USB 3.1 May Replace SDI Cable in The Future as Video Transmission

Many times, the way we plug the USB cable into the USB port is wrong. USB has a wide range of applications and is everywhere. A long time ago, there was a new specification of USB Type-C Connector that can be inserted on both sides.

USB3.1 version is a lot better than 3.0 version, for example, the maximum transmission speed of version 3.1 is 10Gb/s, which is twice that of 3.0. The USB 3.1 high-efficiency encoding system uses relatively less channel width. Facts have proved that this is because 3.1 has converted from USB 3's 8b/10b line coding to 128 b / 132 b on the physical layer. Obviously, the interface overhead cost of the latter is 20%, while the cost of the new coding scheme is only 3%, and the information capacity of the new coding scheme is larger, and the transmission elasticity error speed is also better, so the performance of USB3.1 is better than 3.0 It's so much better.

USB 3.1 backward compatibility returns to 2.0, just like USB 3.0, old computers/ports will be forward compatible with new 3 & 3.1 devices. In addition, the bus power ratio includes standard configurations of 2A at 5V, 5A at 12V, and 5A at 20V.

USB 3.0

Some information about USB 3.1 on the CNET website:

The size of USB is comparable to the micro USB 2.0 Type B connector, and the interface specification is 2.6 mm 8.4, which can already be on par with the 10Gbps (USB 3.1) SuperSpeedUSB. Its maximum output power is 100W, and it supports expandable charging.

Apple's Lightning connector that can be inserted on both sides can only be used under the iOS system, while USB 3.1 and Type-C do not have this restriction. With the continuous advancement and maturity of digital interface technology, camera application technology will become more common, and the relationship between USB 3.1 and Type-C may also become closer. For example, Blackmagic and AJA put Thunderbolt in the camera.

But like Lighting, Thunderbolt is much more expensive than USB. The cheap and common protocol under version 3.1 is enough to transmit a 6G-SDI data stream, and there will be more space. It is not certain that future camera technology manufacturers will develop this potential, or let users develop it themselves.

Once the USB 3.1 Type-C connector is more mature, plugging the cable in is not a problem.