Silicon Labs TV Tuner IC Selected by Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America for New Televisions

Mitsubishi's Unisen models are the first TVs in production to fully realize the benefits of the industry-leading footprint and performance of Silicon Labs' Si217x silicon TV tuner by mounting the IC directly on the main system board rather than using separate tuner modules. Mounting the TV tuner directly on the main board reduces the PCB area and cost of the tuner design, while enabling development of thinner TV designs.

Mitsubishi's Unisen Immersive Sound LED TVs incorporate state-of-the-art components for full 5.1 Dolby® Digital surround-sound, a superior picture with enhanced color, and reliable tuning and reception, said Frank DeMartin, vice president of marketing, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. Silicon Labs' Si217x TV tuner meets our very high performance standards, and the straightforward implementation allows us to easily realize the benefits of a tuner-on-board design.

The Si217x IC is the industry's first silicon TV tuner to exceed the performance of traditional discrete TV tuners, enabling TV makers like Mitsubishi to deliver enhanced picture quality and better reception for both analog and digital broadcasts.

The Si217x silicon tuner enables thinner form factors and a reduced bill of materials on the RF front end without compromising RF performance, said Dave Bresemann, vice president of Broadcast products at Silicon Labs. By implementing the silicon tuner IC directly on the main system board of Unisen TVs, Mitsubishi has stepped forward as a pacesetter in the TV industry, providing consumers with the latest TV technology.

Available in screen sizes of 40, 46, and 55 inches, Unisen Immersive Sound LED TVs containing Silicon Labs' Si217x silicon tuner are designed in the United States and will be available to consumers this year.

About the Si217x TV Tuner
Winner of the 2010 EDN Innovation Awards in the RF IC category, the Si217x combines a globally-compliant hybrid TV tuner with an analog TV demodulator in a single CMOS IC. The Si217x TV tuner is based on a number of patented RF innovations and has more than a dozen patents pending. The patented digital low-IF architecture enables the Si217x to achieve exceptional performance and integration while addressing the challenges created by hybrid analog and digital reception and multiple regional standards.

The Si217x TV tuner's high level of integration eliminates more than 100 discrete components, enabling simpler designs, lower manufacturing costs, higher production yields and improved reliability for iDTVs and set-top box applications. By designing the Si217x in standard CMOS, Silicon Labs is the only company to offer a roadmap to cost-effective, hybrid single-chip TV receivers that integrate tuner and demodulator functions in a single IC.