Rockwell announces inexpensive DBS receiver chips. Cheaper DBS systems means more sales of MPEG2 decoder chips..........
Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Announces Availability of First Fully
Integrated 1 to 30 Msps DBS Receiver Solution
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 1998--
Two-device Chipset Includes Unique Direct-Down-Conversion Satellite Tuner IC and Third Generation Baseband Dbs Link
IC for a Complete Integrated Front-end Receiver
Rockwell Semiconductor Systems' (RSS) Digital Infotainment Division Monday announced a two-device chipset that provides
a fully integrated 1 to 30 Msps Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) receiver solution. By integrating the tuner function onto a
chip, and dramatically reducing external discrete components, Rockwell has created a unique solution that provides significant
space savings and has the potential to reduce the cost of the receiver by as much as 30 percent. It also enables the tuner to be
implemented directly onto the motherboard. The satellite receiver chipset is intended for use in Digital Video Broadcast
(DVB)- and Digital Satellite System (DSS)- compliant consumer and commercial set-top and PC receivers, and
satellite-ready digital VCRs. It will also enable development of new applications, such as digital-satellite equipped televisions.
"This receiver solution enables our OEM customers to be first to market with advanced, lower-cost set-top boxes that make
DBS systems more affordable and extend consumer acceptance of the technology," said A.C. D'Augustine, vice president of
Rockwell Semiconductor Systems' Digital Infotainment Division. "This advance clearly demonstrates the value and broadband
IC market leadership which Rockwell is able to provide to our DBS customers. Rockwell's DBS receiver solution consists of
the HM1811 direct-down-conversion tuner IC and the HM1211 baseband DBS link IC. The HM1211 combines a
DVB/DSS compliant Binary or Quadrature Phase Shift Key (B/QPSK) demodulator, Forward Error Correction (FEC), and
dual six-bit analog-to-digital converters onto a single chip. The device is configurable to support either DVB or DSS modes to
address DBS markets worldwide. OEM customers can improve time-to-market by implementing the complete front-end
reference design available from Rockwell. Hi-Media Products' pioneering record in broadband satellite and cable transmission
technologies and products and experience gained from numerous system integration projects also minimizes risk. Hi-Media
Products, recently acquired by RSS from ComStream Corporation, has been a recognized leader in DBS silicon solutions
since the inception of the consumer DBS market in 1994, and has shipped more than three million demodulation ICs to leading
set-top manufacturers. The worldwide market for digital DBS set-top boxes of all types is projected to grow from
approximately 5 million units in 1997 to greater than 11 million units per year in 2001, driven largely by small dish digital
systems (The Carmel Group, January 1998). "Rockwell's manufacturing and customer support infrastructure, coupled with
Hi-Media Products' broadband technology expertise, positions us well to serve the broadband access market," said
D'Augustine.
HM1811 Satellite Tuner
By integrating the DBS tuner into the HM1811 direct down conversion RF-to-baseband satellite receiver chip, both cost and
space are significantly reduced compared to the tuner modules that have been required until now. Integrated circuits are more
highly reproducible than complex analog/discrete tuners, all hand tuning previously required on the factory floor is eliminated,
and significantly fewer parts are required for the entire tuner. The new device performs the functions of L-band and baseband
amplification, automatic gain control, quadrature down-conversion, baseband filtering, and provides the local oscillator.
On-chip baseband filters are tunable between 0.75 and 30 MHz by the system microprocessor, which enables the receiver to
operate with 1 to 45 Msps carriers. In a typical application, the satellite signal is received by a small, consumer-sized dish
antenna. The signal is focused through the antenna feed horn to a low-noise block down-converter, where it is converted to an
L-band IF frequency and carried to the set-top box by a cable. "The tuner IC was designed with the entire receive function in
mind in order to accommodate very low signal-to-noise ratio carriers, carrier frequency offsets and the adjacent channel
interference of the satellite link," said Peter Putnam, DBS product manager. "In addition, great care was taken to minimize the
necessary external components." Only a simple low noise amplifier and synthesizer IC are needed with the HM1811 to create
a complete L-band-to-baseband tuner. The need for an external L-band tracking filter to reject the image is avoided by a
Zero-I/F architecture, which translates the 950 to 2150 MHz input signal directly to baseband. Depending on system
specifications, the designer has the choice of using the internal VCO or an optional external VCO through microprocessor
selection. The HM1811 is packaged in a 48-pin TQFP, and uses a 5V power supply. Power dissipation is 0.5 watts (typ.).
HM1211 DBS Link IC
The HM1211 demodulates baseband BPSK/QPSK signals and performs subsequent Viterbi (inner) and Reed-Solomon
(outer) FEC decoding, all compliant with DVB/DSS specifications. In addition to use in set-top boxes as part of Rockwell's
DBS receiver solution, the demodulator IC can be used for high-speed (up to 30 Msps) digital data applications in PCs. The
demodulator contains an adaptive equalizer to mitigate the effects of narrow-band co-channel interference, and automatically
corrects for external quadrature gain and phase imbalance and DC offsets. It provides automatic gain control of the signal level
into the A/D converters. Quantization levels of the output signals are programmable for operation of the Viterbi decoder. The
device supports all specified DVB and DSS puncture rates. The Reed-Solomon block includes deinterleaving, decoding and
descrambling of the Viterbi-decoded output and resolves the final +/-180 degree ambiguity. Interleaving depth, block size and
sync byte can be programmed for DVB and DSS modes. The decoded bytes are output in either 8-bit parallel format with a
byte clock derived by dividing the punctured symbol clock or serial format for compatibility with MPEG Demux ICs. The
HM1211 demodulator/decoder is packaged in a 100-pin quad flat pack, and operates from a single 3.3V power supply.
Power dissipation is 1W (typical).
Price and Availability
The two-device chipset consisting of the HM1811 satellite tuner IC and HM1211 DBS link IC is priced at $18 in 10,000
piece quantities. Samples are available now, with production release scheduled for second quarter 1998. Hi-Media Products,
part of the Digital Infotainment Division of Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, develops and markets state-of-the-art front end
components for broadband applications. Based in San Diego, Hi-Media Products is a leading systems-driven broadband IC
manufacturer and the dominant supplier of transmission components for the digital video initiatives of the telecommunications
industry.
For more information on Rockwell products, contact the Rockwell Literature Line at 800/854-8099 inside the United States,
at 714/221-6996 outside the United States, or e-mail rockwell@salessupport.com. Rockwell Semiconductor Systems and
Electronic Commerce is based in Newport Beach. Rockwell Semiconductor Systems is a leading worldwide provider of
semiconductor system solutions for personal communications electronics products used in personal computing, network
access, personal imaging, wireless communications and digital infotainment. The Electronic Commerce Division, based in
Wood Dale, Ill., is a leading supplier of call center systems and personalized electronic commerce applications software. For
more information, visit the Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Web site at rss.rockwell.com. Rockwell (NYSE:
ROK) is a global electronic controls and communications company with leadership positions in industrial automation, avionics
and communications, and semiconductor systems with fiscal 1997 sales of approximately $8 billion and 45,000 employees.
Rockwell's world headquarters is located in Costa Mesa in Orange County, Calif.
DSS is a registered trademark of DIRECTV Inc., a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp.
CONTACT: Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Newport Beach
Eileen Algaze, 714/221-6849
eileen.algaze@rss.rockwell.com
or
The Benjamin Group Inc.
Jan Johnson, 714/245-7500
jjohnson@oc.tbgi.com
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