Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC VCU TRD 2021.2 - YUV444 Video Capture and Display

Owned by Sunil Vaghela
Last updated: Feb 25, 2022
20 min read

This page provides all the information related to the VCU TRD YUV444 design.

This is a beta release and will be included in the future TRD releases as an additional design module. Also note that this page stands alone and does not rely on the common VCU TRD “Build and Run Flow” page.

Table of Contents

1 Overview

This module enables the capture of YUV444 8-bit and 10-bit video from HDMI-RX . The video can be displayed on HDMI-TX or DisplayPort and recorded on SD cards or USB/SATA drives. The module can stream-in or stream-out encoded data through an Ethernet interface. This module supports up to single-stream 4kp30 YU24 and XV30 format.

Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ VCU HW does not support YUV444 encode/decode processing. Only YUV 4:0:0, 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 sub-sampling modes are supported. This feature enables encoding yuv444p (single planar) video frames using VCU, reading them as YUV4:0:0 of Width x 3*Height buffer. Similar at decoder side, VCU Decoder output Width x 3*Height YUV4:0:0 raw video frame but display will treat that buffers YUV444 planar buffer. This feature also includes enhancing FB_RD, FB_WR IP/Drivers and V4l2 and DRM frameworks to support YUV444 planar buffer format.

This design supports the following video interfaces:

Sources:

  • HDMI-RX capture pipeline implemented in the PL.

  • File source (SD card, USB storage, SATA hard disk).

  • Stream-In from network or internet.

Sinks:

  • HDMI-TX display pipeline implemented in the PL.

  • DP display pipeline implemented in the PL.

  • Stream-out to network or internet

VCU Codec:

  • Video Encode/Decode capability using VCU hard block in the PL 

    • AVC/HEVC encoding

    • Encoder/decoder parameter configuration.

Video format:

  • YU24

  • XV30

Supported Resolutions:

The table below provides the supported resolutions from the command line app only in this design.

Resolution

Command Line

Single Stream

Multi-stream

4kp60

x

x

4kp30

√

x

1080p60

√

x

√ - Supported
x – Not supported

The below table gives information about the features supported in this design. 

Pipeline

Input source

Format

Output Type

Resolution

VCU codec

Pipeline

Input source

Format

Output Type

Resolution

VCU codec

Capture → Display (Pass-through)

HDMI-RX

YU24/XV30

HDMI-TX/DP

4kp30

None

Record/ Stream-Out pipeline

HDMI-RX

YU24/XV30

File Sink/ Stream-Out

4kp30

HEVC/AVC

File/ Streaming Playback pipeline

File Source/ Stream-In

YU24/XV30

HDMI-TX/DP

4kp30

HEVC/AVC

Serial pipeline is not supported in this beta release.

The below figure shows the zcu106 YUV444 design hardware block diagram.

The below figure shows the zcu106 YUV444 design software block diagram.

2 Hardware and Software Tools

2.1 Hardware Tools

Required:

  • ZCU106 evaluation board (rev C/D/E/F/1.0) with power cable

  • YUV444 10-bit supported Monitor with DisplayPort/HDMI input supporting up to 3840x2160p30 resolution

  • Display Port cable (DP certified)

  • HDMI cable 2.0 certified

  • Class-10 SD card

  • HDMI Receiver - NVIDIA SHIELD / NVIDIA SHIELD Pro for YUV444 8-bit video capture

  • HDMI Receiver - MI-BOX for YUV444 10-bit video capture

  • Ethernet cable for streaming use-cases

Optional:

  • USB pen drive formatted with the FAT32 file system and hub

  • SATA drive formatted with the FAT32 file system, external power supply, and data cable

2.2 Software Tools

Required:

2.3 Download, Installation, and Licensing

The Vivado Design Suite User Guide explains how to download and install the Vivado Design Suite tools, which include the Vivado Integrated Design Environment (IDE), High-Level Synthesis tool, and System Generator for DSP. This guide also provides information about licensing and administering evaluation and full copies of Xilinx design tools and intellectual property (IP) products. The Vivado Design Suite can be downloaded from here.

LogiCORE IP Licensing:

The following IP cores require a license to build the design.

  • Video Timing Controller (VTC) - Included with Vivado - PG016

  • Video Mixer - Included with Vivado - PG243

  • Video PHY Controller - Included with Vivado - PG230

  • HDMI-RX/TX Subsystem - Purchase license (Hardware evaluation available) - PG235 & PG236

  • Video Processing Subsystem (VPSS) - Included with Vivado - PG231

  • XDMA - Included with Vivado - PG195

To obtain the LogiCORE IP license, please visit the respective IP product page and get the license.

Note: Hardware Evaluation keys allow you to simulate and implement your design, run timing analysis and generate a time-limited bitstream to program a Xilinx FPGA. The core in the programmed device will function in hardware for anywhere from 2 to 8 hours, depending on the core.

3 Board Setup

The below section will provide the information on the ZCU106 board setup for running the TRD.

  1. Connect the Micro USB cable into the ZCU106 Board Micro USB port J83, and the other end into an open USB port on the host PC. This cable is used for UART over USB communication.

  2. Insert the SD card with the images copied into the SD card slot J100. Please find here how to prepare the SD card for a specific design.

  3. Set the SW6 switches as shown in the below Figure. This configures the boot settings to boot from SD.

  4. Connect 12V Power to the ZCU106 6-Pin Molex connector.

  5. Connect one end of the Display Port (DP) cable to the board’s U129 connector and the other end to the DP port of the 4K monitor.

  6. Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the board’s P7 stacked HDMI connector (lower port) and another end to the HDMI source in case of a HDMI design.

  7. Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the board’s P7 stacked HDMI connector (upper port) and another end to the HDMI monitor in case of a HDMI design.

    • Note: It is highly recommended to disconnect DP or HDMI cable whenever not in used. Using both simultaneously might lead to unexpected behaviors.

  8. For a USB storage device, connect the USB hub along with the mouse. (Optional)

  9. For a SATA storage device, connect the SATA data cable to the SATA 3.0 port. (Optional)

  10. Set up a terminal session between a PC COM port and the serial port on the evaluation board (See Determine which COM to use to access the USB serial port on the ZCU106 board for more details)

  11. Copy YUV444 images into the SD card and insert the SD card on the board.

  12. The below images will show how to connect interfaces on the ZCU106 board.

 

3.1 Determine which COM to use to access the USB serial port on the ZCU106 board

Make sure that the ZCU106 board is powered on and a micro USB cable is connected between the ZCU106 board and host PC. This ensures that the USB-to-serial bridge is enumerated by the PC host.

Open your computer's Control Panel by clicking on Start > Control Panel.

Note that the Start button is typically located in the lower-left corner of the screen. Occasionally, it is in the upper left corner.

  1. Click Device Manager to open the Device Manager window. Note: You might be asked to confirm opening the Device Manager. If so, click YES.

  2. Expand Ports (COM and LPT).

  3. Locate the Silicon Labs Quad CP210x USB to UART Bridge: Interface 0 (COM#)

  4. Note the COM Port number for further steps.

  5. Close the Device Manager by clicking the red X in the upper right corner of the window.

Launch any Terminal application such as Tera Term to view the serial messages

  1. Launch Tera Term and open the COM the port that is associated with Silicon Labs Quad CP210x USB to UART Bridge: Interface 0 of the USB-to-serial bridge.

  2. Set the COM port to 115200 Baud rate, 8 bit data, none parity, 1 stop bit.

  3. Power ON the board which has an SD card. Switch ON SW1 to power the ZCU106 board.

  4. It boots Linux on board and it will take about a minute for Linux to boot. 

4 Download the TRD

5 Run Flow

The TRD package is released with the source code, Vivado project, PetaLinux BSP, and SD card image that enables the user to run the demonstration.

It also includes the binaries necessary to configure and boot the ZCU106 board. Prior to running the steps outlined in this wiki page, download the TRD package and extract its contents to a directory referred to as TRD_HOME which is the home directory.

TRD package contents are placed in the following directory structure. The user needs to copy all of the files from the $TRD_HOME/images/vcu_yuv444/ to the FAT32 formatted SD card directory.

└── rdf0428-zcu106-vcu-yuv444-EA-2021-2 ├── apu │   └── vcu_petalinux_bsp │   └── xilinx-vcu-zcu106-v2021.2-final.bsp ├── images │   └── vcu_yuv444 │   ├── autostart.sh │   ├── BOOT.BIN │   ├── bootfiles │   │   ├── bl31.elf │   │   ├── bootgen.bif │   │   ├── pmufw.elf │   │   ├── system.bit │   │   ├── u-boot.elf │   │   └── zynqmp_fsbl.elf │   ├── boot.scr │   ├── config │   ├── Image │   ├── rootfs.cpio.gz.u-boot │   ├── system.dtb │   └── vcu ├── pl │   ├── constrs │   │   ├── hdcp_keymngmt_blk.xdc │   │   └── vcu_hdr.xdc │   ├── designs │   │   └── zcu106_HDR10_DCI4K_YUV444 │   ├── README.md │   └── srcs │   ├── hdl │   └── ip ├── README.txt └── zcu106_vcu_trd_sources_and_licenses.tar.gz

Scripts to run yuv444 use-cases for various resolutions are placed in following directory structure:

config ├── 1080p60 │   ├── Display │   ├── Playback │   ├── Record │   ├── Stream-in │   └── Stream-out └── 4kp30 ├── Display ├── Playback ├── Record ├── Stream-in └── Stream-out

5.1 Prepare an SD Card

There are many options to format the SD Card in the windows tool, but always format with FAT32 option. Use the SD Card Formatter tool to format the SD card, https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/

Please note that the Windows format option cannot be used.

  • Copy all of the files from the $TRD_HOME/images/<Path to Design Images>/ to a FAT32 formatted SD card directory

  • Power on the board. Make sure INIT_B, DONE and all power rail LEDs are lit green

  • After a successful boot, a shell prompt will appear as shown below.

root@zcu106_vcu_yuv444:~#

The SD card file system is mounted at /media/card. Optional storage medium SATA and USB are mounted at /media/sata and /media/usb respectively.

5.2 GStreamer pipelines

YUV444 8-bit pipelines

4kp30 YU24 HEVC YUV444 8-bit Display HDMI Pass-through pipeline execution

4kp30 YU24 HEVC YUV444 8-bit Display DP Pass-through pipeline execution

4kp30 YU24 HEVC YUV444 8-bit record pipeline execution

4kp30 Y