3view launches hybrid digital/IPTV HD PVR STB with MaxLinear DVB-T2 tuner

CARLSBAD, USA: MaxLinear Inc., a leading provider of integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal ICs for broadband communication applications, and 3view Ltd., an innovative supplier of interactive HD set-top boxes, have announced a joint collaboration on the 3view HD Digital TV Recorder, a hybrid IPTV and DVB-T2 set top box.

The 3view HD Digital TV Recorder includes a 500GB hard drive, dual MxL5007T DVB-T2 broadcast tuners and broadband connectivity. The receiver enables consumers to view and record a wide variety of free content in the UK, including 50+ TV channels, all free-to-air HD channels, YouTube videos, and other Internet protocol TV (IPTV) content.

The integrated Sky Player and BBC iPlayer allow users to “catch up” on previously broadcasted TV shows on these two networks. In addition, the receiver provides a simple user interface to view personal photos and home videos, stream digital music, and interact with friends & family through Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites.

“The market for hybrid set-top boxes that combine IPTV and broadcast services is set to experience strong growth in the coming years, particularly in markets with healthy broadband penetration and rich free-to-air broadcast offerings,” said Paul Erickson, senior analyst at IMS Research. “The number of total hybrid set-top box shipments of all types is forecasted to grow to nearly 86.9 million units worldwide by 2015.”

MaxLinear's MxL5007T digital terrestrial tuner measures only 5 mm x 5mm in a 32-pin QFN package, providing a small, flexible and low power front end solution that’s ideal for multi-tuner terrestrial STBs and digital TV designs. The tuner uses MaxLinear's proprietary digital CMOS technology to meet the stringent performance requirements of the UK DTG DBook6.1 for DVB-T2 receivers and legacy DVB-T receivers.

The device features integrated channel filtering and on-chip 94dB gain to deliver high quality signal reception of weak signals even under conditions of extreme analog and digital interference typically found in terrestrial applications.

“We’re excited about the prospect of more multi-tuner designs, because these really show off the low power and small size advantages of MaxLinear’s CMOS tuner family,” said John Graham, vice president of marketing for MaxLinear. “3view is emerging in a competitive market through its very clever design and innovative feature set and we’re glad to be a part of this new product effort.”

The MxL5007T has a flexible output intermediate frequency (IF) ranging from 4 to 44 MHz to support a wide variety of demodulators for DVB-T2, ATSC, ATSC M/H, and ISDB-T applications. An integrated on-chip loop through function greatly simplifies STB designs for multi-tuner applications such as PVRs, media servers/gateways, and televisions supporting picture-in-picture.

3view is currently accepting orders for the 3view HD Video Recorder at £299 ea (with the 500GB HDD). Units will begin shipping in August 2010.