Siano Launches Ultra Low Cost CMMB Mobile TV Chip with Enhanced Features

Monday, March 1st, 2010
Siano Mobile Silicon logo

SMS1184 CMMB receiver chip dramatically lowers cost of integrating CMMB onto portable consumer devices

SHENZHEN, China — Siano Mobile Silicon, the leading supplier of CMMB receiver chips, announced today the launch of the newest product in its CMMB TV receiver chip family – the SMS1184. The SMS1184 addresses the “Qingcai” – the mobile TV service provided by CBC – China’s Broadcast Corporation, and is aimed at portable and handheld applications such as navigation devices, DVD players, media players (“MP4” players), notebooks and notebook accessories. The ultra efficient and low cost design of the SMS1184 allows consumer electronic device makers dramatically lower the cost of adding CMMB to their feature lists.

Fully compliant with the technical requirement of SARFT – China’s State Administration for Radio, Film, and Television – the SMS1184 provides for the lowest levels of power consumption, ease of integration and flexibility, and exceptional performance. The chip supports multiple host interfaces, including certified USB 2.0

In addition to CMMB TV, the Siano chip also supports CBC data services that are broadcasted over the CMMB network, such as Qingcai – Navigation (Traffic Management Control data), and Qingcai – Finance (Stock Market data).

To complete the solution, the SMS1184 provides the lowest cost architecture to support the CBC conditional access system, which manages the access related to the Qingcai service. This is done via secured on-chip implementation of Nagravision’s device software communicating directly with Nagravision’s secured CA chip. Nagravision, a world leading supplier of open conditional access systems, DRM and on-demand solutions for content providers and digital TV operators over broadcast, broadband and mobile platforms, was selected by CBC in 2008 to protect the access to the CMMB service.

“As CMMB broadcast is now available in more than 200 cities in China, and with a well organized system for subscribing to the pay-TV service of CBC, Siano recognized the need to provide a diversified range of products to address different market requirements,” said Alon Ironi, CEO of Siano. “The SMS1184 is meant to fulfill the vision of ‘CMMB everywhere’, namely, creating a market reality where literally every portable device in China supports CMMB”.

The SMS1184 is available now in mass volumes. It has already been adopted by a number of Chinese and foreign device makers, who will ship their products later in 2010.