Microtune Sets the Bar in Tuner Performance with Third-Generation MicroTuner and Complete RF Systems Solutions.Business Editors & Technology Writers NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo available on BW PhotoWire/AP PhotoExpress, PressLink Online, NewsCom, the AP Photo Archive Topic Gallery and on Business Wire's Web site at www.businesswire.com PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2000 Expanded Product Line Features Silicon and Systems Solutions For Broadband/convergence Applications and Provides OEMs Accelerated Time-to-Market Microtune(TM), an innovative leader in developing highly-integrated RF broadband solutions, today announced a family of third-generation, high-performance 'gateway' tuner-receiver products. Based on the patented technology of the company's pioneering, solid-state MicroTuner(TM) broadband tuner, the new product line consists of both chip- and module-level solutions. The family offers increased performance, expanded functionality and power reductions optimized to meet the stringent tuner requirements of the high-growth broadband markets for digital, interactive cable set-top boxes 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. , cable modems cable modem Modem used to convert analog data signals to digital form and vise versa, for transmission or receipt over cable television lines, especially for connecting to the Internet. , digital TVs and PC/TVs. The MicroTuner 2030 series is the third generation of Microtune's tuner RF-ICs. Like their predecessor, the MicroTuner 2000, the MicroTuner 2030-series devices are single-chip, fully-integrated (including Low Noise Amplifier), dual-conversion tuners that support both analog and digital applications and comply with international standards, including DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) A cable modem standard from the CableLabs research consortium (www.cablelabs.com), which provides equipment certification for interoperability. , QAM-256, 8-VSB, NTSC (National TV Standards Committee) The committee that developed the television standards for the U.S, which are also used in Canada, Japan, South Korea and several Central and South American countries. Both the committee and the standard are called "NTSC. , PAL, DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) An international digital television (DTV) standard that is the European and Far Eastern counterpart of the North American ATSC standard. and DAVIC DAVIC Digital Audio-Visual Council DAVIC Digital Audio Video Council . For the first time, the MicroTuner chips are available with performance optimized for specific markets, including interoperable cable set-top boxes, cable modems, PC/TVs, and digital TVs. To meet the very high-performance requirements of these new breeds of broadband applications, the MicroTuner chips feature a 30 percent power reduction over previous implementations and offer significant performance improvements in phase noise, linearity, IF flatness and gain. These parameters directly impact the quality of the video and/or data that users receive through their TVs, modems and other home electronics products -- for consumers, the results are faster Internet access See how to access the Internet. and better TV pictures. In addition to the MicroTuner 2030 chips, Microtune also introduces a new class of product called MicroModules. Targeted for digital cable and TV applications, MicroModules are credit-card sized RF subsystems designed to speed development cycles. MicroModules integrate the MicroTuners with additional functions and capabilities into complete, fully-tested and manufacturing-ready solutions. For 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 designers with limited RF expertise, the MicroModules provide a ready-to-implement RF front-end that can be 'plugged' onto a PCB PCB: see polychlorinated biphenyl. PCB in full polychlorinated biphenyl Any of a class of highly stable organic compounds prepared by the reaction of chlorine with biphenyl, a two-ring compound. , motherboard or chassis. MicroModules eliminate the need for engineers to manage sensitive RF issues within a broader system design and enable accelerated time-to-market and time-to-volume. "With the new MicroTuner family, we set the quality and performance standard in silicon tuners, while offering customers choice, based on their application, implementation, and performance requirements," said Douglas J. Bartek, chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Microtune. "Many OEM customers want the advantages of our third-generation tuners, but they also need all the other functional RF components integrated into a ready-to-design and ready-to-manufacture solution. The MicroModules give them the best of both worlds -- they are truly complete, silicon-based systems solutions. "For example, the MM8838 MicroModule, the first in the new series, is targeted for manufacturers of next-generation, digital cable set-top boxes," Bartek added. "It includes not only the MicroTuner, but also the RF components enabling bi-directional Internet exchange See IXP and NAP. and conditional access Conditional Access (acronymized CA) is the protection of content by requiring certain criteria to be met before granting access to this content. The term is commonly used in relation to digital television systems, most notably satellite television. . For OEMs, this MicroModule provides the critical capabilities for analog and digital video, two-way communications and interactive functionality, while delivering the full benefits of an interoperable cable set-top box to their consumers." "Microtune is still the only company that provides a true, single-chip broadband tuner-receiver solution capable of serving multiple broadband markets," said Gerry Kaufhold, Principal Analyst with Cahners InStat Group. "With the new MicroTuner family, the company continues to set the pace for technology innovation and performance in providing pioneering tuner-receiver solutions for the emerging high-growth markets. These markets demand a newer and better class of tuner, and Microtune continues to meet the technology challenges created by sophisticated broadband services, and especially the emerging DTV (Digital TeleVision) Transmitting TV using digital signals. The major DTV standards are ATSC (North America), DVB (Europe) and ISDB (Japan). All three use MPEG-2 video compression and Dolby Digital audio compression. DVB and ISDB also include MPEG audio compression. market, with industry-leading silicon and systems products. And with the new MicroModules, Microtune now positions its customers to be the first-to-market." PRICE AND AVAILABILITY The MicroTuner 2030 series are currently in production and are available today, along with Reference Designs, for customers developing tuner-on-board solutions. Pricing, based on volumes of 10,000 units, is $17.95 for MT2030-STB (digital, interactive set-top box applications), $15.95 for MT2030-CM (cable modem applications), $14.95 for MT2032-PC (PC/TV applications), and $17.95 for MT2032-DTV (Digital TV applications.) The MM8838 MicroModule for the digital, interactive cable set-top box is priced at $34.95 in volumes of 10,000 and samples will be available in June 2000. The MicroModules targeted for PC/TV, cable modem and Digital TV will be available later in the year. ABOUT MICROTUNE Microtune Inc. is an innovative RF silicon and systems company that designs, manufactures and markets high-performance 'gateway' tuner-receiver solutions for use in cable modems, set-top boxes, PC multimedia, TV/DTV and other consumer appliances. Inventors of the MicroTuner single-chip broadband tuner, the company currently holds seven patents for its RF-IC technology, with an additional sixteen pending approval, containing approximately 1000 supporting claims. Founded in 1996, Microtune is a privately-held international company, headquartered in Plano, Texas Plano (IPA: /ˈpleɪnoʊ/) is a wealthy suburb of Dallas, Texas, located to the north, mainly within Collin County, but also extending into Denton County. According to the 2000 U.S. , with key design, manufacturing and sales centers located around the world. The web site is www.microtune.com. Note: A Photo is available at URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. : http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.031300/bw3 |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion