MaxLinear MxL683 selected by ST for low-cost ISDB-T STB reference design for Latin America

USA: MaxLinear Inc. announced that its MxL683 has been selected by STMicroelectronics for the STiH207 reference design, a small form factor, cost-optimized set-top box (STB) design for Latin America.

The design collaboration between MaxLinear and STMicroelectronics is aimed at facilitating the successful switch off of analog television services in the region, thereby allowing regional governments to auction the RF spectrum for 4G-LTE mobile high-speed broadband services.

The STiH207 reference design is an integrated set-top box hardware and software solution in a very small form factor. The platform enables manufacturers to bring low-cost digital set-top boxes to market very quickly, and also provides a scalable platform to add advanced features. The high-performance chipset architecture and powerful CPU can enable hybrid broadcast plus broadband (over-the-top) video services or advanced middleware applications (such as Ginga® for the Latin American market) with the same, common platform.

In Brazil, the national telecommunications agency (ANATEL) recently passed legislation to accelerate the adoption of digital television and release the 700MHz RF spectrum for mobile broadband services. The availability of low-cost converter boxes is essential to meet this objective and enable the government to subsidize a large number of boxes for low-income families that cannot afford them. The digital converter boxes are necessary to ensure that homes will continue to receive free television services after the planned analog blackout, which begins in 2015.