Microtune's New Multi-Standard 1-GHz Tuner Supports Low-Power Consumer Equipment in All-Digital Cable Networks

Microtune’s New Cable Tuner, with Less Than 900 mWatts of Power Consumption, Supports Battery-Backed Digital Cable Telecommunications Services; New Cable Tuner Will Debut at The Cable Show in Microtune’s Booth (537) at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, May 18-20, 2008

PLANO, Texas — Microtune®, Inc. (NASDAQ: TUNE) today unveiled a new low-power multi-standard cable tuner engineered to deliver superior performance, extended frequency and power efficiency for next-generation voice and data services. The new MicroTuner™ MT2068 draws less than 900 mWatts of power consumption. It can be integrated into data modems, VoIP modems, set-top boxes and other power-sensitive cable equipment to deliver digital voice, Internet and multimedia services in all-digital, 1-GHz expanded cable networks. Less than 1/4-inch square, the MT2068 supports multiple specifications (DOCSIS® 2.0, EuroDOCSIS™ 2.0 and PacketCable™) enabling manufacturers to develop multi-standard, multi-tuner products using one tuner design.

Microtune’s MT2068 tuner will be introduced this month in its booth (Booth 537) at The Cable Show, the largest convention and exhibition for cable and telecommunications in the United States, held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, May 18-20, 2008.

“Our field-proven, DOCSIS-certifiable tuners deliver the RF features and performance demanded by customers as the cable industry transitions during the next five years to next-generation digital networks and bandwidth-hungry services,” said James A. Fontaine, Microtune President and CEO. “With our complete cable tuner portfolio, including our industry-first DOCSIS 3.0 tuner, we offer a comprehensive range of advanced tuners that permit our customers to quickly develop and deploy their next-generation cable premise equipment in an increasingly cost-efficient, competitive environment. As the leading supplier of RF tuner solutions for the cable market, we are committed to helping our customers achieve success in CableLabs® certification waves and in the marketplace.”

The MicroTuner MT2068 Features

The MT2068 is a complete broadband tuner with integrated first intermediate frequency (IF) filter, low-noise amplifier and fully integrated automatic gain control. It features low phase noise and high linearity–technical parameters that are required to ensure not only minimum distortion in voice applications, but also reliability in high-speed Internet connections. The tuner consumes less than 900 mWatts of power and it can also be used in cable operators’ extended-frequency networks up to 1GHz. The tuner supports both DOCSIS® 2.0-based VoIP cable modems and PacketCable™-based embedded multimedia terminal adapters (EMTAs). It also handles 8-MHz intermediate frequency (IF) channels and provides improved EuroDOCSIS performance.

The MT2068 tuner is engineered to offer optimized isolation for better IF rejection which improves immunity to interference in cable networks with severe differences in signal strength across the input frequency band. This ensures premium performance across the entire network spectrum, even in intricate multi-tuner applications.

The MT2068 is packaged into a miniature 6-millimeter square chip that operates with a 3.3-Volt supply. With its high levels of integration, the MT2068 allows for simplified, cost-efficient system design, compact layout and reduced radio frequency (RF) circuit bill of materials (BOM) costs. As an implementation and time-to-market advantage, the MT2068 interfaces directly to standard demodulator chips, eliminating the need for customized products.

Price and Availability

The MT2068 tuner is sampling now and is priced at $3.00 each in quantities of 10,000 units. Initial production is planned for Q3 2008. To simplify evaluation and reduce design time, Microtune also offers a MT2068 Evaluation Board.