Microtune Tuner Deployed in LG's Mobile TV Devices, Bringing Broadcast Digital TV to Consumers on the Go

Monday, January 7th, 2008

MPH™ Prototypes, Based on Microtune’s Ultra Low-Power Tuner, Showcased at International CES® 2008

LAS VEGAS — Microtune®, Inc. (NASDAQ: TUNE) today announced that LG Electronics’ mobile TV devices, containing the ultra low-power Mobile MicroTuner™ chip, will be showcased this week at the 2008 International CES®. The MPH™ mobile digital television (DTV) phones and portable navigation devices, part of LG’s innovative digital TV technology suite, will be demonstrated at LG’s booth #8214, Las Vegas Convention Center, Central Hall, and in live mobile DTV demonstrations around Las Vegas during the show.

Microtune-equipped LG handheld mobile DTV devices are based on the MPH™ In-Band Mobile DTV system developed by LG Electronics, Inc. and Harris Corporation. The MPH™ system permits robust terrestrial digital TV signals to be delivered to mobile, pedestrian and handheld devices. It allows over-the-air broadcasters to reach consumers on the move, while enabling viewers to watch their favorite programs from local TV stations. The prototype LG devices shown for the first time at CES 2008 employ Microtune’s MT2260 chip, a high-performance, ultra low-power tuner designed specifically to allow users to watch multi-channel broadcast digital TV with full-motion digital pictures and near CD-quality sound.

“Delivering robust DTV signals to a wide range of devices for mobile-portable-handheld applications is the final frontier in terrestrial digital TV broadcasting,” said Dr. Choon Lee, Director of Digital TV Lab, LG Electronics. “MPH In-band mobile DTV will give broadcasters new business opportunities and consumers exciting new products and services. Our MPH-based mobile TV devices are engineered to deliver excellent reception across a wide range of challenging locations, and Microtune’s specialized mobile TV tuner helps us to ensure robust and reliable performance.”

“We are pleased to be working again with LG as the company implements its exciting new MPH™ technology platform,” said James Fontaine, President and CEO of Microtune. “We are leveraging the experience that both LG and Microtune gained in delivering mobile TV phones for other mobile TV services in commercial rollouts. We understand the technical and systems parameters required to deliver products that excel under real-world broadcast conditions.”

MPH is a leading contender in the race to develop the industry standard for ATSC-compatible mobile digital TV solutions. The in-band mobile DTV technology, developed by LG Electronics DTV Laboratory in Seoul and at LG’s Zenith lab in Chicago, is based on ATSC standards, also developed by Zenith–the robust Enhanced VSB (E-VSB) system and 8-VSB, the proven modulation system at the heart of the well-established ATSC DTV broadcast standard currently used by more than 1,500 U.S. DTV broadcasters and in every DTV receiver sold in the United States.

To help commercialize its technology concepts for the broadcast industry, LG Electronics turned to long-time DTV industry leader Harris Corporation’s Broadcast Communications Division. Harris’s extensive systems integration expertise and research capabilities contributed significantly to the broadcast system development.

The overarching goal of the joint development effort was to devise a robust, ATSC-compatible mobile solution for local broadcasters to maximize the use of their 6-MHz, 19.39 megabit-per-second digital pathway in delivering a wide range of compelling and profitable consumer services. This meant maintaining the centerpiece application, digital high-definition television (HDTV) to the tens of millions of fixed receivers in consumer homes, while reaching viewers on the go with a low-bit-rate digital TV signal and data services.

Microtune’s Mobile MicroTuner MT2260, part of the Company’s suite of products for mobile and portable TV applications, is a multi-band, single-chip tuner engineered for high performance, high integration, and low power. Designed with a patent-pending architecture and ClearTune™ filtering technology, the tuner is implemented in an advanced silicon-germanium (SiGe) process.

The architecture features a shared mixer and filter structure and is single-ended to reduce components, cost and space. The MT2260 tuner is designed to deliver high sensitivity and low distortion for excellent performance and picture quality, even under the most difficult reception conditions.