In order to realize the long-distance and low-loss transmission of vehicle high-definition video, the framework and principle of vehicle camera transmission system based on GMSL technology are studied in this paper. Through the exploration of the hardware circuit, hardware codec and video signal coding principle of the vehicle camera transmission system, a vehicle forward-looking camera system is designed in this paper. First of all, the overall environmental framework of the transmission system is simulated according to the research results. Then, the research conclusions of the power supply and the initial coding and decoding of the video signal are applied in practice so that the video signal can be encoded stably and transmitted effectively. Moreover, the process of exploring the serializer/ de-serializer architecture, completing the configuration of the hardware, collecting and summarizing the data waveforms is conducted step by step. Finally, the restored signals are analyzed and image quality is evaluated, therefore, the research of the vehicle camera system based on GMSL is completed. The experimental results show that the camera system can well achieve the functions of serial and de-string to modulate the transmittable video signal over 15 m. After the master unstrings the video signal, a stable and real-time high-definition video image can be obtained at last. The research results show that the vehicle camera system can greatly transmit low-loss video images with resolution of 720 P over long distances. Furthermore, the outcomes of this research can be compatible with the current self-driving cars.