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Video SerDes Serial Interface FAQ

Q What is Simple Mobile Interface Link Interface (SMILi)?
A
The NXP PTN3700 is a low-cost serializer and deserializer, encased in a tiny package. It can be configured as either a transmitter (also known as a parallel-to-serial serializer) at the source, or as a receiver (also known as a serial-to-parallel deserializer) at the destination. This simple interface allows up to 1.95Gb/s of parallel data to go through 1, 2, or 3 pairs of differential subLVDS-based serial links, and is particularly useful to minimize the number of lines between the processor and display in mobile applications.
The serialization and deserialization protocol is named "SMILi" due to its transparency and simple architecture. It employs source synchronous clocking (so no embedded clock) with parity checking of the data, with a data payload of 29 bits plus a parity bit for a total of 30 bits per frame of serialized data. It can be used over a wide frequency/bandwidth range by allowing configurability of the number of data lanes used.
Q Why is the serial link in Simple Mobile Interface Link Interface (SMILi) better than the conventional parallel data interface?
A
The trend in displays is towards higher resolution and more color depth., This results in a higher data rate and a wider parallel interface. The problems include:
  • Difficult routing due to higher wire count between the processor and the display
  • Increased electromagnetic interference (EMI) due to both increased wire count and higher transmission frequency
  • Higher power consumption
The industry consensus to solve these problems is to go serial. SMILi is a simple and cost-effective way to solve the above-mentioned problems encountered in a parallel data interface. For example, for QVGA resolution with 24-bit RGB color, one may use 1-lane serial mode at 207Mb/s. In this example, the PTN3700 converts a 30-wire parallel interface into a 4-wire serial interface (2 wires for differential data, and 2 wires for differential clock).
Q Is Simple Mobile Interface Link Interface (SMILi) compatible with Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI Alliance) or Mobile Display Display Interface (VESA MDDI)?
A The SMILi is not compatible with MIPI or MDDI. Please contact Interface.Support@NXP.com for discussions on our future roadmap.
Q What other NXP chips support Simple Mobile Interface Link Interface (SMILi) and interoperate with PTN3700 as a receiver?
A NXP's Nexperia mobile multimedia processor PNX4103 supports a high-speed serial interface (SMILi). PTN3700 as a receiver has been designed and demonstrated to work seamlessly with the PNX4103 high-speed serial interface transmitter. For more information on PNX4103, please download the product brochure.

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