MaxLinear and Sigma Designs Deliver IPTV Set Top Box Reference Design

IPTV-8652 Reference Design Combines MaxLinear's MxL101SF DVB-T Tuner + Demodulator SoC, and Sigma Designs' SMP8652 Media Processor

CARLSBAD, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 09/10/09 -- MaxLinear Inc., a fabless semiconductor company at the forefront of developing all-CMOS broadband radio-frequency (RF) & mixed-signal IC solutions for consumer markets, today announced MaxLinear and Sigma Designs have jointly developed a highly integrated hybrid DVB-T IPTV set-top-box (STB) reference design.

The reference design announcement will be made at the IBC2009 conference in Amsterdam (Sept. 11-15). The STB reference design is on display in MaxLinear's suite and at Sigma Designs' stand (#1.D72).

The reference design offers STB manufacturers a rapid development platform for either Windows CE or Linux operating environments. In addition to providing excellent RF and DVB-T performance, the feature-rich design supports an HDMI output, a USB 2.0 OTG port, an Ethernet port and a MicroSD card slot. Additional options such as DLNA Z-Wave RF remote control and streaming of online movies, TV shows and videos may also be easily incorporated.

"We believe IPTV subscriptions will continue to grow over the next several years. Adding DVB-T reception for local content reduces the load on the IP networks and provides consumers with a wide variety of content, ensuring a great viewing experience. This reference design provides the features and high performance needed to let our customers drive this innovation," said Kishore Seendripu, MaxLinear CEO. "Sigma Designs' leadership in the media processing market makes the company an excellent complement to MaxLinear and we look forward to working with them closely."

"Sigma has commanded a leadership position in IPTV design wins for the past eight years as a result of steady innovation and quality with our media processor products. Combining our expertise with MaxLinear's track record in RF front-end technology should create the type of relationship that will result in highly valued set-top box solutions. The new IPTV-8652 reference design is the first step toward this realizing this goal," said Ken Lowe, Vice President of Marketing for Sigma Designs.

The MxL101SF combines IP from the MxL5007T/MxL201RF, MaxLinear's current high-performance silicon tuners, with its "home grown" NORDIG/DTG compliant DVB-T demodulator. The MxL101SF delivers exceptional performance, low power consumption, small footprint and low total solution cost. All RF input signal filtering, channel selection filtering, demodulation and error correction functionality have been completely integrated, reducing the external bill of materials to a small number of standard value discrete components. The MxL101SF is based on a single monolithic IC. It draws only ~450 mW and is packaged in a 7mm x 7mm 48-pin QFN package.

The SMP8652 is a multi-core media processor designed for IPTV STBs and other thin client applications. It enables crisp user interaction and a range of application-based features, which enhance future proofing of the platform. The SMP8652 media processor integrates multimedia processing, content security system, multiple on-chip CPUs, and a full complement of system peripherals. MaxLinear believes the combination of on-chip processors and memory controllers should provide the needed headroom for the next generation of client middleware and software stacks.

About Sigma Designs, Inc.

Sigma Designs is a leading fabless provider of highly integrated SoC solutions that are used to deliver multimedia entertainment throughout the home. Sigma's SoC solutions include media processors and wireless communication devices which combine semiconductors and software as critical components of high-growth consumer applications including IPTV-based set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, HDTVs, entertainment connectivity devices, and RF-based home control devices. Headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., Sigma Designs also has design centers or sales representatives in Canada, China, Denmark, France, Japan, Korea (third party), Singapore, and Taiwan. For more information, please visit Sigma Designs' web site at www.sigmadesigns.com.

About MaxLinear, Inc.

MaxLinear, Inc. is a fabless IC company focusing on highly integrated analog products that incorporate proprietary mixed-signal and radio frequency signal processing techniques in digital CMOS. The company's technology is suited for a broad range of high-volume consumer electronics applications with strict requirements for both power and performance, including personal computers, laptop computers, set-top-boxes, televisions, and mobile devices. The company is located in Carlsbad, California. More information is at www.maxlinear.com.

MaxLinear and the MaxLinear logo are trademarks of MaxLinear, Inc. Other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.

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