NXP introduces DVB-T silicon tuner for SD/HD set-top boxes

[BGonaSTICK]

NXP, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, today introduced a new generation of high-definition digital terrestrial silicon tuner, the TDA18211HD, which raises the performance and lowers the costs of set-top box applications. The TDA18211HD is the industry’s first pure DVB-T Silicon Tuner, eliminating the need for an external SAW filter and only requiring one XTAL for a full Dual/PVR DVB-T front-end solution.

Dedicated for the European DVB-T standard, this new Digital Terrestrial silicon tuner from NXP reduces overall system cost and design cycles, enabling faster time-to-market while meeting the industry’s demanding performance and application requirements. The TDA18211HD continues to strengthen the fourth generation of NXP silicon tuners focusing on digital terrestrial TV reception around the world.

“The TDA18211HD silicon tuner demonstrates NXP’s commitment to make a high-quality digital viewing experience more affordable and easily integrated across entry level to high-end set-top boxes,” said Guy Ducos, VP & General Manager TV Front End & Media Interfaces NXP Semiconductors. “NXP has worked closely with its customers to develop the TDA18211HD, helping them meet their requirements of bringing more functionality and high-definition quality in a smaller package with reduced bill-of-materials. This new tuner meets the burgeoning demand for the rapidly digitizing global TV market where NXP has already sold 100 million silicon tuners.”

The TDA18211HD offers easy multi-tuner configuration, easy on-board integration and significantly reduces tuner function size, affording manufacturers the ability to achieve smaller form factor devices. It features fully integrated RF tracking filters, wholly incorporated IF selectivity, an RF loop-through for easy STB implementation, fully integrated oscillators, built-in wideband gain control, a 16MHz XTAL output buffer for single crystal applications, an I2C interface compatible with 3.3V and 5V microcontrollers, single 3.3V supply and low power consumption.

The TDA18211 silicon tuner from NXP, has been designed around the latest BiCMOS library, with NXP’s highly-efficient system-in-package (SiP) technology for maximum reduction in manufacturers’ bill-of-materials (BoM). Further BoM reduction is achieved with the integrated Loop Through output and Slave Tuner output that support PVR (Personal Video Recording) applications.

NXP is powering the revolution in the TV viewing experience by improving picture quality and enabling a variety of audio, video, data and images to be available anytime, anywhere throughout the home and on-the-move. The TV, including PC TV and TV-on-mobile, will soon be the window to a world of new content, and NXP is unique in supporting these developments with a full range of semiconductor components, system solutions and connected systems based on industry standards.

Availability

NXP’s TDA18211HD silicon tuner for set-top boxes is now sampling and is expected to be in mass production by Q2 2007.