MaxLinear launches highest performance single-chip receiver for ISDB-T STBs

2012 International CES, LAS VEGAS, USA: MaxLinear Inc., a leading provider of integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal ICs for broadband communications applications, announced the MxL683, its next-generation high-performance, single-chip receiver for ISDB-T and SBTVD-T terrestrial set-top box applications.

The MxL683 is a monolithic system-on-chip based on 65nm CMOS process technology. The device integrates MaxLinear’s latest “super radio” core with a state-of-the-art ISDB-T demodulator to deliver exceptional system performance, even in very difficult terrestrial broadcast environments commonly found in Brazil and other Latin American countries.

The MxL683 includes an embedded CPU for adaptive tuner and demodulator performance control, fast channel acquisition, and advanced power management. It also integrates voltage regulation, RF loop-through output and clock output for sharing a single crystal with multiple devices.

The MxL683 device was designed to provide excellent rejection of out-of-band interference from 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, Satellite and MoCA signals. This performance makes the MxL683 an ideal choice for hybrid set-top boxes that combine multiple reception (e.g., satellite and terrestrial) and connectivity technologies in a single box, or on a single cable.

“MaxLinear’s ISDB-T tuner technology was already well proven, but we were surprised at the extremely good demodulator performance, even in the most stringent time varying channel or echo conditions,” said Prof. Dr. Gunnar Bedicks, chief researcher, Mackenzie University Digital TV Laboratory, a leading digital TV laboratory for transmission and reception systems in Sao Paulo, Brazil. “The demodulator outperformed all other commercially available solutions that we have tested, in the lab and in the field.”

“The MxL683 is the industry’s first true single-chip receiver for ISDB-T set-top boxes. The typical complexity and risks associated with RF design is virtually eliminated with this device,” said Brian Sprague, MaxLinear VP and GM. “This solution allows our customers to get to market faster with better performance, lower cost and lower risk, the ultimate signs of a value-added product.”