Conexant Delivers Complete Front-End Solution For Terrestrial Set-Top Box Applications
Newport Beach, CA - Conexant Systems, Inc., a leader in semiconductor solutions for broadband communications and the digital home, recently announced the CX24230 digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T) demodulator and CX24210 worldwide terrestrial and cable tuner. Together, these highly integrated devices form a complete high-performance, front-end solution for DVB-T set-top boxes (STBs), PC video capture cards, and integrated digital televisions (iDTVs).
"In the last several months, we've introduced a comprehensive set of high-performance products for satellite, cable, and terrestrial applications that enable our customers to meet next-generation system requirements, while reducing product development costs and schedules," said Lewis Brewster, executive vice president and general manager of Conexant's Broadband Media Processing business. "In addition, these new solutions are synergistic with our comprehensive set-top box product portfolio. For example, our new DVB-T front-end chipset can be bundled with our MPEG products, allowing us to deliver end-to-end system solutions that address multiple terrestrial applications."
The CX24230 demodulator is a high-performance DVB-T demodulator with an internal microcontroller and memory. The firmware for the microcontroller is provided by Conexant, simplifying customer software development requirements. Performance-enhancing features include a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter, digital adjacent channel filtering, and an enhanced forward error correction architecture.
The flexible CX24210 tuner supports multiple worldwide digital and analog terrestrial standards including DVB-T, ATSC, PAL, NTSC and SECAM. The tuner also complies with global cable specifications including DOCSIS® 2.0, EuroDOCSIS, and DVB-cable (DVB-C).
The CX24210 was designed with overall system BOM in mind. Cost-saving features include:
- Integrated voltage controlled oscillators, synthesizers, and loop-through circuitry
- An internal adjustable band-pass filter that enables standard-specific optimization, eliminating the need for additional SAW filters
- Requires only a single 3.3 volt power supply for operation
The high level of integration also allows product developers to replace traditional "can" tuners with a much smaller form-factor solution, providing them with greater design flexibility. In addition, the new tuner has been optimized to work with the company's recently announced CX2445X family of DOCSIS 2.0 front-end cable modem chips. The tuner can also be used with Conexant's CX2488X family of PCIe audio/video decoders to form a complete system solution for analog and digital PCTV applications.
A front-end reference design that includes the CX24230, the CX24210, and all required software is available now. In addition, complete evaluation systems that include the front-end chipset and Conexant's MPEG products are also offered. The reference design can be used to address applications ranging from basic MPEG-2 standard definition to dual high-definition MPEG-2/AVC/H.264/VC-1 PVR systems.
Conexant offers a comprehensive suite of digital set-top box components and system solutions for worldwide entertainment and broadcasting networks. The company's product offering includes silicon tuners, demodulators, MPEG audio and video decoders, and dial-up and DOCSIS modems.
SOURCE: Conexant