CES: MaxLinear rolls single-chip receiver for ISDB-T set-top boxes

MaxLinear Inc has launched the MxL683, a next-generation, high-performance, single-chip receiver for ISDB-T and SBTVD-T terrestrial set-top box applications, which the company claims is the industry’s first true single-chip receiver for ISDB-T set-top boxes.

The MxL683 is a monolithic SoC (system-on-chip) based on 65nm CMOS process technology.  The device integrates MaxLinear’s latest “super radio” core with a state-of-the-art ISDB-T demodulator to deliver exceptional system performance, even in very difficult terrestrial broadcast environments commonly found in Brazil and other LatinAmerican countries. The MxL683 includes an embedded CPU for adaptive tuner and demodulator performance control, fast channel acquisition, and advanced power management. It also integrates voltage regulation, RF loop-through output and clock output for sharing a single crystal with multiple devices.

The MxL683 device was designed to provide excellent rejection of out-of-band interference from 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, Satellite and MoCA signals.  This performance makes the MxL683 an excellent choice for hybrid set-top boxes that combine multiple reception (e.g., satellite and terrestrial) and connectivity technologies in a single box, or on a single cable.

Technical Highlights

The MxL683 has a noise figure lower than 4dB and exceptional demodulator C/N performance, important for low cost set-top boxes in emerging countries with widely scattered transmitters and typical weak signal conditions.  The adjacent and co-channel interferer immunity provides assurance that set-top boxes will be reliable and robust in a crowded TV spectrum.

The MxL683 is fully compliant with the Japanese ISDB-T (ARIB STD-B21) and Brazilian SBTVD-T (ABNT NBR 15604) terrestrial TV receiver specifications. Additional features include auxiliary channel decoding for emergency broadcast warning system, high accuracy receiver signal strength indicator (RSSI), and fast channel scan algorithm to reduce the set-top box scan time by up to 50percent.

MxL683’s power consumption is approximately 470 milliwatts (mW) in active mode and 25mA in standby mode. The low power consumption and ultra-small 7 mm x 7 mm footprint make it an ideal solution for low cost, small form-factor designs as well as multi-tuner set-top boxes with personal video recorder (PVR) capabilities.

The MxL683 is currently sampling in a 7mm x7mm 48-QFN package.  A complete reference design kit with hardware, software and full documentation is available for both single and dual-channel applications.  For more information visit www.maxlinear.com.