Micronas Launches Dual-Tuner DVB-S2 PCI Express Reference Design for Media PCs and Home Theaters

August 8, 2006 – Micronas, a supplier of application-specific IC system solutions for consumer electronics, has announced the launch of MicSidewinder® 2D-X, a dual-tuner DVB-S2 PCI Express® card reference design for home theater solutions.

Each channel of the MicSidewinder 2D-X supports the new DVB-S2 standard enabling full HDTV quality, as well as the legacy DVB-S standard for SDTV. Equipped with two symmetric receiver channels the design enables PiP and PVR applications.

Micronas worked closely with STMicroelectronics, a supplier of ICs for set-top boxes, along with CyberLink in order to create a production quality reference design that is fully ready for the living room. MicSidewinder 2D-X is compatible with Windows XP Media Center and CyberLink’s PowerCinema Home Theater application in order to make the PC a PVR capable satellite receiver system.

MicSidewinder 2D-X is based on the Micronas nGene® APB 7202A PCI Express controller, combined with the STB0899/STB6100 DVB-S2 chipset from STMicroelectronics. The STB6100 silicon tuner, which also receives conventional DVB-S signals, is optimized to handle DVB-S2 higher-order modulations with minimum phase noise. The STB0899 converts DVB-S2 signals into the digital video transport stream data. The MicSidewinder 2D-X reference design supports Free TV services and relies on USB-attached conditional access solutions or Soft-CAM solutions for Pay TV reception.

MPEG-2 HD content is supported by a variety of software decoder solutions, such as the one built into CyberLink’s PowerCinema. In order to receive the new H.264-encoded HD channels, the card is either based on a 3.6 GHz dual-core system with top-end external graphics adapter for software decoding or the card can be combined with the recently presented MicRacer reference design. Micronas’ MicRacer is a PCI Express connected H.264 hardware decoder solution enabling smooth decoding on lowest-end PC systems with embedded graphic subsystem.

 “MicSidewinder 2D-X complements our series of reference designs for PCIe tuner cards based on Micronas nGene® APB 7202A PCI Express controller, a technology that ensures users will always enjoy the best TV entertainment available on their PCs," says Kai Scheffer, Media Home at Micronas. “DVB-S2 means HDTV quality is not only possible, but affordable in PC-TV systems, and the results are impressive.”

“ST’s STB899/STB6100 solution combines high performance due to an optimized architecture, and cost-effective implementation thanks to a simplified layout,” said Mustapha Bouraoui, Technical Marketing Manager for Front-End Solutions in Consumer and Computer Business Unit, STMicroelectronics. “By incorporating the DVB-S standard, the STB0899 enables a seamless migration to DVB-S2 broadcast services and opens the door to High-Definition Digital TV.”