Microtune Delivers Industry's First, Single-Chip Tuner-Amplifier, Cutting RF Cost, Size and Space for Cable Broadband Products

Business Wire, May 13, 2002

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2002

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2002

ADB, Samsung and Hitron are Among the First Customers Planning to

Integrate the New MicroTuner Into Their Products

Addressing the critical pricing and time-to-market pressures confronting cable equipment manufacturers, Microtune(TM), Inc. (Nasdaq:TUNE) today introduced a new single-chip tuner that cuts radio frequency (RF) costs by almost 25%, board space by 20% and power by 11%. The new MicroTuner(TM) MT2050 integrates the tuner with low-noise and intermediate frequency amplifiers into a miniature, multi-functional 1/4"-square chip. It eliminates the components, circuitry and costs of alternative RF silicon solutions, while delivering the high performance and reliability required by manufacturers for DOCSIS 1.1- and 2.0-based cable modems, PC-based cable modems and digital interactive set-top boxes.

Advanced Digital Broadcast, Ltd. (ADB), Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, and Hitron Technology Inc. are among the first customers planning to integrate the new MT2050 tuners into their cable access equipment. Microtune also plans to integrate the MT2050 into a complete cable modem Reference Design developed in cooperation with Texas Instruments. The MicroTuner MT2050 will be showcased in Microtune's Booth, Number 306, at the Cable-Tec Expo 2002, June 5th-7th, at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio.

"As cable modem and set-top box technology continues to evolve, customers demand RF tuner solutions that advance them to the next level of integration, functionality and price/performance," said Douglas J. Bartek, Chairman and CEO of Microtune. "Combining all tuner and amplifier functions in a single chip is a logical integration path. The MT2050 represents another technical accomplishment for Microtune and another first for the industry. At the same time, it meets customer requirements for RF components that deliver lower power, enhanced reliability and proven manufacturability."

Based on Microtune's patented, DOCSIS-certifiable and market-proven radio frequency integrated circuit (IC) architecture, the MT2050 contains on-chip all the active functions of the RF receive chain. It not only receives and tunes the RF signal, but also conditions and boosts it for distribution through the set-top box or cable modem system electronics. With key technical parameters of low phase noise, low noise figure and high linearity and approximately 1 1/2 watts of power consumption, the MT2050 is engineered to be the lowest power, lowest cost, smallest and most highly integrated tuner solution in the industry.

For cable modem and set-top box manufacturers, the MT2050 connects directly to a demodulator chip in a simplified system implementation, providing cost-effective, power-efficient and smaller designs with streamlined test and manufacturing.

RF BUILDING BLOCK FOR VIDEO, VOICE AND DATA

The MT2050 meets the complex, discriminating requirements of digital video, high-speed data and voice delivered via fiber optic and coaxial cable transmission. It functions as the critical building block for the delivery of multiple types of broadband traffic to the home, enabling a broad range of robust applications, from Internet access, digital phone service, videoconferencing, peer-to-peer networking, web hosting and on-line gaming to picture-in-picture, video-on-demand and personal video recording services. It is ideally suited for computer-controlled cable modems (CCCMs), DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0-based cable modems and multi-tuner digital set-top boxes which demand highly reliable, high-performance RF electronics that work in real-world environments.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The MT2050 tuner is sampling now and is priced at $5.00 in quantities of 10,000. To simplify evaluation and design, Microtune plans to offer a MT2050 RF Reference Design that provides the hardware and software required by OEMs to 'jump start' development of a MicroTuner tuner-on-board solution. For more information about the MT2050 tuners, including Product Briefs and Technical Backgrounders, and Microtune's complete suite of RF solutions, visit Microtune's Web site at www.microtune.com.

CUSTOMERS AND INDUSTRY COMMENT

"Microtune continues to be a leader in the development of RF solutions for the cable industry," according to Mike Paxton, senior analyst with In-Stat/MDR. "Throughout its short six-year history, Microtune has continued to evolve the MicroTuner foundation platform to next-generation ICs that integrate greater functionality in smaller silicon geometries, while simultaneously increasing performance and reducing cost. Over the next 18 months, we expect more and more cable modem and set-top manufacturers to migrate to an all-silicon RF solution, and Microtune is well-positioned to assist them in this transition."

"As a high-volume set-top box manufacturer serving worldwide markets, ADB uses the MicroTuner to resolve many key system design issues, including a small, consistent tuner footprint, ease of use, minimal use of external components, and support for global standards," explained Stan Hemphill, Vice President of Design Engineering at ADB.