Conexant Systems has announced the world's first satellite television receiver card reference platform based on the industry's newest digital video broadcast standard, DVB-S2, for personal computers (PCs). It is targeted at manufacturers developing products that allow subscribers to watch, record and replay satellite broadcast programs on their PC.
The new solution is based on two Conexant set-top box (STB) solutions and one PC video device. These include the world's first digital video broadcast DVB-S2 demodulator and forward error correction (FEC) decoder, a third-generation 8PSK satellite tuner, and a PCI audio/video (AV) broadcast decoder. The two STB devices enable the capture and processing of satellite broadcast programming, and the AV decoder converts and transports the video stream so it can be viewed on a PC.
"By combining our advanced set-top box components with our market-leading PC video technology, we provide a complete system solution for PC television applications," said Jeff Crosby, vice president and general manager of Conexant's Broadband Media Processing business. "This integrated reference platform solution allows manufacturers to significantly reduce their product development time and capitalize on early market opportunities in this rapidly growing industry segment."
About the PC TV Receiver Card
Conexant's new PC TV receiver card incorporates two front-end STB devices. The CX24116 DVB-S2 demodulator and FEC decoder leverages key developments in channel coding and modulation to provide up to a 30 percent capacity increase over the previous DVB-S standard. It has been shipping in high-volume quantities for more than a year. The second STB chip is the company's CX24118 direct down-conversion satellite tuner. This device provides the radio frequency performance necessary for the complex 8PSK advanced modulation and coding specifications.
The third device is the CX23883 PCI audio/video broadcast decoder, which enables analog and digital audio/video capture, display, or record and playback at a later time through software or hardware audio/video codecs.
The reference design is backward-compatible with the previous DVB-S and DSS standards. This allows manufacturers to use a single platform to develop products for multiple industry standards, which allows them to maximize their engineering resources and lower overall manufacturing and design costs. Schematics, layout files, and evaluation boards with production-ready device drivers are included with the reference design.
