STMicroelectronics' Silicon Tuner and Single-channel DVB-S2 Demodulator Targeted at HDTV Satellite Consumer Equipment

(Product News, 16 Sep 2008)

STMicroelectronics has widened its DVB-S2 digital satellite broadcast solutions portfolio with the launch of a new STB front-end chipset for digital satellite high-definition TV equipment. The STV6110A silicon tuner and the STV0903 single-channel satellite TV demodulator meet all the requirements of the DVB-S2 standard for broadcast applications. The use of DVB-S2 by consumer equipment manufacturers is strongly increasing in a wide range of applications, including Pay-TV and free-to-air STBs, integrated digital TVs (iDTVs), PC TV cards and the emerging high-definition Blu-ray (BD) equipment.

The DVB-S2 standard increases the capacity of satellite communications links by 30 percent compared to DVB-S (Digital Video Broadcast for Satellite), which has been in use for many years by satellite operators worldwide. In combination with other new coding and satellite technologies, DVB-S2 enables the effective deployment of high data-rate applications such as HDTV, broadband Internet and interactive services, as well as a significant increase in the number of standard channels that can be broadcast in a conventional transponder. Major satellite operators covering Europe, North Africa and the Middle-East are now in the process of accelerating the migration of all their satellite transponders to the more efficient DVB-S2 standard. The use of the standard is also increasing outside of the US and Western Europe, toward emerging markets such as Russia, India and Brazil, as well as Eastern Europe.

The new STV0903 demodulator, which operates seamlessly with ST's new STV6110A silicon tuner, is implemented in a cost-optimized process technology and allows easy upgrade to ST's dual-channel STV0900 demodulator, which was launched in early 2007. The STV6110A silicon tuner is a replacement for ST's STB6000 and STB6100 tuners, which have shipped a cumulative volume of more than 30 million units since 2004. The STV6110A is also suitable for use in markets outside of the DVB-S2 standard, such as Japan, and China, in which new satellite standards are emerging. Importantly, this new STV6110A tuner and STV0903 demodulator combo provides manufacturers with a significant reduction in power consumption offering 600mW and 1.2W, respectively, which is approximately 50 percent of the combined power consumption of ST's previous chipset.

Click here for more information on STMicro's STV6110A silicon tuner

Click here for more information on STMicro's STV6110A silicon tuner