Micronas will demonstrate a PCI Express reference design for dual-channel ATSC digital and analog TV reception at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. The MicViper design has independent signal paths for the two tuners, allowing PC users to view or record any combination of analog or digital broadcasts. For example, a user could record one channel while watching another or record two channels at the same time. Micronas said its nGene dual-channel multimedia controller is used to interface with the PCI Express bus and give the system the bandwidth required to stream multiple and full-quality video channels. MicViper uses two Xceive XC3028 silicon tuners.
The Micronas press release said MicViper uses Micronas' DRX 3942H "ghost friendly" ATSC receiver chip. The DRX3942 includes a serial point-of-deployment interface for a digital CableCARD and a CEA909-compliant smart antenna interface. It complies with the ATSC A/74 recommended practices for ATSC receiver performance.
MicViper is a complete, production-ready solution. The MicViper reference design comes with Microsoft AVStream class drivers and is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center and applications from Cyberlink and Intervideo.
