NxtWave Communications' NXT2002 Demodulator Selected by Philips RF Solutions for ATSC Tuner Module.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

LANGHORNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 2002

NxtWave Communications, a developer of broadband communications integrated circuits (ICs), today announced that Philips RF Solutions, a leader in Radio Frequency (RF) modules for multimedia and set-top box applications, has chosen the NXT2002 VSB/QAM demodulator for its latest generation of ATSC tuners as it brings the benefits of RF-to-bits modules to the DTV market.

The tuner/demodulator package is intended for digital TV (DTV), set-top box, and PC-DTV products for countries using the ATSC standard for terrestrial DTV. As the digital television transition exponentially accelerates, consumer electronics companies are searching for ways to shorten DTV product development cycles and to improve reception quality.

Philips' TU1236D and TUV1236D tuner modules meet this demand by providing manufacturers with an RF-to-bits integrated module that eliminates the need to develop discrete receiver designs. State of the art digital and analog cable reception is realized by the combination of Philips RF technology and NxtWave's NXT2002 VSB/QAM receiver.

The TU1236D is an integrated ATSC receiver module similar in size to the NTSC modules used in the PC-TV market. The TUV1236D adds the NTSC and QAM functionality to the TU1236D. Both modules incorporate Philips' proprietary RF AGC detector to ensure excellent performance, even in large signal conditions where most tuners suffer from overload.

Both modules also offer lower power consumption than current solutions. The TUV1236D is the most compact and highly integrated ATSC/NTSC/QAM Integrated Tuner Devices (ITD) available in the market.

"There is a growing demand from consumers for DTV products that deliver quality pictures at an economical cost," said Mike Gittings, NxtWave director of worldwide marketing. "By integrating the best of Philips technology with the best of NxtWave technology, we have created an ideal solution that will bring DTV to consumers quickly."

The NXT2002 is the highest performance DTV solution on the market today. The device demonstrates superior reception performance in the presence of multipath, phase noise, impulse noise, adjacent and co-channel interference for both terrestrial and cable environments.

"Our customers have been building products that use NxtWave demodulators and Philips tuners individually for years. Many of these customers requested that Philips and NxtWave work together to build this product because of the many benefits it provides such as NxtWave's expertise in VSB technology, coupled with Philips' well-known product quality and reliability in PC-TV and STB applications.

"The decision for integrating NxtWave's NXT2002 into Philips' TU1236 was based on a combination of factors such as a very small IC footprint, good performance and excellent application support from NxtWave," said Edward Ng, business manager, Philips RF Solutions.

Philips RF Solutions is part of Philips Components and offers a large variety of RF module solutions and is co-operating with key IC suppliers to be able to offer each customer an individual and appropriate solution.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of $28.8 billion (EUR 32.3 billion) in 2001. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products.

Its 189,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, components, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (NYSE:PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.news.philips.com.

About NxtWave Communications Inc.

NxtWave Communications offers the highest performing integrated circuit solutions satisfying the requirements of manufacturers of digital set-top boxes, digital TVs, PC TVs and other broadband appliances through the company's efficient and robust modulation and demodulation techniques.

NxtWave's products provide error-free digital transmissions, even with severe signal impairments commonly present in cable and terrestrial broadcast systems. The company's exclusive technology gives manufacturing customers and consumers significant cost and performance advantages.

NxtWave Communications is a privately held digital broadband communications company, with headquarters at One Summit Square, Rt. 413 & Doublewoods Road, Langhorne, Pa., 19047, and with worldwide sales headquarters at 6 Venture, Suite 350, Irvine, Calif., 92618. For additional information visit www.nxtwavecomm.com.