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Chans, if you have decent soldering skills, and have done so to a PCB that is based on surface mount technology (SMT), then the estimated effort will be approx 2 hours all up. It is way more economical to do the SDI-mod yourself :)
Actually the prep-work takes the longest, around 1.5 hrs. This covers preparing the drill out for the BNC plug, stripping and pre-conditioning the leads with TEFLON wrap, regrouping the data wire leads into 2 flat and sequenced groups (taking into consideration how they can best approach the soldering points sideways, with least strain imposed on the soldering joints), have the clock leads rearranged in twisted-wire pair...etc. If u plan the approach really well, it will make the actual soldering job a lot easier. U can probably complete the actual soldering in 30 mins. Do take into consideration the thermal expansion effect after the soldering job is done (esp if u have took some measure to secure the ribbon cable down at certain points) and perform break-in run for a couple of hours (with cover on)...sometimes the solder joints may break loose after the cable has been expanded. Best to be sure.
The SDI-mod PCB has onboard LED and will lit up when +5V power is good and it manages to lock on to the external 27MHz clock signal feed, so this makes diagnostic way easier. And for the data lines, although having access to an oscilloscope will be nice, but this is not really necessary. I simply use a "Logic Probe" which can be easily attached to my multi-meter. The logic probe provides me with a good feedback (via a LED) when it detect a digital signal (rising/falling edge) on the line. U can quickly perform a sanity check on your soldering job via the ribbon cable prior to connecting it to the SDI board. Just use the logic probe on the ribbon cable (the crimped end of the cable toward the plug) as u operate the DVD player.
The main challenge is to find out where exactly to tap into the following signal/feed, on the PCB for your DVD player: 1. 27MHz clock signal / Gnd 2. +5V / Gnd 3. 8-bit raw digital video signal feed
If you use a popular DVD player, more than likely u will find this either from the Crystalio SDI Forum or on the net.
I used the same type of Serial-Digital Video cable the Broadcast company uses - Belden 1694A with Teflon dielectric, double-shield with outer braided shield. It works perfectly. Unfortunately for SDI u just can use any coaxial cable because of the special high-bandwidth requirements...u may get away with digital audio, but not for video. Other than the cable, another critical aspect is on the BNC plug. Do ensure that u get a very best quality BNC plugs (try to find ones which does not require any soldering), as the data bandwidth requirement for SDI is very high. With SDI cable, the most vital aspects are to choose the right cable with proper impedence, low capacitence (ensure the rising/falling edge does not get blurred) and excellent shielding. Just use what the pros use and u won't go wrong.
Good luck with your SDI mod :)