Micronas Promotes DVB-T Migration By Offering TV Manufacturers Easy Upgrade From Analog To IDTVs (0410)
MicModule provides a simple add-on solution, allowing TV manufacturers to easily add digital terrestrial video broadcast (DVB-T) reception capability to any existing analog chassis design
Freiburg/Munich, Germany - May 24, 2004 - Micronas is the world's first TV manufacturer independent semiconductor company to offer a digital add-on module for conventional analog TV chassis designs. The MicModule provides an easy upgrade solution for analog TV designs both Flat Panel Display and CRT to manufacturers looking to enter the integrated digital TV (IDTV) market.
"Now that the DVB-T market is gaining momentum, it is the right moment to offer TV manufacturers a cost-effective alternative, allowing them to make a low risk migration from analog to digital TV technology," said Robert Neumann, product marketing engineer digital TV at Micronas. "The MicModule aims to become the reference design of choice for the development of DVB-T compliant modular integrated digital TV chassis", Neumann explains further.
The MicModule concept allows TV manufacturers to easily add DVB-T functionality to their existing analog chassis designs. It requires only minimal provisions on the chassis for attachment within a regular production flow providing a simple and inexpensive upgrade path.
Micronas offers a complete software package to OEM customers including drivers, middleware and application layer for standard digital television reception functionality. The DVB middleware includes channel list management, common interface (CI) support, DVB Teletext decoding, VBI Teletext reinsertion, and DVB subtitling. As part of the software package a customizable standard graphical user interface (GUI) is provided.
MicModule is equipped with a universal tuner and can be directly connected to any VHF/UHF input. It uses the Micronas DRX 8872C DVB-T COFDM demodulator IC and the MDE 9515B digital audio, video and graphic controller IC for decoding and processing of the digital MPEG-2 signal. The signal is then made available in all relevant analog formats like Composite, S-Video and RGB along with the S/PDIF digital multi-channel audio format or as an analog stereo output on the DAC 3550A audio digital-to-analog converter IC. The integrated SDRAM of the MDE 9515B supercedes a separate SDRAM on the PCB. For specific applications, like MHEG-5 for the UK digital terrestrial market, up to 32 MByte external SDRAM can be added.
A CI slot on the MicModule supports all major conditional access systems required for pay-TV applications. Conditional access and other customized functions can also be implemented via firmware and the smartcard interface. For development and programming purposes, an EJTAG debugging interface is provided. Infrared remote control commands received by the host CPU are converted and sent to the MicModule for further processing. Communication between host and module can be established via I2C bus or RS232 serial interface.
The MicModule board size is 118 mm x 225 mm and requires a single 12 to 18 Volt supply input.