Where FPGA and Embedded Systems Still Matter in Broadcast: Solving Edge Cases in a Mature Market

The professional broadcast industry is often described as "settled" — a landscape dominated by mature IP standards, hardened product ecosystems, and well-established vendors. But scratch beneath the surface, and you'll find a world of edge cases where off-the-shelf solutions simply don't cut it.

In these scenarios, FPGA and embedded engineering remain irreplaceable tools — not because the industry hasn’t modernized, but because it has specific needs that demand control, determinism, and customization at the hardware level. From ultra-low latency transport to precision synchronization and bespoke signal processing, this article explores where and why broadcast still leans on these technologies.

The Myth of Full Standardization

While IP-based workflows (e.g., ST 2110, IPMX, NDI) have become the norm, they haven’t replaced the need for custom solutions in every context. In fact, many professional broadcast setups still operate in hybrid environments — where legacy SDI, SMPTE-compliant devices, and proprietary pipelines coexist with modern IP infrastructure.

In such cases, integrators and OEMs often encounter:

• Interoperability challenges between old and new hardware
• Timing and synchronization issues across distributed systems
• Latency-critical tasks that software can't handle fast enough
• Requirements for deterministic performance under fixed bandwidth

This is where embedded solutions — powered by FPGA, SoC, and custom firmware — prove their worth.

Use Case 1: Deterministic Video Transport

Some live production environments, such as sports broadcasting or high-end live concerts, require frame-perfect timing across cameras, switchers, and graphics engines. Even a 1–2 ms jitter can ruin synchronization.

While software-based encoders and AV-over-IP protocols have improved, they can’t guarantee the kind of timing that’s easily achieved through FPGA pipelines. FPGAs allow:

• Fine-tuned packet scheduling
• Custom ST 2110 or SDI bridging
• Hardware-based PTP synchronization
• Redundant link management with near-zero failover delay

Use Case 2: Codec-Specific Signal Processing

Certain broadcast OEMs use proprietary or hybrid codecs (e.g., JPEG XS + metadata layers) that aren’t fully supported by standard IP gear. Here, custom signal processing blocks inside FPGAs allow:

• Real-time encoding/decoding with minimal CPU load
• Bitstream shaping and filtering
• Forward error correction (FEC) implementations
• Specialized transport mux/demux tailored to hardware constraints

These tasks can’t always be offloaded to the cloud or general-purpose GPU, especially in mobile broadcast units or edge capture devices.

Use Case 3: Secure Edge Devices

Camera nodes, ingest modules, and local transcoders often sit at the network edge — where they are vulnerable to tampering, spoofing, or protocol injection. Embedded Linux with secure boot, hardware root of trust (RoT), and encrypted firmware updates makes these devices resilient.

Combined with FPGA logic, it enables:

• Secure key storage
• Inline traffic inspection
• Anomaly detection based on bitstream behavior
• Custom protocol compliance filters

This is particularly relevant for defense-related video systems, public broadcast infrastructure, or private OB (outside broadcast) networks.

Use Case 4: Legacy Compliance & Interfacing

Plenty of mission-critical broadcast infrastructure still relies on legacy video standards — PAL, SDI, AES/EBU, or proprietary signal interfaces from decades-old equipment.

Instead of a full system redesign, FPGAs can serve as hardware translators, offering:

• Signal conversion between analog/digital domains
• Bridge logic for mismatched clock domains
• Protocol wrappers for new IP-based systems

This saves costs and extends the useful life of existing assets without sacrificing performance or compatibility.

Why OEMs Still Need Embedded Engineering

Many broadcast hardware manufacturers have shifted focus toward software ecosystems, mobile integration, and cloud streaming. However, they often lack in-house capabilities for:

• High-speed PCB design with signal integrity
• VHDL/Verilog development for custom logic
• Embedded Linux BSP maintenance
• Long-term support for mixed hardware/software stacks

This opens the door for engineering partners like Promwad, who can support:

• FPGA-based AV interfaces, PCIe, HDMI, DP
• Embedded system design for ingest/playout
• Porting legacy functionality to new SoCs
• Cybersecurity compliance for critical broadcast workflows

How Promwad Helps Solve These Edge Cases

At Promwad, we partner with broadcast OEMs, chipset vendors, and system integrators to tackle tasks where standard tools fall short. Our team provides:

• FPGA & embedded design tailored to video pipelines
• ST 2110/NMOS integration with real-time constraints
• Custom Linux platforms with secure OTA
• Mixed-signal interface design (HD-SDI, HDMI, SDVoE, etc.)
• Lifecycle management and production launch support

Whether it's extending the life of a key product line or enabling next-gen feature sets, we help fill the technical gaps without overhauling your entire stack.

Conclusion: The Core Is Stable, the Edges Are Not

Broadcast may be mature, but edge cases still demand creativity. FPGA and embedded technologies are not legacy—they’re critical enablers of resilience, customization, and longevity.

If you’re building or maintaining video systems that don’t fit the mainstream pipeline, you don’t need to reinvent everything. You just need the right tools — and the right partner — to make it work.

Let’s connect if you’re facing integration gaps, timing issues, or hardware constraints in your broadcast systems. Promwad is here to help you solve the edge.