NxtWave Communications And TeraLogic Partner On HDTV PC Reference Design

28-Apr-00

NxtWave Communications Inc. (nxtwavecomm.com), a developer of broadband communications integrated circuits (ICs), announced that they have partnered with TeraLogic and have developed a platform for DTVPC (digital television for the PC), designated as the Cornerstone, which incorporates NxtWave's advanced VSB/QAM receiver chip, the NXT2000. The NXT2000 complements the TeraLogic reference design. The advanced equalization techniques developed by NxtWave provide optimum terrestrial signal reception of weak and impaired signals. The low power consumption and high level of integration reduce the required board space while improving overall functionality. The Cornerstone reference design allows developers to achieve the necessary performance required for DTV and PCTV applications with minimal design effort. ""We are pleased to be working with NxtWave on this derivative of the Janus DTVPC Development Platform,"" said Raghu Rao, Director of Marketing at TeraLogic. ""We believe NxtWave's solution resolves some of the issues that are being discussed regarding the VSB technology."" ""The Cornerstone reference design is another example of how NxtWave is continuing to pave the way for PCTV and DTV,"" said Matt Miller, President and CEO of NxtWave Communications. ""We will continue to push the envelope in the DTV revolution by providing cutting-edge technology."" Cornerstone evaluation boards are now available. About TeraLogic's Janus DTVPC IC And Platform The Janus technology allows manufacturers to offer HDTV to the mass market for a cost of less than $300. TeraLogic's Janus chip is the PC industry's first IC capable of decoding and displaying on a PC all 18 ATSC digital TV formats, including the true high definition 1080i and 720p formats. With the Janus IC, PC video board manufacturers can support several key multimedia functions on a single PC board - true digital HDTV reception, legacy NTSC broadcast and cable reception, DVD playback and data services. The Janus hardware and software is capable of handling IP-based data over an MPEG stream. About NXT2000 The NXT2000 high-performance, multimode integrated circuit is Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) compliant and performs in either 8VSB mode for terrestrial broadcasting or in 64 QAM, 256 QAM or 16VSB modes for cable TV. The exceptional performance of the NXT2000 cancels transmission channel impairments such as static and dynamic multipath, phase noise, adjacent or co-channel NTSC interference and impulse noise. It also greatly exceeds the performance demonstrated by the Grand Alliance reference system at the Advanced Television Test Center (ATTC). In addition to reliable reception, the device has important features for consumers. Such features include a built-in signal quality indicator to ease antenna alignment and an ultra-fast signal acquisition (50 milliseconds or less) that allows rapid channel surfing capability, which to date, has not been possible with other digital receivers. The on-chip carrier recovery of the NXT2000 together with the advanced equalization scheme provides robust and dependable demodulation even when the VSB pilot is destroyed due to severe channel conditions. The equalizer range extends from -4.5 to 44.5 microseconds, ensuring reliable signal recovery in the harshest multi-path conditions typical of terrestrial broadcast channels. The NXT2000 decodes 8VSB terrestrial and cable signals such as SCTE DVS-031, ITU-J.83B, and MCNS DOCSIS-compliant 64/256 QAM. Other features include a ""direct IF sampling"" integrated analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and integrated FEC that greatly reduces the bill-of-materials (BOM) cost for set-top box and DTV manufacturers. The internal A/D converter also accepts a ""low IF"" input signal to enable integration into existing set-top box and DTV chassis designs. The programmable symbol rate allows for different VSB/QAM modes without requiring any VCXOs to drive the A/D converter or internal clocks. The NXT2000 achieves power savings by operating the internal core at 2.5V, and the I/O ring at 3.3V to enable seamless interconnection with existing ICs. Packaged in a 100-pin thin quad flat pack (TQFP), product is now available. The price of the NXT2000 is $22 each in 10,000 unit quantities. About NxtWave Communications NxtWave Communications develops broadband communications integrated circuits (ICs) for use in multiple mass markets. Using efficient and robust modulation and demodulation techniques, the company's IC solutions satisfy the requirements of manufacturers of cable modems, interactive set-top boxes, digital TVs and PC video products. NxtWave Communications leverages proprietary algorithms in its receiver implementations of industry standard transmission formats including QAM, VSB, QPSK and NTSC. NxtWave Communications has headquarters in Langhorne, Pennsylvania with worldwide marketing and sales headquarters in Irvine, California. For additional information visit nxtwavecomm.com. About TeraLogic Founded in 1996, TeraLogic is a leading provider of solutions for broadband digital television video, audio and interactive data services. The company designs and develops integrated circuits, platforms and software for advanced TVs, set-top boxes and PC-TV convergence products. Using products powered by TeraLogic's technologies, consumers can enjoy crystal clear video and audio, Internet, electronic commerce, electronic program guides and interactive data services enabled by the emerging broadband digital television networks. TeraLogic is currently shipping ICs and platforms, and licensing software, to leading consumer electronics and personal computer manufacturers in the United States, Japan, Europe and Korea. Customers and partners include ACCESS, Hauppauge, Kenwood, JVC, Lucent, Mitsubishi, NDS, NEC, Panasonic, Quantum, TiVo and Zayante. With headquarters in Mountain View, California, TeraLogic currently has more than 100 employees. More information about TeraLogic may be obtained by visiting the company's Web site at www.teralogic-inc.com. 

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