Up until now people have had to choose between DVR-less over-the-air antennas for their channel-surfing choices or cable/satellite plans that include a DVR. Now, the choice is less black-and-white as MaxLinear have come out with a DVR for broadcast TV that allows for recording and playback of over-the-air channels via broadband internet to a tablet computer.
From BusinessWire
MaxLinear Inc. (NYSE: MXL), a leading provider of integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications applications, today announced that Nuvyyo Inc. has selected the MxL603 global hybrid tuner for its Tablo HDTV broadcast DVR system.
"While performing the component evaluation for the ATSC tuner, it was critical for us to select high performance, low power, low cost and compatibility with a demodulator partner"
Nuvyyo's Tablo is the first broadcast TV system that combines the functionality of a whole-home DVR and the convenience and mobility of a tablet computer app. Tablo plugs into any HD antenna to capture free broadcast network programming. Customers can view their Tablo's content on any screen at home, or on the road anywhere they have wireless broadband Internet access via a Tablo app. In some early urban test markets, Nuvyyo has found that Tablo can tune to nearly 100 HD channels.
Nuvyyo engineers chose the MxL603 after an extensive evaluation that demonstrated the tuner's best-in-class performance, low power consumption and compatibility with Tablo's demodulator and processor. The MxL603 makes use of MaxLinear's "super radio" technology to provide superior rejection of out-of-band interference from 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, MoCA and EoC signals, without the need for expensive external filters associated with competing solutions.
The small 4mm x 4mm size of the MxL603 and its low power draw of 350 milliwatts meant that Nuvyyo could develop dual-tuner and quad-tuner models of Tablo and still stay within its form factor and power budget.
"While performing the component evaluation for the ATSC tuner, it was critical for us to select high performance, low power, low cost and compatibility with a demodulator partner," said Grant Hall, Nuvyyo Chief Executive Officer. "Other ATSC tuners were considered and although they may have excelled in one particular criterion they fell short in others. In the end, the MaxLinear MxL603 was the clear leader for our product."
"Tablo is pioneering a new market niche and it has to deliver the best possible picture to be competitive, so tuner performance is a big differentiator," said Brian Sprague, MaxLinear Vice President and General Manager. "The MxL603 is an ideal solution for this application, considering the low power draw, interference immunity and small size that this form factor demands. The fact that Nuvyyo picked our part after such an intensive and comprehensive evaluation makes this design win a great accomplishment."
The MxL603 supports all global digital cable and terrestrial television reception standards, including: DVB-T/T2, ISDB-T, ATSC, DTMB, ITU J.83 Annex A/B/C, DVB-C2, DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS. The device is software-configurable for any of these standards, allowing manufacturers to re-use designs in multiple markets.
Technical Highlights
The MxL603 is based on low-power 65-nm digital CMOS process technology. It delivers an unprecedented noise figure of 3.8 dB. The device also includes MaxLinear's leading edge blocker immunity technology for advanced filtering of strong signals from adjacent channels. The superior phase noise performance provides assurance to system manufacturers that current products will meet future tuner specifications as they continue to evolve.
Additionally, the MxL603 provides market-leading low power consumption of approximately 350 milliwatts (mW) in digital terrestrial mode. The low power consumption and high level of integration enable low-cost, two-layer tuner-on-board implementations as well as ultra-small tuner modules without the need for expensive heat sinks or four-layer PCBs.
The MxL603 is currently in volume production, with complete reference design kits available for cable and terrestrial applications.
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