Multistandard receiver adds mobile client software: News from Frontier Silicon

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Frontier Silicon is working with Penthera Technologies to deliver the world's first open multistandard DVB-H and DAB-IP receiver solution. Penthera's fully interoperable DVB-H/DAB-IP mobile client software, Penthera Viewer, will be developed on the 'Malibu' platform provided by Frontier Silicon and based on the Paradiso FS1030 multistandard system-on-chip. In providing DVB-H along side DAB-IP, the new solution enables manufacturers to increase their addressable market with a single design.

The same handsets can potentially be used on BT Movio's recently launched mobile TV and DAB digital radio service in the UK as well as other mobile TV services around the world.

The Malibu platform, available from December 2006, will enable leading mobile handset manufacturers to achieve economies of scale by delivering a single mobile TV solution that addresses multiple market segments and standards.

Handset makers will be further attracted to the solution as it defines a common software API (application programming interface) across DAB-IP, DVB-H and the host media processor, while offering ultra-low power and small footprint chipsets.

This guarantees a low cost, highly optimised solution and ensures robust performance even under poor signal conditions.

Emma Lloyd, Managing Director of BT Movio, said: 'We believe that a simple and compelling consumer experience is key to the widespread adoption of mobile TV.

This development will seamlessly join the capabilities of DAB, DAB-IP and DVB-H, so that consumers will have more choice of TV and radio channels as spectrum is released in the future'.

'Consumers will also get more choice of mobile phones as manufacturers take advantage of the economies of scale that one hardware solution delivers'.

'With the Malibu platform, we have been able to provide a turnkey, end-to-end reference design spanning hardware and software that will be flexible enough to satisfy all customers, whether they are working with DAB-IP, DVB-H or T-DMB in the UK, Europe or Asia', said Matthew Hatch, VP for Mobile Digital TV at Frontier Silicon.

'Also, as more spectrum is released in the UK for broadcast mobile TV services, the combination of DAB-IP and DVB-H will give handset vendors and service providers the option to expand their offerings to support multiple standards'.

'Evolving our existing DVB-H capabilities to support DAB-IP is exciting since it provides device manufacturers with a single, integrated multi-bearer, multi-mode solution', said Sam Leinhardt, CEO of Penthera.

'In an emerging market with various standards and technologies, manufacturers are seeking integrated solutions that reduce complexity, time to market, and costs'.

'Combining our multistandard software with Frontier's multistandard IC completes the picture'.

Penthera Viewer, which is part of Penthera's mobile broadcast software suite, enables mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, laptops and other mobile devices to receive live TV, radio and other revenue-rich multimedia transmissions.

Complete with support for Windows Media or H.264 encoding, DRM interoperability, and a variety of operating systems, Penthera Viewer will extend its support for multiple DVB-H mobile broadcast air interface implementations to include DAB-IP.

Frontier Silicon's recently announced Paradiso FS1030 multistandard digital TV baseband IC is the first chip designed specifically to address the myriad of mobile TV handset receiver standards resulting from differing regional deployment and spectrum regulation.

It is capable of receiving mobile TV, video, audio and data services over multiple standards including DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB, DAB-IP and enhanced packet mode DAB.

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