Micronas board reduces component count

It is the opinion of many that CRT-based products will represent a big share of the mainstream TV market over the next few years.

As preparation, Micronas GmbH introduced what it claims as the world's first integrated digital TVs (IDTV) reference design for the complete signal processing of digital and analog signals on one single board.

The PEPER Digital reference board allows the design of 100Hz CRT IDTVs. It combines the MDE 9502B, a hybrid single-chip decoder for DVB and analog TV, the digital IF demodulator DRX 3960A, the multistandard sound processor MSP 4458G and the digital display and deflection processor DDP 3315C on one single board.

"In markets where the broadcasting of digital programs dominates, for example the U.K., Italy and metropolitan areas in Germany, hybrid solutions offer decisive advantages," said Peter Rost, director marketing digital TV at Micronas. "The higher degree of integration allows consumers to receive digitally broadcasted programs with cost-effective TVs based on a single, convenient user interface for any mix of analog and digital channels."

The PEPER Digital reference design is part of the PEPER family, which includes versions for the reception of analog programs at 50Hz and 100Hz CRT display modes, as well as flat-panel TVs. According to the company, the PEPER approach allows TV manufacturers to reduce the component count, save board space and logistic costs.

The hybrid single-chip decoder for DVB and analog TV, the MDE 9502B, builds the heart of the PEPER digital design. It combines the entire network-independent digital signal processing tasks of digital receivers, while supporting analog video decoding and processing, and ensuring that TV sets remain backwards compatible to the existing analog TV infrastructure. The on-screen display system supports DVB recommendations, the requirements of embedded and downloaded interactive TV applications.

Rost further added, "Together with our software-compatible MicModule solution for modular IDTVs, we cover DVB-based TV markets in early and mature stages of the transition from analog to digital broadcast."