Technicolor selects MaxLinear chip for hybrid satellite/ISDB-T set-top box

New STB Reduces Cost of Receiving Local HD Channels; MxL683 Simplifies RF Design for OEMs

CARLSBAD, Calif. — MaxLinear Inc. (NYSE: MXL), a leading provider of integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications applications, today announced that Technicolor (Paris: TCH) has selected its MxL683 for a new hybrid satellite / terrestrial (ISDB-T) high-definition (HD) set-top box (STB) for the Latin America market.

The new STB, for direct-to-home (DTH) satellite operators in Latin America, integrates multiple reception and connectivity technologies and simplifies installation with just a single cable from the dish to the STB. The advanced STB enables pay TV operators to offer new HD services, such as multi-room viewing, while reducing capital expenditure (CapEx) costs.

MaxLinear’s MxL683 single-chip ISDB-T receiver is a key component in the STB and enables the reception of high quality, HD local channels that are broadcast over the air for free. Many of these channels, such as Globo, reach 99 percent of the Brazilian population and are considered a “must have” service for any pay TV operator in Brazil.

“The MxL683 provides outstanding ISDB-T receiver performance in the market using a highly integrated, low-power device,” said Pascal Portelli, Senior Vice President Solution Strategy and Portfolio Management, Connected Home, Technicolor. “Equally important, however, is the fact that the MxL683 has excellent immunity to other RF interference signals such as satellite, WiFi and multimedia-over-cable (MoCA). This enabled us to quickly develop a very cost-effective hybrid HD STB to meet the timing needs of our customers’ markets.”

“The number of hybrid STBs with ISDB-T reception being deployed throughout Latin America is growing exponentially,” said Brian Sprague, Vice President and General Manager, Broadband and Consumer Products at MaxLinear. “In the past, these STBs were difficult to design and required very complex, expensive filters to prevent RF interference issues. With the MxL683, we have simplified the STB design and this allows our customers to get to market faster with less risk.”

Technicolor is the satellite set-top box industry leader, and has worked with operators all over the world to help them cost effectively transition to HDTV and deploy value-added services such as 3DTV, seamless wireless streaming or in-home content distribution over MoCA.

Technical Highlights

The MxL683 is a highly integrated, single-chip ISDB-T compliant receiver. In tests at the DTV Lab at Mackenzie Presbyterian University, the leading authority on ISDB-T receiver testing in Brazil, the MxL683 was rated to have the best performance of any ISDB-T demod tested.

The MxL683 offers the highest level of integration and the lowest power consumption of any ISDB-T solution in the market. Unlike other competitive devices, MxL683 has been extensively field-tested and optimized to ensure robust over-the-air TV reception in the difficult terrestrial reception environments commonly found throughout Brazil and other Latin American countries.

The MxL683 silicon tuner-demodulator is shipping today in mass production and is available in a compact 7×7 mm QFN package. Complete turnkey design materials and test reports are available to customers and partners upon request.