The collaboration leverages Altera's low-cost Cyclone III FPGAs and National's FPD-Link II embedded clock Serdes architecture to deliver high-speed, long-range data-exchange solutions that provide high bandwidth, low electromagnetic interference (EMI), increased reliability and lower system costs, according to the companies.

Through their initial collaboration, Altera and National developed a reference design showing the transmission of a digital video bitstream over a 10-meter CAT6 cable to National's DS90C124 FPD-Link II deserializer, the companies said. The deserializer output interfaces directly to a Cyclone III FPGA, which processes the incoming signals and sends the resulting video to a display, according to the companies.

A demonstration of this reference design is showcased in Altera's booth No. 1044 at ESC Silicon Valley, held this week in San Jose, Calif.