ST Turbo-charges satellite TV broadcasting capacity - Brief Article

Electronics Times, May 15, 2000

Satellite operators will be able to deliver 50% more TV channels through existing transponders following a development in coding technology by STMicroelectronics (ST).

ST expects to be first to offer a tuner and demodulator chipset for set- top boxes that can support the Turbo coding scheme. US satellite TV broadcasters already plan to use this to improve channel density.

ST has licensed key patents from France Telecom to allow it to build Turbo code processing into its ICs.

Turbo codes are a relatively new class of encoding scheme offering improved channel gain up to 3dB. This allows service providers to increase the number of TV channels delivered over a transponder, or offer data transmissions alongside. The change will eventually mean replacing the installed base of set-top boxes in the US because the codes and 8-PSK modulation scheme that is likely to be adopted is not backwards-compatible with current schemes.

The two-chip set that ST has developed in CMOS can switch from the current QPSK-based codes to Turbo code transmissions. The front-end demodulator chip uses a zero IF architecture and includes the standard demodulation circuitry. The Turbo code chip is an add-on. As Turbo code systems are more widely adopted, ST plans to integrate the technology in one device.

Philippe Geyres, corporate vice-president of the consumer broadband group, said: "Both chips are based on standard 0.18 micro m CMOS technology so that should not be a problem. With the current design, we can offer an immediate cost reduction to set-top box builders."

ST believes the France Telecom patents are fundamental to the use of Turbo codes and will eventually have to be licensed by other technology suppliers.

Armando Caltabiano, of ST's consumer broadband division, said: "We didn't push for exclusivity on the patent licence because we want the France Telecom Turbo code technology to be the standard. But if another system is chosen, we have the know-how to be able to be able to work with that."