Mobile TV Phones Face Difficult Interference Problems
Microtune Attacks Interference Issues Facing Mobile TV Phones with Its Unique ClearTune Technology
The Company Invites 3GSM Attendees to Test the Superior Performance of Its Mobile TV Tuners at Its Exhibit in Barcelona, Spain, February 12-15, 2007
PLANO, Texas--January 31, 2007--Mobile TV suppliers face a difficult problem in bringing real-time digital TV, comparable to the perceived quality of home television sets, to mobile devices. Interference of the television signal from the environment can result in poor reception, disappointing viewers who expect quality TV pictures even on a small mobile display screen. Broadcast TV stations, cellular transmissions and automotive ignition systems can clutter the airwaves, causing blocky TV pictures, artifacts and lost signals. The primary cause of interference, however, is the power amplifier within the mobile device, located only millimeters away from the television tuner chip. The tuner is the one small, but critical, component that is responsible for receiving and cleaning-up the quality of the TV signal.
Microtune®, Inc. (Nasdaq:TUNE), the inventor of the silicon tuner chip and developer of top-performing, multi-standard tuners for HDTV, cable TV and automotive TV, has attacked the interference problem. Its line of Mobile MicroTuners(TM), which contains its patent-pending ClearTune(TM) technology, is engineered to suppress interference. It brings clear, sharp, stable pictures to consumers, even across overpopulated, hostile airwaves, and reduces the threat of interference from the power amplifier.
THE CLEARTUNE CHALLENGE - ARE YOU MISSING THE BEST BITS?
Attendees at this year's 3GSM World Congress will be able to test Microtune's claims of tuner superiority by taking the 'ClearTune Challenge'. Microtune will emulate a DVB-H transmission environment and attendees can try to disrupt the TV signal of a ClearTune-based mobile TV phone with their GSM mobile phones.
The challenge will be conducted in Microtune's 3GSM exhibit (Hall 2, A110) February 12-15, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain. Microtune's full suite of Mobile MicroTuner products, including its new hybrid DVB-T/DVB-H tuners, will be highlighted in the exhibit.
Mobile TV products and prototypes featuring Microtune's tuners are also expected to be showcased at the show by multiple manufacturers. Microtune recently announced that its Mobile MicroTuner technology will be incorporated into LG Electronics' second-generation mobile TV phones targeted for a European DVB-H-based mobile TV commercial rollout.
Its technology is also being integrated as the tuner component in system-in-package (SIP) prototypes and in multiple USB tuner sticks that are already available in the retail market.
Microtune gained its mobile TV tuner expertise through real-world experience in developing tuners for TV, set-top box and automotive products.
MOBILE MICROTUNER TECHNOLOGY
Microtune mobile TV technology is available in standard-packaged chip form or as wafer-level chip-scale packages for integration into system-in-packages. ClearTune technology provides distinct performance benefits at no extra cost. The Mobile MicroTuner family features high integration, and it does not require bulky and costly external components, such as a low noise amplifier and transformer. Additionally, by exceeding the Mobile and Portable DVB-T/H Radio Access Interface Specification (MBRAI), the rigorous series of performance tests that ensure conformance to the DVB-H standard, the tuners are engineered to deliver superior performance.
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 67 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.
Contact:
Microtune, Inc., Plano
Media
Kathleen Padula, 972-673-1811
kathleen.padula@microtune.com
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