Micronas launches a pocket-sized DVB-T receiver design with USB 2.0 (0530)

MicStickTMD enables watching and controlling live DVB-T broadcasts on desktop and notebook PCs.

Freiburg, Germany-November 28, 2005-Micronas (SWX Swiss Exchange: MASN, Frankfurt: MNSN, Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) today announced immediate availability of MicStickTMD, a production-ready reference design which enables watching and controlling live DVB-T broadcasts on any USB 2.0-equipped desktop and notebook PC. The design is built around best-in-class components to achieve the required reception performance: a Micronas DRX 3975D COFDM (coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) demodulator, a Microtune^® MicroTunerTM MT2060 digital TV tuner and a Cypress EZ-USB FX2LPTM controller. OEMs can put this reference design into production immediately.

DRX 3975D is the first COFDM demodulator to substantially exceed all requirements of the NorDig-Unified v1.0.2 Receiver Specification. This allows a single design for MicStickD to be compatible with all DVB-T reception standards worldwide. MicStickD enables you to freely roam across the country or throughout your home.

"We are pleased to be teaming with Microtune. Their MT2060 TV tuner chip enables us to develop these innovative PC TV products which excel in radio frequency capacity, miniature size and design flexibility," said Kai Scheffer, director media home consumer products at Micronas. "Microtune's RF expertise combines with the state-of-the-art noise crunching technology of our demodulator to deliver excellent picture quality in the electronically noise-challenged environment of PCs, mobile phones, PDAs, and the like."

"Micronas' new silicon-based solution is designed to transform the PC into a virtual TV, while also enabling digital radio, teletext and TV recording to the hard drive," added Dirk Bilgram, broadband marketing manager at Microtune. "MicStickD features high-performance tuners and demodulators that enable the highest levels of functional integration, front-end flexibility, and exceptional digital reception performance."

DRX 3975D uses advanced digital filtering techniques, in combination with a powerful A/D converter and PLL configuration, to ensure a crisp viewing experience even under challenging adjacent channel conditions. Thus, a simple, non-switchable SAW filter is sufficient. A unique pre-SAW IF sense input enables fully autonomous and stable RF-AGC control of the MT2060 eliminating the need for additional RF-AGC circuitry. DRX 3975D implements a progressive digital algorithm in the channel estimator, leading to exceptional results in multipath and dynamic echo conditions. This is important for Single Frequency Networks and indoor reception.

The Microtune MT2060 single-chip tuner is engineered to combine low power consumption with excellent radio frequency (RF) performance. Its single 16-MHz crystal is sufficient to provide the clock signal for both the MT2060 and DRX 3975D. The Cypress EZ-USB FX2LP controller easily handles the high data rate of digital television.

All of these features combine to deliver top-quality TV images from a USB device measuring only 2.2 cm by 6.2 cm (0.9" by 2.5").

The MicStickD tuner and capture driver is compliant with the Microsoft Broadcast Driver Architecture (BDA) standard for Windows. This ensures optimum performance and compatibility with PC software applications, such as CyberLink PowerCinemaTM. There is no need for an external power supply, because MicStickD fully complies with the USB 2.0 bus-powered specification.

The MicStickD reference design comes complete with schematics, Gerber files, Protel design files, a Bill-of-Materials (BOM) and driver software. The BOM has been carefully optimized for low manufacturing cost. MicStickD can be built for around 20 USD in quantities of 100K. OEMs can add an enclosure design of their choosing and go straight to production. This royalty-free MicStickD DVB-T USB design kit is available now.