Microtune Silicon Tuner Technology Integrated into Thumb-Size USB Tuners for PCs


Targeting the DVB-T marketplace, multiple manufacturers deploy Microtune's tuner chip in their USB 2.0 PC-TV adaptors to bring high-quality digital TV to PCs

Plano, Texas, January 12, 2006 - Microtune®, Inc. (NASDAQ:TUNE) today announced that its high-performance, low-power MicroTuner(TM) MT2060 silicon TV tuner has been deployed by multiple manufacturers in their innovative new USB adaptors for PCs. Similar in size to a flash memory stick, a USB adaptor is an external plug-in TV tuner integrated into a thumb-size, lightweight package. Based on Microtune's miniature tuner chip, the USB tuners bring high-quality digital TV to PCs in a small, easy-to-carry and -use form factor.

Microtune's MicroTuner MT2060 tuner is implemented in the varied USB tuner designs of Taiwanese original equipment or original design manufacturers, including: Genius (KYE Systems Corp.), Grandtec Electronic Corp., Leadtek Technology, Co., Ltd., LiteOn Technology Corp., Prime Electronics and Satellitics, Inc. (PESI), Ultima Electronics Corp., Uniwill Computer Int'l Corp., WideView Technology, Inc., and Yuan Technology Co., Ltd. Their products are based on the digital video broadcast-terrestrial (DVB-T) protocol, the digital television standard for Europe and much of the rest of the world.

"The reception of digital TV services on PCs is becoming increasingly more important to the portable PC market. Both the business and consumer markets throughout Europe and Asia Pacific are keen to enjoy the benefits of free-to-air digital TV services not only in their homes but on the move," explained Paul O'Donovan, Principal Research Analyst, Semiconductor Group, Gartner Dataquest. "Of all the portable devices available to these markets, the PC makes the most sense to receive digital TV transmissions because of the screen size and storage capacity of the average laptop PC. The use of a small footprint USB device means DVB-T reception is available on the move and at home with greater ease of use for the user."

"We believe that our MT2060 silicon TV tuners are a perfect match for small USB form factors," said Albert Taddiken, Microtune's Chief Operating Officer. "First, our tuner technology is market-proven in the PC-TV products of major computer and multimedia card manufacturers. Second, and of critical importance for this PC-TV application, the MT2060 tuner offers support for the DVB-T standard, including the rigorous NorDig performance specification, while only consuming a mere Watt of power."

USB PC-TV, as one of a new class of emerging mobile TV applications, places stringent technical requirements on the tuner. It demands small-size to achieve the USB 'stick' form factor, and it needs low-power consumption since power is provided by the USB port and is limited. It also demands high-performance to operate successfully in the noisy PC environment, delivering superior reception quality wherever and whenever the PC is used.

Mr. Taddiken added, "As our customers drive innovation in PC-TV and other portable entertainment products, they deploy our technology to give them performance, cost and reliability advantages. The USB tuner application builds on our product strengths and continues to drive our momentum in the digital TV market."

Microtune's MicroTuner MT2060 Silicon Tuner
The MicroTuner MT2060 is a dual-conversion, single-chip tuner with integrated intermediate frequency filter, low-noise amplifier and input controls. It is packaged into a miniature ¼-inch square chip that operates with a 3.3-volt supply. The tuner consumes one Watt of power, the lowest power for a high-performance TV tuner integrated circuit in the industry. The tuner is designed for incorporation into high-performance, low-power consumer devices-­multi-tuner digital set-top boxes, DVB-T and DVB-C set-top boxes, PC-TVs and cable modems.

About Microtune
Microtune, Inc. is a silicon and subsystems company that designs and markets radio frequency (RF) solutions for the worldwide broadband communications and transportation electronics markets. Inventor of the MicroTuner(TM) single-chip broadband tuner, Microtune offers a portfolio of advanced tuner, amplifier, and upconverter products that enable the delivery of information and entertainment across new classes of consumer electronics devices. The Company currently holds 58 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 .

Design-Win Announcements
It is not unusual for Microtune to announce design wins, as referenced in this release, and the announcement of these design wins, or any other design win, should not be viewed as an indicator of Microtune revenues for any current or future reporting period.

Microtune is a registered trademark and MicroTuner is a trademark of Microtune, Inc. All other company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.

Microtune contacts
US Media
Kathleen Padula
Microtune, Inc.
972-673-1811
kathleen.padula@microtune.com

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