Microtune's New Triple-Tuner Reference Design Supports Cable Industry Migration to Advanced, Multi-Functional Set-Top Boxes

Business Wire, March 29, 2005

PLANO, Texas -- Microtune(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:TUNE) today announces the availability of a Triple-Tuner Reference Design, providing core technology to fuel the cable industry's migration to even more advanced multi-functional set-top boxes. Built around three of Microtune's class-leading miniature silicon tuners, the Reference Design is engineered to be the smallest form-factor, lowest-power, and highest-performance RF front end for multi-tuner applications in the cable industry.

For worldwide manufacturers, the Reference Design minimizes the development time required to enter or expand into the digital cable market, currently transitioning in the U.S. from classic single-tuner set-tops to multi-tuner, multifunctional interactive platforms. Using Microtune's technology-leading design, manufacturers can more rapidly develop next-generation equipment (set-top boxes, entertainment servers or media gateways) that supports a compelling combination of cable services -- digital cable programming, HDTV, personal video recording, high-speed Internet access and on-demand services.

Reference Design Showcased at NCTA

The Reference Design, along with Microtune's other RF silicon and systems products, will be showcased in Microtune's booth (Number 5570) at The National Show of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, April 3-5, 2005, at the Moscone Center, in San Francisco.

In advanced set-top boxes, multiple tuners are required to access multiple video and data streams simultaneously. One tuner receives and tunes a signal for TV/HDTV or on-demand programs; the second enables personal video recording or picture-in-picture functionality; the third supports data transfer for high-speed Internet, conditional access security or VOIP digital phone service. In the set-top, the three tuners must operate simultaneously without interference; the design must prevent signals from one tuner from impacting the performance of the others over the entire frequency range.

"Developing high-performance multi-tuner architectures that work reliably in severe cable environments is a difficult engineering task," said Albert Taddiken, Microtune Chief Operating Officer. "Microtune understands the technical challenges. Multi-tuner systems employing our silicon tuners have already been successfully deployed in set-top boxes in both U.S. and non-U.S. cable systems. This Triple-Tuner Reference Design marks the first time that we have been able to offer our customers such a complete RF front-end solution for multi-tuner cable set-top boxes. It enables us to provide a technically superior, market-proven solution that enables our customers to quickly bring robust new products to market."

Triple-Tuner Reference Design

The Triple-Tuner Reference Design, integrated in a very small (5.0 x 3.75-inch), low-power printed circuit board, is a complete RF/intermediate frequency front-end system. It encompasses all required RF transceiver features and functions, from the single input connector to the multiple demodulator interfaces. The design is built around Microtune's most advanced MicroTuner(TM) silicon tuners -- two 1-GHz MT2121 tuners and one MicroTuner MT2060 low-power digital tuner. The design also features Microtune's MicroStreamer(TM) MT1550 upstream amplifier, which provides for two-way communications and an out-of-band converter for conventional conditional access.

The highly integrated tuners reduce the number of external components, minimizing the size, power, and reducing the cost of the Reference Design. Its high integration and low power allow the design to be very flexible when integrated into advanced set-top boxes.

The Reference Design is engineered to deliver industry-leading performance, meeting and frequently far exceeding cable industry standards such as DOCSIS(R) and OpenCable(TM). As an added advantage for cable operators, set-top boxes based on the design can be deployed in legacy cable systems, providing future-proof customer equipment that can support enhanced services or customer upgrades.

Microtune Reference Designs

The Triple-Tuner Reference Design is part of a family of Reference Designs targeted for the cable market, including solutions for cable modem, VOIP-enabled cable modem and DVB-C applications. As with its other designs, full support, including schematics, printed circuit board layout, bill of materials and core software, is provided.

Price and Availability

The Triple-Tuner Reference Design is available now. Interested parties should contact Microtune for more information.

About Microtune

Microtune, Inc. is a silicon and subsystems company that designs and markets radio frequency (RF)-based solutions for the worldwide broadband communications and transportation electronics markets. Inventors of the MicroTuner(TM) single-chip broadband tuner, Microtune offers a portfolio of advanced tuner, amplifier, upconverter and transceiver products that enable the delivery of information and entertainment across new classes of consumer electronics devices. The Company currently holds more than 40 U.S. patents for its technology. Founded in 1996, Microtune is headquartered in Plano, Texas, with key design and sales centers located around the world. The website is www.microtune.com.