Worldwide Analog TV Demodulator Chip Also Delivers Digital IF Processing Without SAW Filters

While the U.S. and several other countries have converted to digital TV, much of the world still exists in a mostly an analog environment. Millions of analog TVs are manufactured and sold every year, and any new silicon improvements that can lower costs while improving performance are welcome. The Fresco Microchip FM1151 delivers those benefits.

The FM1151 is the industry’s first single-chip solution that delivers fully integrated universal analog audio/video demodulation (NTSC, PAL, SECAM) and digital IF processing for the global hybrid terrestrial (DVB-T/T2, ATSC, ISDB-T, DTMB) and cable (DVB-C/ITU J.83) television markets. It offers significantly lower system-solution costs and superior television performance.

Hybrid (analog + digital) television markets around the world continue to experience unprecedented levels of growth across a broad range of consumer electronics, including TV sets, DVD-Rs, PVRs, and set-top boxes. In established markets like Europe and the U.S., the analog off-air shutoff is well underway or complete, while consumers in the rest of the world continue to need TVs capable of simultaneous analog and digital cable reception. Emerging markets like China, India, Taiwan, Russia, Brazil, Southeast \\[j4\\]Asia, and the Middle East are still in the early stages of the digital transition, paving the way for explosive growth for hybrids.

As the industry’s first TV-grade receiver IC for global hybrid markets, the FM1151 is fully compatible with standard and non-standard audio/video analog and digital broadcasts. Integrating Fresco’s innovative architecture, the FM1151 features extended smearing and ringing reduction for the highest possible visual clarity. The chip accepts the intermediate frequency (IF) output directly from CAN and silicon tuners and demodulates worldwide legacy audio/video (WAVe) to generate analog CVBS video with SIF or MONO audio. The digital IF output is compatible with a broad range of standard downstream digital demodulators (see the figure).

In addition to the FM1151, the FM1100 family includes the field-proven FM1150 for hybrid DVB/DTMB and the FM1050 for analog-only broadcast markets. These chips use Fresco’s iSAW technology, analog A/V demodulation, and universal 6/7/8-MHz surface-acoustic wave (SAW) filter and eliminate the multiple external components required in alternative solutions. The FM1100 family features Fresco’s superior adjacent channel rejection. All of the chips in the FM1100 family feature an ultra-low profile and the same 40-pin-compatible 5- by 5-mm quad flat no-lead (QFN) package. The FM1151 is in production now, and samples are available to qualified customers.

Fresco Microchip Inc.