Sony settop box receiver chip.....................
Sony Announces Low-Cost, High Performance, Single
Chip Solution Designed For Satellite Receivers and
Set-Top Boxes; CXD1961AQ Joins Virtuoso Family
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 1997--Sony Semiconductor Co. of America
(SSA), a division of Sony Electronics Inc., Monday announced the CXD1961AQ, a single chip
solution for digital satellite broadcast receivers and set-top boxes.
The CXD1961AQ is a highly integrated forward error correction (FEC) decoder device as well as a
high performance, low cost digital video broadcast (DVB) compliant, front-end IC. It is also suited
for PC and TV applications.
"The era of full-fledged digital satellite broadcasting is fast approaching," said Jodie Hughes, vice
president and general manager of consumer a/v/d division, SSA.
"North America and Europe are currently broadcasting DVB-based programs and regional-based
satellite delivery providers around the world will follow in the near future.
"By incorporating the front-end functions of digital demodulation and error correction in a single chip
we are making a significant contribution to the growth of this emerging technology."
The chip incorporates two high-speed 6-bit A/D converter channels, a QPSK (quadrature
phase-shift keying) demodulator with roll-off digital filter for multi-symbol rate and automatic
regeneration/recovery of the clock and carrier with reduced external LC filter requirements.
It also includes a frame synchronization circuit including MPEG-2 sync byte recognition and
supports both a parallel and a serial data output for added flexibility.
Additional functions include a Viterbi decoder, de-interleaver, Reed-Solomon decoder and energy
dispersal descrambler and channel error monitoring at both the QPSK demodulator output as well
as the Viterbi decoder output.
By incorporating these constellation monitor functions, the CXD1961AQ enables OEMs to detect
and monitor vital system S/N Ratios (SNR) and assists in antenna positioning for enhanced
reception.
The maximum operating frequency of 60MHz allows a 20-30MSPS (Mega Symbols per Second)
data rate to support most satellite transponders used by DBS providers in North America.
The CXD1961AQ is the second chip in Sony's Virtuoso family leveraging the company's digital and
mixed signal design expertise.
"A complete four-chip solution for satellite based set-top boxes is planned and will incorporate the
CXD1961AQ FEC, a two-chip tuner solution and the recently announced CXD1930Q chip," said
Vishwanath Nayak, SSA, director of marketing, consumer a/v/d division, SSA.
"The CXD1961AQ will offer a seamless interface with the CXD1930Q and help major set top box
OEMs meet the stringent demands of a price sensitive consumer market by offering complete
system-on-a-chip solutions." With the CXD1961AQ, the only required external components are a
crystal and a low pass filter (for AGC and NCO/PLL). Sony's new chip uses a cutting-edge 0.4
micron, 3-layer metal wire CMOS process and is mounted in a 100-pin plastic QFP package.
The CXD1961AQ complies with satellite broadcasting's use of QPSK as the modulation system
and a combination of Reed-Solomon decoding and convolutional decoding with depuncturing
support for all DVB rates from 1/2 to 7/8 for error correction.
Sample quantities are currently available for $12 each. Production quantities will be available by the
end of the year. Sony is also offering an evaluation board for the CXD1961AQ with a I2C interface
to assist consumer OEMs integrating this chip in their set top box designs.
SSA, based in San Jose, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of integrated circuits. Since 1983,
Sony has designed, engineered and manufactured products for the U.S. semiconductor market.
The company is a technology leader in the development of semiconductor solutions for newly
emerging and cutting edge high-performance markets in multimedia, communications and
workstation cache memory.
Currently it offers a diverse array of innovative products ranging from memory to multimedia
communications, networking and wireless ICs.
Vertically integrated for fast product development and production, Sony is positioned to respond
quickly to customer needs. The company has a state-of-the-art design center in San Jose and wafer
fabrication facilities in San Antonio, Texas.
For additional information, contact Sony Semiconductor Co. of America, 3300 Zanker Road, San
Jose, Calif., 95134. Telephone 800/228-SONY or 408/955-6572, Fax 408/955-5176 or visit
SSA's Web site at www.sony.com/semi .
CONTACT: Sony Electronics Inc.
Julie Steckmest, 408/955-4469
julie_steckmest@mail.sel.sony.com
or
Roberts, Mealer & Co.
Amy Lytle/Leilani Smith
714/957-1314
alytle@rmc.xo.com
lsmith@rmc.xo.com
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