Skyworth Selects NXP for High-Performance Silicon Tuner-Powered STB Solution in China

Worldwide, low-power silicon tuners such as the TDA18250 are replacing traditional can-type tuners in the TV market. Silicon TV tuners are now used in the majority of cable STBs and modems in Europe, North America, Korea and Japan. In a recent report, analyst firm In-Stat predicts that although can-type tuners still predominate in China, silicon tuners will replace can-type tuners in cable STBs and modems as early as the end of 2011 due to performance parity and lower cost.

The NXP TDA18250 is a high-performance silicon tuner IC designed specifically for high-definition cable STBs that support single streaming, and offers significant performance advantages compared to can tuners. The TDA18250 covers all worldwide digital cable standards. The single-package TDA18250 features a high level of integration, eliminating the need for costly external components such as low-noise amplifiers and surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters, and allows the tuner function to be placed on the main board, rather than requiring encapsulation into a module. Thus, the TDA18250 enables higher system reliability in a very small form factor that facilitates the design of STBs. The TDA18250 is manufactured under NXP's zero-defect program which enables manufacturers to simplify product assembly and supply-chain management.

“At Skyworth, we are committed to using state-of-the-art technologies for STBs, both in terms of innovation and quality. NXP silicon tuner technology is helping us stay ahead of the curve in enabling an outstanding cable TV experience as well as more attractive system costs,” said Zhang En Li, director of the R&D center at Shenzhen Skyworth Digital Technology Co.

“In China, government efforts have brought new life to the cable TV market, with rapid growth in the number of cable subscribers, which in turn has generated increased demand for cable STBs. NXP is pleased to work with Skyworth in bringing the clear benefits of high-performance silicon tuners to the cable STB market in China,” said Keith Ng, director of marketing, TV front-end and multimedia interface products for NXP Semiconductors in Greater China. “NXP’s silicon tuners speed up the design-in process for manufacturers, reduce total production costs, and improve overall STB performance, helping operators to deliver exciting and affordable new services to cable TV subscribers worldwide.”