SMPTE 259M is a standard published by SMPTE which "describes a 10-bit serial digital interface operating at 143/270/360Mb/s."

The goal of SMPTE 259M is to define a serial digital interface (based on a coaxial cable), called SDI or SD-SDI.

There are 4 bit rates defined, which are normally used to transfer the following standard video formats:

VariantBit rateAspect ratioTotal lines (per frame)Active pixels (per line)Active linesFrame rate
SMPTE 259M-A143 Mbit/s4:352576848659.94i
SMPTE 259M-B177 Mbit/s4:362594857650i
SMPTE 259M-C270 Mbit/s4:3 or 16:952572048659.94i
SMPTE 259M-C270 Mbit/s4:3 or 16:962572057650i
SMPTE 259M-D360 Mbit/s16:952596048659.94i