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Microtune , Inc.: New Wideband Upstream Amplifier Completes Microtune's DOCSIS 3.0 RF Solution Offering DOCSIS 3.0 Wideband Amplifier and Tuners Create Two-Way RF Solution to Enable Flexible, Cost-Efficient DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Gateway
Nov 17, 2008 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) --
Plano, TX-- Microtune , Inc. (NASDAQ:TUNE) today introduced the MT1570 wideband upstream amplifier, the latest addition to the Company's portfolio of radio frequency (RF) silicon products supporting the cable industry's new DOCSIS 3.0 specification. A companion product to Microtune's DOCSIS wideband and narrowband tuners, the new MT1570 upstream amplifier enables an impressive 120-Mbps upstream pipeline, significantly increasing performance, data rate and reliability for bandwidth-intensive DOCSIS 3.0 services.
The tuner and amplifier constitute the two-way RF gateway for DOCSIS 3.0 downstream and upstream channel-bonded communications. By providing a cost-effective solution for bonding together four upstream channels, the MT1570 completes Microtune's DOCSIS 3.0 front-end product offering. With its tuner and amplifier portfolio, the Company offers the only one-stop, all-silicon DOCSIS 3.0 RF solutions in production today.
Customizable RF Solutions for Scalable, Next-Generation Services When integrated into cable subscriber equipment, the new MT1570 upstream amplifier can be matched with any combination of Microtune's high-performance wideband and narrowband tuners for a flexible DOCSIS 3.0 RF silicon solution. They can be designed into single- or multi-tuner configurations to produce scalable data and IP video pipelines for four-by-four, eight-by-four and larger downstream/upstream solutions. This capability translates into triple-digit speeds from 160-Mbps to 320-Mbps downstream and 120-Mbps upstream. Additional channels can be added to permit cable operators to scale DOCSIS 3.0 services for unique business models and channel allocation plans, while at the same time, supporting legacy cable networks and services.
Microtune products are engineered to significantly reduce the required footprint, power consumption and RF bill of materials cost to achieve unprecedented DOCSIS 3.0 performance. As building-block, future-ready technology, they enable cost-effective implementation of DOCSIS 3.0 cable services, including ultra high-speed data, Internet-Protocol (IP) voice, fast high-definition video-on-demand downloads/uploads, interactive on-line gaming, Internet Protocol (IP) TV video and new commercial services for businesses.
"As DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts begin in the worldwide cable market, our customers are telling us that cable operators are looking for flexible DOCSIS 3.0 implementations," said James A. Fontaine, Microtune's President and CEO. "As a result, our customers are designing customer premises equipment that addresses varying DOCSIS 3.0 deployment and service scenarios. They require a broad portfolio of RF solutions to develop a family of DOCSIS 3.0 products, from ultra high-speed data modems to IPTV set-top boxes and high-end gateways. With our combination of wideband/narrowband technologies, we are uniquely positioned to provide them the most advanced, cost-effective and agile RF solutions available, no matter how they decide to implement DOCSIS 3.0."
"Texas Instruments' alliance with Microtune provides cable technology manufacturers with the flexibility to develop high-performance DOCSIS 3.0 products that meet the varied voice, video and data demands of consumer and enterprise markets," said Ran Senderovitz, Texas Instruments' Digital Connected Home business manager. "Combined with Microtune's wideband and narrowband tuners and their new upstream amplifier, TI's industry-leading Puma 5 family of hardware and software solutions support a wide-range of products from DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems to flexible multi-tuner data and video gateway solutions."
"As broadband-connected households around the world consume increasing amounts of bandwidth, Internet service providers are being pressured to upgrade their networks," according to Mike Paxton, an analyst at In-Stat, a leading technology research firm. "Most cable TV operators are counting on DOCSIS 3.0-certified equipment to support their next-generation of high-speed Internet services. Microtune's new wideband tuner and upstream amplifier solution provides cable OEMs with a single-source DOCSIS 3.0 RF front-end that will help cable operators meet the demand for high-bandwidth data and video services."
The MT1570 Upstream Amplifier The MT1570 is a highly linear RF amplifier chip for DOCSIS 3.0 upstream channel-bonded communications. (Channel bonding is a DOCSIS 3.0 bandwidth expansion technique that combines multiple channels to significantly increase data rates.) The MT1570 amplifies four data channels from the user device to the cable head-end. Specifically designed to meet the stringent transmit-noise and linearity requirements of the DOCSIS 3.0 specification, it quadruples upstream data rates to 120 Mbps.
The MT1570 also offers excellent distortion performance and output-noise performance. It provides for increased reliability, quality and integrity of bandwidth-intensive upstream data, whether formatted as video, voice or data.
For consumers, these technical parameters translate into decreased upload time, reduced latency in voice-over-IP calls and increased service reliability. Integrated into a very small 5mm x 5mm QFN 20-pin package, the MT1570 provides backward compatibility and coexistence with legacy DOCSIS equipment. It eliminates the requirement for new cable infrastructure investment, providing a cost-effective, low-power strategy to DOCSIS 3.0 and beyond. A MT1570 Product Brief is available on Microtune's website.
"We pride ourselves in being the performance and market leader in silicon TV tuners, as evidenced by the fact that we have already shipped more than 112 million MicroTuner tuner chips," said Mr. Fontaine. "Our upstream amplifier products are as industry-hardened as our silicon TV tuner technology. In fact, to date we have shipped more than 62 million broadband amplifier chips to our brand-leading OEM customers."
Background: Microtune Support for Channel-Bonding Technology
Last year, Microtune introduced the industry's first wideband TV tuner ( MicroTuner MT2170), and today it is the only cable tuner that has been deployed by OEM manufacturers in DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems and Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapters (E-MTAs) certified by CableLabs .
The MT2170 is a 1.1 GHz single-chip tuner that offers the equivalent functionality of at least four DOCSIS 2.0 narrowband tuners in a highly integrated miniature package. It supports
DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding technology and can accept bonded channels within an IF bandwidth range of 96 MHz. The MT2170 is able to process wideband bonded channels in the presence of multiple interfering signals, while at the same time meeting stringent DOCSIS 3.0 sensitivity and adjacent channel interference requirements.
For DOCSIS 3.0 applications that require a combination of wideband and narrowband tuners, Microtune offers the MicroTuner MT2068.
It is a low-power, high-performance narrowband tuner that supports multiple specifications (DOCSIS , EuroDOCSIS 2.0 and PacketCable). Drawing less than 900 mWatts of power consumption, the MT2068 is engineered to deliver superior performance and power efficiency for DOCSIS 3.0 voice, Internet and multimedia/video services in all-digital, 1-GHz expanded cable networks.
Price and Availability
The MT2170 and MT1570 are available as an RF kit solution which is available now and is priced at less than $5.00 in volume quantities. For more information about Microtune's complete suite of RF products, visit Microtune's website at www.microtune.com.
About Microtune
Microtune, Inc. is a silicon and subsystems company that designs and markets radio frequency (RF) solutions for the worldwide broadband communications and transportation electronics markets. Inventor of the MicroTuner single-chip broadband tuner, Microtune offers a portfolio of advanced tuner, amplifier, and upconverter products that enable the delivery of information and entertainment across new classes of consumer electronics devices. The Company currently holds 81 U.S. patents for its technology. Founded in 1996, Microtune is headquartered in Plano, Texas, with key design and sales centers located around the world. The website is www.microtune.com.
New Product Announcements
It is not unusual for Microtune to announce new products of this kind, and the announcement of this product, or any other product, should not be viewed as an indicator of Microtune revenues for any current or future reporting period. The market for DOCSIS 3.0 solutions may develop more slowly than currently anticipated. There can be no assurance that Microtune's DOCSIS 3.0 or other products will continue to be selected by manufacturers in the future to support their cable products. All statements regarding the performance of Microtune products in this release and their performance relative to other products reflect management's belief as of the date of this release only.
Microtune Forward Looking Statements
All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause such statements to differ materially from actual future events or results. Such forward-looking statements are generally, but not necessarily, accompanied by words such as "plan," "if," "estimate," "expect," "believe," "could," "would," "anticipate," "may," or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These forward-looking statements and other statements made elsewhere in this release are made in reliance, in part, on the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Factors which could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results include, the Company's ability to introduce new products, achieve design wins, maintain customer and strategic partner relationships, forecast customer demand and manage inventory levels, control and budget expenses, protect proprietary technology and intellectual property, and successfully prosecute and defend any pending or future litigation. Any one of these factors may cause the Company's actual financial results to differ materially from its projected results. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason. Readers are referred to our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings which discuss the foregoing factors as well as other important risk factors that could affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
EDITOR'S NOTE
Microtune is a registered trademark and MicroTuner and MicroStreamer are trademarks of Microtune, Inc. Copyright 2008 Microtune, Inc. All rights reserved.
DOCSIS 3.0 is a series of industry specifications that enable cable operators to offer significantly higher data rates to their broadband customers.
DOCSIS and CableLabs are trademarks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.
CONTACT: Jeff Kupp, Microtune, Inc
Tel: +1 972 673 1811
e-mail: ir@microtune.com
Kathleen Padula, Investor Relations, Microtune, Inc
Tel: +1 972 673 1610
e-mail: kathleen.padula@microtune.com
Nigel Robson, Vortex PR
Tel: +44 (0)1481 233 080 (Int)
Tel: +44 (0)1481 233 080 (UK)
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