MaxLinear introduces ISDB-T USB dongle reference design

Thursday, August 14th, 2014
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MaxLinear’s New Low-Cost USB Dongle Reference Design Brings Broadcast HDTV to Latin American Consumers

  • Turnkey reference design leverages MxL683 tuner-demodulator to deliver high quality reception even in difficult broadcast environments

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 its MxL683 ISDB-T tuner-demodulator is at the heart of a new, low-cost USB dongle reference design that brings digital broadcast high-definition (HD) TV to consumers throughout Latin America.

The dongle can be used as an add-on for pay TV satellite and IPTV operators, or over-the-top (OTT) Internet video service providers, helping these companies deliver popular broadcast content while keeping set-top box (STB) costs low.

The new dongle design also enables free-to-air HD broadcast channels to be delivered to PCs, tablet computers or Netbooks that have a USB port. In addition, the reference design is cost effective for use as a PCI Express (PCIe) module for Netbooks in educational applications, which have recently been funded by several governments in the region.

The MaxLinear turnkey reference design consists of an ultra-compact form-factor USB dongle integrating the MxL683 ISDB-T receiver with a USB2.0 interface. The design package includes schematics, PCB layout files, a complete bill of materials (BOM), software drivers and test reports.

The MxL683 integrates MaxLinear’s latest “super radio” tuner core with a best-in-class ISDB-T demodulator. The MxL683 provides excellent rejection of out-of-band interference from 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, satellite and MoCA signals. The superior forward error correction (FEC) technology enables ultimate AWGN C/N performance. MxL683 also delivers robust system performance under severe field conditions in Latin American countries where strong multi-path echo and co-channel interference are constantly present.

The MxL683’s performance has been validated by both Anatel, Brazil’s National Telecommunication Agency, and by the Mackenzie University Digital TV Laboratory.

“Free-to-air TV is incredibly popular in Latin America and that popularity has grown with this summer’s FIFA World Cup,” said Brian Sprague, Vice President and General Manager, Broadband and Consumer Products at MaxLinear. “This dongle design offers an innovative form factor with the proven performance of the MxL683 that enables pay TV operators to bring popular free-to-air channels to their subscribers throughout Latin America while keeping STB costs low.”