One-Chip Digital Satellite TV Receiver Saves Space and Power

Designed for the fast growing Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) digital TV receiver market, the SGS-THOMSON STV0196 Digital Satellite Receiver Front End is the first multi-standard solution to reach the market. Moreover it is packaged in a compact 14x14mm PQFP package and consumes little power (600mW typical).

Inside the chip are all the functions needed to demodulate incoming digital satellite TV signals from the tuner: Nyquist filters, Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) demodulator, signal power estimator, automatic gain control, Viterbi decoder, de-interleaver, Reed-Solomon decoder and energy dispersal descrambler. This high level of integration greatly reduces the package count and cost of a set top box. The demodulator blocks are suitable for a wide range of bit rates while the error correction capability is very close to the theoretical limits, allowing Quasi Error Free (QEF) reception.

The STV0196 has multi-standard capability. It is fully compliant with most of the DBS digital standards in use today in the USA, Europe, Asia and Japan.

Produced using SGS-THOMSON's own 0.5 micron 3.3V CMOS technology, the circuit is optimized to reduce power consumption, and also to achieve a die size and pin count compatible with the 14x14mm Plastic Quad Flat Pack (PQFP) 64 package.

Thanks to a broad product range and technology portfolio, SGS-THOMSON is able to supply a complete kit of set top box ICs to accompany the STV0196. These include the STV0190 Double 6-bit Analog to Digital Converter, the STI3520A MPEG Video/Audio Decoder, the STV0116/7 Digital Encoder and the ST20 Demultiplexer & System Controller. This kit works well with standard off-the-shelf tuners already available on the market.

Samples of the STV0196 are available and volume production begins in April 1996.

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