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Product category: Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe | Subject: SmartMPEG MB86H25B decoder
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 24 August 2005

Decoder helps budget Freeview box speed
to market

FME has been working closely with UK digital set top box manufacturer TVonics, which is commencing mass production of its stylish, digital terrestrial set top box for the UK and European markets.

Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe (FME) has been working closely with UK digital set top box (STB) manufacturer TVonics, which is commencing mass production of its stylish, digital terrestrial set top box for the UK and European markets This unique, European designed STB uses key components that have been either designed or manufactured within Europe

The TVonics designed product, which delivers fast, responsive performance at an affordable price, will be on sale from the end of September 2005.

This new STB, manufactured in the UK by Sony for TVonics, is initially being rolled-out to serve the high-growth UK digital terrestrial market for Freeview services.

Offering a distinctive styling and form factor, it offers end consumers a refreshing alternative to the traditional silver or grey rectangular boxes currently on sale.

Designed to minimise ecological impact through the use of lead-free components, a recyclable aluminium enclosure, and low power consumption, it will conform to the Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) EU mandate for products sold from January 2006 onwards.

It is expected to be in high demand by UK consumers, eager to enjoy the popular range of digital television programmes available on Freeview.

TVonics selected FME's SmartMPEG MB86H25B decoder for use in the new STB, thanks to its low power consumption and system cost, which was made possible through its optimised silicon integration design techniques.

The chip was designed at FME's Multimedia Development Centre in Frankfurt, Germany, and requires just one SDRAM and a Flash memory, consuming less than 700mW in full operation.

This third-generation SmartMPEG device has enjoyed excellent success around the world, with over 10 million unit deployments.

The design win at TVonics spearheads its expansion into the buoyant European digital terrestrial television market.

FME's SmartMPEG family allows many different applications to be executed - in this case an optimised DVB-T adapter with interactivity - but it is also suited to automotive applications; personal video recorder, dual/twin receiver, portable and semiprofessional applications; as well as satellite receivers, when used in combination with Fujitsu's QPSK silicon tuner.

The two companies were able to combine their experience in order to reduce the STB product development time to just 6 months.

This was partly due to the application software being based on the Cabot Aurora DVB middleware reference port, carried out last year between FME and Cabot Communications.

Production of the circuit board, product assembly, test and packing is being carried out by Sony Manufacturing, Pencoed Technology Park, UK - a natural choice for TVonics which is based on-site within the Technium Digital@Sony, technology incubation centre, established by Sony and the Welsh Development Agency in 2004.

Paul Fellows, CEO of TVonics said: "The silicon chip technology and technical support provided by Fujitsu, together with the software technology of Cabot, has enabled TVonics to enter the market quickly with a product delivering superior performance at a very competitive price".

"This development has been an excellent example of how three European based design groups can work together to deliver class leading products to market quickly".

He continued: "The excellent co-operation from Fujitsu has led to very close links being forged between the two companies resulting in the perfect design mix".

"The new box will be announced and featured on our Stand 215, Hall 5 at IBC 2005 in Amsterdam from 9th to 13th September".

Johannes Richter, Multimedia Business Unit Director at FME, added: "The experience and professionalism from TVonics perfectly matched our own when it came to the design of an elegant, unique product to bring to market in the UK and Europe".

"We are extremely happy to have been part of this design and look forward to a long relationship with TVonics".

He added: "We were able to achieve this fastest turnaround time from design start to production start in just 6 months including Cabot's Pan-European Aurora DVB middleware stack with MHEG-5 functionality, because of the skilled engineers at TVonics designing a right-first-time solution, and the availability of middleware from Cabot".

Darren Standing, Business Development Manager at Cabot Communications commented: "Since being selected by TVonics in February 2005 to support its development programme, we have worked closely with engineers at FME and TVonics to deliver for the first time, an Aurora DVB-T middleware market deployment running on FME's SmartMPEG technology".

"TVonics has used the performance and flexibility of Aurora to rapidly integrate its own innovatively styled user interface, system software and device drivers to deliver a market leading DVB-T solution in record time".

There are up to 80 million TVs and VCRs in the UK, and the Government wants all receiving equipment to be able to handle digital signals by 2012, when analogue broadcasting will be switched off.

Throughout Europe, an estimated 600 million units will need to be converted or replaced with digitally enabled equipment in the next 10 years. Request a free brochure from Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe ...

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