Mirics brings FlexiTV to Intel Atom based platforms

FLEET, ENGLAND: Mirics Semiconductor has expanded its FlexiTV technology by launching a range of mobile TV and radio applications targeted at products powered by the Intel Atom CPU platform.

This latest innovation brings low-cost embedded mobile TV and radio functionality to ultra-portable and low power PC products such as netbooks and mobile internet devices (MIDs).

First launched in 2008, FlexiTV leverages host processor-based software demodulation, bringing global broadcast reception at an unparalleled cost structure to consumer electronics (CE) devices.

The FlexiTV product portfolio originally targeted notebook platforms powered by dual-core x86 CPUs, and the expansion to cover Atom-based technology is in line with the company’s objective to offer the broadest range of mobile TV and radio solutions to device manufacturers and system integrators.

FlexiTV now supports the Japanese and Korean mobile TV standards -- ISDB-T OneSeg and T-DMB, respectively -- on PC devices featuring the Atom CPU. According to forecasts by ABI Research, total OneSeg device shipments in 2010 will exceed 33 million units, whilst the equivalent figure for T-DMB is expected to be at least 12 million units, thereby offering significant commercial opportunity for FlexiTV.

In addition to mobile TV support, Mirics also announced Atom-based software demodulation support for Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) and FM radio. DAB-based audio services are experiencing growing popularity, with over nine million cumulative device shipment to date, and consumer demand is expected to grow in the coming years as various European countries implement plans for analog radio switch-off.

Mirics CEO Simon Atkinson stated: “ISDB-T and T-DMB continue to represent the most significant market opportunities for mobile TV. By delivering highly efficient software-based solutions for products powered by the Intel Atom processor, Mirics continues to expand the range of consumer computing and communications platforms that can feature embedded TV and radio at price points demanded by manufacturers and consumers, alike.”

To illustrate the suitability of FlexiTV for products such as Netbooks and MIDs where maintaining long battery life is of paramount importance, Mirics stated that in the case of ISDB-T OneSeg, software demodulation running on an N270 Atom processor, consumes a CPU load of only 20 percent.

Mirics will sample FlexiTV solutions targeting the Atom to select partners during Q3 2009, and formally release to production in Q4 2009.