Microtune Tuners Enable Local Broadcast and Digital TV Capability in Hughes Satellite Set-Top Box Microtune's Advanced 8-VSB.Business Editors & High Tech Writers PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 11, 2001 RF tuner delivers local analog and digital broadcasts enabling the Hughes 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. to offer consumers more choice in TV viewing options Microtune(TM), Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : TUNE) today announced that it is shipping its 4041 8-VSB tuner-receiver to Hughes Network Systems Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HNS), is a provider of broadband satellite network products for businesses and consumers. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite Internet access services and IP-based networks with its original DirecPC service but which it now markets (HNS HNS Hughes Network Systems LLC HNS Hrvatski Nogometni Savez (Croatian Football Federation) HNS Head & Neck Surgery HNS Hughes Network Systems, Inc. ; Germantown, MD) to enable off-air analog and digital reception in Hughes' latest digital set-top box receiver. Hughes is a leading provider of direct-to-home (DTH (Direct-To-Home) Typically refers to satellite TV broadcasting directly to a dish antenna on the roof of a house. See DBS. ) television services through its DIRECTV systems division. Part of a suite of radio frequency (RF) silicon and systems products optimized for the Digital Convergence In the days of the first computers, transaction and company data were the first types of information digitized. Then came text, opening the world to word processing, followed by audio CDs and finally video. TV market, Microtune's 4041 tuner is an 8-VSB RF solution that combines the functions of an analog multimedia front end and a digital tuner A digital tuner is a tuning device that allows a television or radio set to receive signals via airwaves, satellite, or cable and translates them into a signal the device can display. in a single production-ready unit. The 4041 tuner, when integrated into a set-top box receiver, allows consumers to seamlessly surf local broadcasts, including those in digital and high definition television (HDTV (High Definition TV) A set of digital television (DTV) standards that offer the highest resolution and sharpest picture. Although some HDTV sets are available in standard (rather square) screen sizes, the overwhelming majority of sets are wide screen, which eliminates ) formats, as part of their direct broadcast satellite television and Dolby Digital(TM) audio programming package. "Microtune's state-of-the-art RF tuner technology enables satellite set-top box manufacturers to deliver local analog and digital broadcasts with the superior picture clarity and sound quality that customers expect, particularly in the HDTV format, which demands a new breed of high-performance tuner," explains 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. This design win reinforces our strategic drive into the Digital Convergence TV market, while expanding our presence in the digital satellite set-top box and premium TV segments." According to Cahners In-Stat Group, direct-to-home services will continue to grow in popularity over the next several years. By the end of 2004, the firm projects that there will be 95 million digital direct 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. ) subscribers worldwide. Differing from conventional tuners in analog TVs, the 4041 tuner subsystem is engineered to offer superior performance across the stringent parameters required for mixed analog and digital signal reception. Among other features, it provides the selectivity to efficiently handle a crowded RF frequency spectrum, allowing for the reception of a maximum number of analog, digital and HDTV signals. From a consumer's perspective, this means that the RF tuner enables theater-like picture quality and crystal-clear Dolby Digital(TM) sound. By adding off-air analog and digital broadcasts to the mix of direct broadcast programming, Microtune's 8-VSB tuner enables set-top box manufacturers to offer consumers a full complement of local and satellite TV channels and viewing options. The 4041 tuner also handles mixed media (video, audio and data), supporting future tiers of local digital services, including datacasting and Internet functionality. ABOUT MICROTUNE Microtune Inc. is a leading RF silicon and systems company that designs, manufactures and markets RF broadband 'gateway' solutions for use in cable modems, set-top boxes, PC/TV multimedia, TV/digital TV, automotive entertainment and other consumer electronics. Inventors of the MicroTuner(TM) single-chip broadband tuner and a family of silicon broadband amplifiers, the company currently holds fourteen U.S. patents for its RF technology, with an additional seventeen pending approval, containing a total of more than 1000 supporting claims. Founded in 1996, Microtune is headquartered in Plano, Texas, with key design, manufacturing and sales centers located around the world. The web site is www.microtune.com. EDITORS NOTE: Microtune, MicroTuner and MicroStreamer are trademarks of Microtune, Inc. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion