SHENZHEN, China -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --
MaxLinear Inc. (NYSE: MXL), a leading provider of integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications applications, announces the MxL21x family of Full-Spectrum Capture (FSC™) receivers supporting two to four QAM/DVB-C video channels and four DOCSIS® 3.0 channels.
Cable set-top-box OEMs can use the receivers to design less expensive and less complex STBs that deliver both multi-channel broadcast cable TV services, including personal video recording and fast channel change, and high-speed Internet access for over-the-top (OTT) Internet video plus other data services.
The MxL21x family features an FSC-based front-end that receives the full 1 GHz cable spectrum. The devices support two to four QAM demodulators for transport stream output to a MPEG decoder SoC, and a four-channel wideband intermediate frequency (IF) output for connecting to an Intel Puma3® or Puma5® DOCSIS cable modem chip.
The device features two I2C buses that enable independent control of the MxL21x devices by both the MPEG SoC and the Intel Puma5. This feature allows the MPEG decoder and the DOCSIS modem to exclusively select the channels needed for video and data, respectively, without the necessity for any communication between the MPEG decoder and DOCSIS chips. With this dual I2C control capability, the STB designer has complete flexibility in the selection of the MPEG decoder, the ability to develop software for video and data applications independently and a reduced bill of materials cost.
The MxL21x family (MxL212, MxL213 and MxL214) also supports remote monitoring functions including signal power levels across the full spectrum and channel equalizer parameter settings. This remote spectrum monitoring capability allows cable MSOs to resolve network problems at customer premises remotely, resulting in substantial savings in customer support and network maintenance costs.
MaxLinear has partnered with ZCorum to offer a remote spectrum analyzer solution for STBs based on MaxLinear FSC tuners. The solution will be demonstrated in the company’s suite at the China Content Broadcasting Network (CCBN) in Beijing from March 20-22.
“The MxL21x family enables the design of cost-effective video gateways for emerging markets like China and Latin America,” said Brian Sprague, Vice President and General Manager for MaxLinear. “Now, OEMs can take advantage of our FSC technology, scaled down channel count and dual I2C control to create broadcast plus OTT STBs with many of the features and capabilities typically found in high-end boxes at a fraction of the cost.”
Technical Highlights
Based on MaxLinear’s industry-leading, low-power 40nm CMOS process technology, devices in the MxL21x family offer a monolithic digital cable front-end with integrated low-noise amplifier (LNA) and signal conditioning functions.
The DOCSIS 3.0 ports on the MxL21x devices provide up to 200 Mbps downstream speeds. With all four video channels and all four DOCSIS channels enabled, the chip consumes less than 1.9W, eliminating the need for expensive heat removal components such as fans, heat shields and heat sinks inside the STB.
For video applications, the use of FSC technology enables the devices to simultaneously receive any combination of two or four video and four DOCSIS channels located arbitrarily in the cable spectrum.
The devices also support an integrated narrow-band, single-channel tuner for VoIP service when in battery back up mode or for low-power single-channel operation. The MxL21x product family is pin-compatible allowing one board design to support a variety of channel configurations.
Availability
The MxL21x devices are now available for sampling and will be generally available in early 2014. Contact MaxLinear sales team at sales@maxlinear.com for details.
About MaxLinear, Inc.
MaxLinear, Inc. is a leading provider of radio-frequency and mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for broadband communications applications. MaxLinear is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. For more information, please visit www.maxlinear.com.
MxL, Full-Spectrum Capture, FSC and the MaxLinear logo are trademarks of MaxLinear, Inc. Other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT:
MaxLinear Inc. Corporate Contact:
Patrick Tierney
Senior Director, Cable Product Line
Tel: 760-692-0711
ptierney@maxlinear.com