LSI Logic joins TV tuner race
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A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP
Media Inc.
Story posted 9 a.m./6 a.m., PST, 2/2/99
MILPITAS, Calif.--LSI Logic Corp. here has
rolled out a two-chip set for a television tuner
aimed at replacing TV tuner modules that contain
dozens of discrete components and must be
manually tuned in assembly plants. The new chip
set is aimed at an emerging IC application that
could represent hundreds of millions of tuners in
cable TV converters, set-top boxes, television sets
and PCs.
LSI Logic said its chip set will support a range of
advanced set-top box applications, including video
entertainment, Internet data delivery and wireless
communications. The introduction comes one
week after a Texas startup, called Microtune Inc.,
announced a single-chip TV tuner, which will be
fabricated by IBM Corp. in 0.8-micron BiCMOS
(see story from Feb. 1 issue of SBN).
According to LSI Logic, the L64733/34 chip set
provides the necessary functions for a range of
advanced set-top box applications, including video
entertainment, Internet data delivery and wireless
communications. The Milpitas company also said
its chip set will support high-performance direct
satellite broadcast solutions for direct conversion
satellite demodulation, forming a complete "L
band-to-bits" system.
"As the set-top box market explodes, we know
that our customers must continually provide the
highest-performance, lowest-cost set-top box
solutions available," said Simon Dolan, vice
president of marketing of LSI Logic's Consumer
Products Division. "By combining our channel
technology with a tuner IC into a compact design,
we offer maximum flexibility, reliability and
integration. At the same time, we effectively
reduce costs while ensuring robust performance
and world standards compliance."
The L64733/34 chip set are now available with
volume production slated to begin in the second
quarter. In 100,000-piece quantities, the chip set
will sell for $16 each.
LSI Logic said the L64733 zero-IF tuner IC
performs the radio-frequency down conversion
while the L64734 handles QPSK demodulation.
The L64733 chip has an synthesizer that reduces
the RF part count, resulting in a highly simplified
design, according to LSI Logic. The L64734
generates the control signals for the L64733
synthesizer using an on-chip microcontroller to
manage the tuning function along with other
acquisition and tracking functions, said the
company.
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