Wireless: Digital TV Modulator Handles Set-Top And Portable Applications

Sept. 15, 2005

A terrestrial demodulator for PC-TV, portable, and handheld digital television (DTV) equipment designs, the ZL10355 claims the industry's smallest package (just 7 by 7 mm), lowest power consumption (300 mW typical, 270 mW in a low-power mode, and a few hundred microwatts in its sleep mode), and the lowest software overhead. The chip's operating temperature ranges from -40°C to 85°C, which uniquely suits mobile DTV. Also, the demodulator fully complies with the stringent NorDig Unified 1.0.2 standard. The ZL10355's integrated digital intermediatefrequency (IF) filter eliminates the need for switched bandwidth surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) filters in the tuner design, allowing compliant reception of 6-, 7-, or 8-MHz channels with one filter. The chip also contains an RF signal strength indicator, allowing download and reading of the TV signal strength directly at the receiver box.

See the figure

Zarlink Semiconductor Inc.
http://products.zarlink.com/profiles/ ZL10355

About the Author

Dave Bursky

Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.