Cost savings will be achieved in STB production through the lower component count and simplified printed circuit board design. ST is the world's largest supplier of silicon chips for set-top boxes(1), including satellite, cable and terrestrial services.

Price is the overriding factor for consumers in these markets and the new device will help STB manufacturers to further reduce their costs by replacing the discrete tuner circuitry of existing products with a single 32-lead package, requiring minimal supporting components. In addition it will eliminate the need for specialist RF expertise as the RF processing circuitry is integrated onto the chip.

Whilst the tuner is a standalone functional block, it is intended to form part of a co-ordinated chip-set with ST's well established STV0299 multistandard demodulator, which is very widely used in satellite TV applications. Like the STV0299, the STB6000 is programmed through a simple two-wire serial interface.

"By introducing the STB6000 our customers can now use ST silicon products to process the broadcast signal at every stage in satellite STBs," said Armando Caltabiano, General Manager of the Satellite and Terrestrial Business Unit of ST's Set Top Box Division.

"The pairing of the STB6000 and STV0299 perfectly complements our range of MPEG decoders and gives us an opportunity to increase our share of the satellite STB front-end market."

The STB6000, which has been developed in co-operation with RFMagic Inc., is suitable for use in satellite STBs throughout the world; it supports the DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting), DIRECTV and VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) protocols.

The tuner will be of interest to NIM (Network Interface Module) manufacturers -- who supply assembled and set up tuner/demodulator modules to STB producers -- as well as to those producers who assemble their own on-board tuners; currently around half of the STBs produced worldwide contain third party modules.

The input frequency range of the new device is 950MHz to 2150MHz, ensuring that it meets the requirements of satellite broadcasters worldwide; it supports symbol frequency rates from 1 to 45 Msymbols/second. The chip includes fully integrated Local Oscillator (LO) and Phase Locked Loop (PLL), differential I/Q outputs, and a buffered XO output for clocking other devices. It has low power consumption, and will assist STB manufacturers in meeting EU power directives.

The STB6000 is available now in production volumes with U.S. pricing at $2.00.

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