video High, Main, Simple
Level: High, High 1440, Main

PC Support

OS Windows 10, 11
Windows Server 16, 19, 22
Linux ≥2.6.18, 3.x, 4.x, 5.x
Processor Core i5 minimum

Or equivalent AMD CPU

Software

DtEnc Windows application to set encoding parameters and check input & encoder status
DekTec SDKs Create your own Windows or Linux application with audio/video encoding via the DTA-2180

Pricing

DTA-21801.472Stock: 25+
Low-latency H.264 / MPEG-2 video encoder for SD and HD, without audio-encoding licenses.
Audio-Encoding Options
DTA-2180-AG1.834Stock: 25+
H.264 HD encoder for PCIe with with AC3, AAC and/or MP1LII audio encoding for any number of channels.
DTA-2180-AAC21.608Stock: 25+
H.264 HD encoder for PCIe with 2 license points (1x stereo) for AAC audio encoding.
DTA-2180-DD21.672Stock: 25+
H.264 HD encoder for PCIe with 2 license points (1x stereo) for Dolby Digital (AC3) audio encoding.
DTA-2180-MPA21.564Stock: 25+
H.264 HD encoder for PCIe with 2 license points (1x stereo) for MPEG-1 Layer II audio encoding.

Prices exclude applicable sales tax, shipping charges and customs duties. Quantity discounts may be available, please request a quotation.

Features

  • Real-time H.264 or MPEG-2 video encoding for HD and SD formats, with integrated multi-channel AAC, AC3, MP1LII audio encoding.
  • Audio/video input taken from HD-SDI, or from HDMI for encoding the output of a graphics card.
  • Includes a transport-stream multiplexer with low-latency ASI output. The TS is also available on PCIe for reading by a PC application.

Applications

  • General-purpose H.264 program encoder for real-time encoding of an HD-SDI or HDMI signal.
  • H.264 encoding of the contents of a PC desktop, running e.g. a slide show.
  • High-quality encoding of the graphics output of a PC application.

Block Diagram

The encoder input is taken either from the HD-SDI port, or from the HDMI port. The A/V signal is split into a video part and maximally 8 audio pairs. An audio crosspoint switch connects these audio pairs to any of the 8 audio encoders. The DTA-2180 can also extract Dolby metadata in RDD6 format from the SDI input signal.

DTA-2180 block diagram

The audio, video and closed captions (only for SDI input) are encoded and multiplexed using a Magnum encoder. The resulting transport stream is connected in hardware to an ASI output port, providing low latency. The transport stream is also routed to the PCIe bus, so that applications can read and process or forward the encoded transport stream.

Creating an Application for the DTA-2180

The DTA-2180 can be used out of the box with DtEnc, see below (Windows only). Creating a custom application for the DTA-2180, either on Windows or on Linux, is easy with the DekTec SDK (DTAPI). A dedicated DTAPI Reference document is available, containing a description of the Audio-Video Encoding Classes and a tutorial with examples on how to use them. This document can be found on the left side of this web page (under Documentation), and it is included in the Windows and Linux DekTec SDK distribution file, available on the Downloads/SDK page.

DtEnc - Controlling the Encoder

DtEnc is a free Windows application for controlling the encoding parameters of the DTA-2180, and for monitoring the input- and encoder status. The main parameters that can be set are the audio- and video-encoding parameters. The screenshots below will give you an impression of the parameters that can be set and monitored with DtEnc.

  • DtEnc screenshot 1
  • DtEnc screenshot 2
  • DtEnc screenshot 3
  • DtEnc screenshot 4