Conexant Expands Portfolio of Set-Top Box Solutions With New Digital Broadcast Satellite Front-End Chipset.Business Editors & High-Tech Writers LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2000 Solution Offers Industry-Leading Integration And Lowest Power Requirements For Set-Top Box The cable TV box that sits on "top" of the TV "set," although it is often located several feet away in an equipment rack. The set-top box descrambles the premium channels and provides a tuner for the higher cable numbers that very old TVs did not support. And Satellite Receiver Applications Conexant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT) today expanded its family of set-top box solutions with a front-end chipset for digital broadcast satellite (DBS (Direct Broadcast Satellite) A one-way TV broadcast service from a communications satellite to a small round or oval dish antenna no larger than 20" in diameter. ) applications. Requiring 50 percent fewer external components than alternative solutions, the CX24108/CX24110 silicon tuner/quadrature phase shift key (QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) A phase modulation technique that transmits two bits in four modulation states. See PSK and phase modulation. ) demodulator See demodulate. Demodulator A device used to recover the original modulating signal from a modulated wave. A demodulator is also known as a detector. is the industry's first highly-integrated solution for set-top box and PC receiver card applications that operates from a standard 5-volt power supply. Conexant's new front-end chipset complements its interactive TV decoder solution, the CX22490/1, also announced today, and these new products combined offer a complete satellite set-top box system solution. The CX24108/CX24110 joins the company's broad communications portfolio for next-generation consumer appliances which includes MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group) An ISO/ITU standard for compressing digital video. Pronounced "em-peg," it is the universal standard for digital terrestrial, cable and satellite TV, DVDs and digital video recorders (DVRs). audio/video decoders, digital terrestrial demodulators, silicon tuners and cable modems, as well as xDSL solutions, analog modems and home networking products. Conexant's CX24108/CX24110 chipset provides a cost-effective solution for manufacturers seeking to accelerate development cycles and reduce time-to-market. To develop this solution, Conexant has drawn upon its eight-year history in broadband systems and IC design as well as its extensive expertise in connectivity solutions for consumer, desktop and portable PCs. "With this introduction, we've achieved another milestone toward solving the cost and complexity challenges faced by satellite set-top OEMs," said Peter Putnam, product line manager for Conexant's Digital Infotainment Division. "Our easy-to-implement solution dramatically reduces the component count required to implement a complete satellite receiver front-end and enables manufacturers to eliminate the bulky, expensive tuner can used in traditional designs. The chipset is uniquely positioned to help manufacturers deliver next-generation set-top solutions to an increasingly price-sensitive customer base." DBS comprises the largest segment of the set-top box market and is used today by leading network operators worldwide such as DirecTV, Dish Network See DBS. , PremireWorld, SkyPerfecTV!, CANAL +, BSkyB, Galaxy Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. and Sky Latin America SKY Latin America refers to two closely related pay-TV providers, one based in Mexico, the other in Brazil. The Mexican company was founded in mid-1996, a joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), News Corporation, Liberty Media and Grupo Televisa. to deliver programming to customers. DBS signals carry a wide variety of television programming including live sports and pay-per-view programs, as well as high-bandwidth PC applications such as Internet access See how to access the Internet. . According to Cahners In-Stat Group, the market for DBS set-top boxes is poised to grow from 14 million units in 1999 to 23 million units by 2002. "Reducing the set-top box cost is extremely important to network operators who are subsidizing the cost to consumers," said Michelle Abraham, senior analyst, Cahners In-Stat Group. "Conexant's front-end chipset will help lower the bill of materials The list of components that make up a system. For example, a bill of materials for a house would include the cement block, lumber, shingles, doors, windows, plumbing, electric, heating and so on. by eliminating other components." Conexant's DBS front-end chipset includes the CX24108 radio frequency (RF) satellite tuner IC and the CX24110 binary or QPSK demodulator with integrated, forward-error correction (FEC See forward error correction. FEC - Forward Error Correction ) IC. The product's highly-integrated design requires at least 50 percent fewer external components than competitive alternatives, making it easy to implement, reducing bill-of-materials costs and increasing manufacturing throughput. The chipset is the first to operate solely on a standard 5-volt power supply, eliminating the need for the costly 28-volt supply required by alternative offerings. In addition, the product's 5-volt operation enables system manufacturers to design solutions that attach directly to the PC's internal PCI bus -- without the need for a costly DC-to-DC converter. This feature will reduce the complexity for operators to provision their services by making set-top box functionality easy and inexpensive to deploy within the PC platform. Conexant's CX24108/CX24110 chipset's compact form factor allows OEMs to include two or more receivers in their next-generation appliances enabling exciting new applications, such as personal video recorders (PVRs) and interactive broadband services. It is ideal for these space sensitive multiple stream products. The CX24108 is packaged in a 48-pin thermally enhanced thin quad flat pack (eTQFP) and the CX24110 is packaged in a 100-pin plastic quad flat pack (PQFP (Plastic Quad Flat Package) Refers to many varieties of QFP chip packages, which are molded in plastic. See QFP. ). Available now, the chipset is priced at less than $10.00 in OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and production quantities. Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. Statement This press release contains statements relating to future results of the company (including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: global and market conditions, including, but not limited to, the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by the company's and its customers' products; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development of new products; the timing of new product introductions; the availability and extent of utilization of manufacturing capacity; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; changes in product mix; fluctuations in manufacturing yields; product obsolescence ob·so·les·cent adj. 1. Being in the process of passing out of use or usefulness; becoming obsolete. 2. Biology Gradually disappearing; imperfectly or only slightly developed. ; the ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the successful implementation of the company's diversification strategy; labor relations of the company, its customers and suppliers; and the uncertainties of litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. , as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners. About Conexant Systems With a revenue run-rate of approximately $2 billion per year, Conexant is the world's largest independent company focused exclusively on providing semiconductor solutions for communications electronics. With more than 30 years of experience in developing communications technology, the company draws upon its expertise in mixed-signal processing to deliver integrated systems and semiconductor products for a broad range of communications applications. These products facilitate communications worldwide through wireline voice and data communications networks, cordless and cellular wireless telephony systems, personal imaging devices and equipment, and emerging cable and wireless broadband communications networks. The company aligns its business into five product platforms: Network Access, Wireless Communications, Digital Infotainment, Personal Imaging, and Personal Computing. Conexant is a member of the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 Indices. For more information, visit Conexant at www.conexant.com. |
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