MaxLinear MxL683 Tuner+ISDB-T Demodulator IC in Mitsumi 'Time Shift' NIMs

CARLSBAD, Calif. — MaxLinear Inc. (NYSE: MXL), a leading provider of integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications applications, announced today that Mitsumi Corp. has started mass production shipments of its latest generation of six-channel “time shift” TV network interface modules (NIM) for use in Japanese televisions based on MaxLinear’s MxL683.

The time-shift technology is an advanced DVR feature that lets consumers automatically record all of the programs on their six favorite broadcast TV channels within a rolling 15-day period. The time-shift feature allows users more time to watch their favorite TV shows without setting their TV to record a specific show. The time-shift feature is combined with regular DVR capability that allows TV viewers to designate particular shows for recording.

MaxLinear’s MxL683 integrates MaxLinear’s state-of-the-art RF tuner with a best-in-class ISDB-T demodulator in a single CMOS chip. The MxL683 provides excellent RF signal reception and digital TV signal demodulation performance due to the optimized on-chip interface and signal processing partitioning between the tuner and demodulator blocks.

The MxL683 has been shipping since the third quarter of 2012 and is based on MaxLinear’s fourth-generation of digital CMOS advanced radio and digital demodulator technology. It is fully compliant with the Japanese ISDB-T (ARIB STD-B21) and Brazilian SBTVD-T (ABNT NBR 15604) terrestrial TV receiver specifications.

“We are excited that our MxL683 has been selected by Mitsumi for its latest time-shift NIM platforms,” said Brian Sprague, MaxLinear’s Vice President and General Manager for Broadband and Consumer Products. “We are pleased that our fourth-generation CMOS RF broadband technology, the platform on which MxL683 was built, is enabling TV design innovation and market growth of TV sets with new features.”

Technical Highlights

The MxL683 sets a new benchmark for reception sensitivity with a noise figure lower than 4dB and exceptional demodulator C/N performance.

The MxL683 is fully compliant with the Japanese ISDB-T (ARIB STD-B21) and Brazilian SBTVD-T (ABNT NBR 15604) terrestrial TV receiver specifications. Additional features include auxiliary channel decoding for emergency broadcast warning systems, high accuracy receiver signal strength indicator (RSSI), and a fast channel scan algorithm to reduce channel scan time by up to 50 percent.

MxL683 provides market-leading low power consumption of 450mW for the entire tuner + demodulator receive chain and is available in a 7x7mm standard 48-pin QFN package.