Cable tuner chip saves set-top box power budget

SiGe Semiconductor has delivered samples of its SE3020 cable tuner IC to Matsushita Electronic Components Co for integration into the next generation Panasonic tuner module.

SiGe Semiconductor has delivered samples of its SE3020 cable tuner IC to Matsushita Electronic Components Co for integration into the next generation Panasonic tuner module under a strategic partnership announced in March 2001.

The companies collaborated on the IC tuner design to produce a very high-performance and power-efficient solution that supports cost-effective deployment of bundled telephony, TV and Internet access services.

The SE3020 is the first product developed using SiGe's StreamCharger silicon tuner platform, launched earlier this month.

The SE3020 provides the low power consumption, high integration and stable performance over an extended temperature range.

"As the first company with access to SiGe Semiconductor's tuner IC, we are well positioned to lead the market for all DOCSIS equipment", says Isao Arika, Director, High Frequency Products Business Unit of Panasonic.

"The device has enabled us to significantly improve performance over temperature and low power consumption - which are integral requirements for the deployment of new bundled services and also effective for the integration and miniaturisation of the video and data appliances".

The outdoor DOCSIS cable market is viewed among the most attractive alternatives for the home gateway of the future.

Outdoor equipment allows multiservice operators (MSOs) to provide lifeline telephony bundled with TV and high-speed Internet access services through an outdoor access point.

The transition to outdoor access equipment is driven by the need for an external demarcation point.

This provides the MSOs with ease of access for service calls, and the capability to offer premium service availability levels to support primary line voice.

"We are delighted with the progress in our relationship with Panasonic since we began working together", said Cormac O'Connell, vice president, broadband cable, SiGe Semiconductor.

"With close collaboration, we were able to design and deliver an IC that would meet the aggressive performance and power consumption requirements of this market".

The SE3020 is an integrated IC tuner with less than 50% of the power consumption of other tuners on the market.

This is essential to the remote powering infrastructure of lifeline telephony services, since profits are in large part based on the cost per watt to deliver the services.

To reduce the cost of deployment, MSOs specify a power budget between 3 and 4W.

Designed to operate at 0.5W, the SE3020 accounts for less than 15% of the total power budget.

This is substantially lower than most tuners today, which have power consumption of 1-2W, approximately 25-50% of the power budget.

The SE3020 also provides stable RF performance over an extreme temperature range from -40 to +85C, which is important for outdoor units that are placed in varied and unpredictable environments.

Able to support 256-QAM digital formats, the SE3020 enhances the use of bandwidth into the home, and increases the reliability of interactive, simultaneous data streams that are required of emerging bundled applications.

StreamCharger is a patent-pending integrated design platform for broadband access tuner applications.

The technology incorporates all of the major components in the RF receive chain, enabling tuner-on-a-chip devices that dramatically reduce the bill of materials and power consumption of broadband cable and terrestrial receiver modules.

Using advanced silicon germanium processes, StreamCharger enhances RF performance and reliability of indoor and outdoor cable telephony, modem and set-top box designs.

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