Microtune and Auvitek Deliver High-Performance Digital TV Solution for NTIA-Certifiable DTV Converter Boxes

Thursday, January 3rd, 2008

NTIA-certified DTV converter boxes, featuring high-performance Microtune and Auvitek technologies, are showcased in Auvitek’s suite 2165 at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel during CES in Las Vegas, NV, January 7-10, 2008

PLANO, Texas — Microtune®, Inc. (NASDAQ: TUNE) and Auvitek International Ltd., today unveiled their collaboration in delivering a complete solution that significantly accelerates the time-to-market and time-to-certification for manufacturers targeting the U.S. government’s coupon-eligible DTV converter box program. Based on Microtune’s MicroTuner™ MT2131 high-performance tuner chip and Auvitek’s AU8515 ATSC demodulation and channel-decoding IC, the manufacturing-ready system solution has been implemented in two Sansonic DTV converter boxes (models FT-300A and FT-300RT) that have achieved certification from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The performance and quality of these NTIA-certified set-tops will be demonstrated at Auvitek’s suite (number 2165) in the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel during the CES show in Las Vegas, NV, January 7-10, 2008.

Inventor of the single-chip silicon TV tuner, Microtune is a market leader in radio frequency (RF) silicon and systems products for the consumer electronics and automotive electronics markets. Auvitek is a fabless semiconductor company that develops demodulator integrated circuits (ICs) for the worldwide digital television and multimedia convergence markets. Together the Microtune TV tuner and Auvitek demodulator ICs comprise the sophisticated electronics ‘heart’ of the DTV converter set-top box solution.

Designed to meet the strict technical requirements dictated by the NTIA for set-tops eligible under the government’s coupon-eligible program, the Microtune-Auvitek system solution is also engineered to deliver superior, stable TV pictures and sound.

“The underlying RF and demodulation/channel-decode technologies are the determining factors in the capability of a DTV converter set-top box to receive, under a diverse range of conditions, all broadcast TV signals cleanly and reliably,” said Pete Birch, Chief Executive Officer, Auvitek International Ltd. “Based on our proprietary and patent-pending FADE(TM) architecture, Auvitek’s DTV demodulator ICs, combined with the sophisticated high-performance TV tuner of Microtune, ensure the absolute best possible reception of digital television signals. Together, we enable digital TV converter set-tops to receive more channels, more consistently and more often for an excellent user experience. We will be demonstrating that performance and quality edge with our set-top models in our booth at CES.”

“By working together, Microtune and Auvitek provide a high-performance, affordable, yet flexible, time-to-market solution for the DTV converter box market,” said Albert Taddiken, Microtune’s Chief Operating Officer. “Microtune offers the only silicon tuner deployed in multiple DTV converter boxes. Additionally, we can help eliminate the initial upfront investments in engineering design and hardware-and-software system integration, while providing the test-verification facilities to confirm that customer designs meet the tuner-related technical specifications dictated by the NTIA. We are proud of our leadership in offering the enabling RF technology that is helping to drive the digital TV transition not only in the U.S., but also worldwide.”

Targeted for American consumers for use during the historic switchover from analog-to-digital TV transmission slated in the U.S. early 2009, the DTV converter boxes receive over-the-air digital ATSC broadcast signals and convert them for use on conventional analog television sets.