Dual Channel Digital TV Demodulators for Consumer Electronics - CE 6250  and CE 6251 - Intel

Intel Corporation unveiled the CE 6250 Dual Channel COFDM Demodulator and CE 6251 Dual Channel Diversity-Enabled COFDM Demodulator, demodulator chips for the consumer electronic products. The two new dual channel Digital TV demodulator chips allow manufacturers to deliver integrated advanced digital home entertainment capabilities for next generation entertainment devices, such as integrated digital televisions (iDTV), TV-enabled personal computers (PC-TV) and personal video recorder set top boxes. The new dual channel digital TV demodulators deliver smaller package size, lower power consumption and meet  the requirements in next-generation DTV devices that receive Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial (DVB-T).

Intel Digital TV Demodulator Chips - CE 6250 and CE 6251

The new single chip dual channel demodulators offer consumer electronic manufacturers the benefits of higher system level integration in consumer electronic devices. By operating as two individual channels in a PVR (personal video recorder), the Intel CE 6250 Dual Channel COFDM Demodulator is specifically designed to give consumers the flexibility to watch one program while recording another, including a real-time broadcast picture-in-picture feature in iDTVs instead of a broadcast recording. For PC-TV cards, PCI Express and Mini-TV cards, it allows consumers to watch and record, download and edit television programs.

Intel’s CE 6250 and CE 6251 (same picture) Digital TV Demodulator Application Diagram

The CE 6251 Dual Channel Diversity-Enabled COFDM Demodulator's advanced diversity signal sensitivity improvements delivers the flexibility to detach a portable Digital TV with two portable aerials from its traditional TV aerial lead and reposition it at any location in the home, improving the customizability of the Digital TV experience without jeopardizing broadcast quality. The new dual channel demodulator also extends the signal reception range for a PC-TV application that requires small, portable aerials - truly digital TV anywhere.

The CE 6250 Dual Channel COFDM Demodulator and Intel CE 6251 Dual Channel Diversity-Enabled COFDM Demodulator offer low power consumption (<280 mW typically). The hardware sleep and power down mode reduces the chip's power consumption and allows consumer electronic manufacturers to meet international power-saving directives for consumer electronic devices in the European Union, and the strict handheld and PC-TV equipment power requirements for battery operated devices.

CE 6250 Dual DVB-T Demodulator

The Intel CE 6250 two channel (Dual) DVB-T demodulator maintains the high field performance standards set by Intel’s CE 6353 NorDig Unified 1.0.2* component. The Intel CE 6250 demodulator supports two key features required for the Set Top Box and integrated Digital Television market segments: Watch-and-Record for Personal Video Recorders (PVR’s) and True broadcast TV Picture in Picture (PIP). The Intel CE 6250 maintains Intel’s leadership in Power (260mW) and Package (10×10mm 80pin LQFP).

Each channel of the Intel CE 6250 DVB-T demodulator is fully independent of the other, including programmability, separate IF inputs and serial or parallel Transport Stream outputs. PID filtering is included in channel and the transport streams can be multiplexed into a single TS output for MPEG decoders that support this feature. Digital filtering is provided for adjacent channel rejection which enables single fixed-bandwidth IF channel filter to be used for 6, 7 and 8 MHz OFDM signal reception. An advanced hard-wired on-chip state machine controls all acquisition and tracking operations, minimizing software overhead and resulting in fast auto scan and signal re-acquisition, co-channel rejection, Doppler tracking and impulse noise protection. The Intel CE 6250 DVB-T demodulator also features excellent single-frequency network SFN performance and software/hardware power-down modes.

CE 6250 Dual DVB-T Demodulator key features:

• Performance-compliant standards
  • NorDig Unified 1.0.2
  • ETSI ETS300 744 DVB-T
• Very fast blind channel scan times
  • UHF 2K/8K only—9 digital with 5 analog channels present—less than 18 sec.
  • UHF 2K only—9 digital with 5 analog channels present—less than 10 sec.
• On-chip automatic functions
  • Co-channel and adjacent channel interference suppression
  • Lost signal re-acquisition with no external programming
  • Active impulse noise rejection
• Low power consumption
  • Less than 260 mW normal operation
  • Excellent single-frequency network SFN performance
  • Eco-friendly standby and sleep modes

CE 6251 Diversity DVB-T Demodulator

The Intel CE 6251 two channel (Dual) Diversity enabled DVB-T demodulator builds on the high performance standards set by Intel’s CE 6354. Each channel is compliant with worldwide DVB-T digital terrestrial television standards, including NorDig Unified* 1.0.2.

The Intel CE 6251 supports three key features required for the Set Top Box and integrated Digital Television market segments; Watch-and-Record for Personal Video Recorders (PVR’s), True broadcast TV Picture in Picture (PIP) and for portable TV receivers enhanced (diversity) signal reception. Diversity significantly improves the signal handling performance compared to single demodulator designs, facilitating portable "anywhere" TV reception. The Intel CE 6251 continues to maintain Intel’s leadership in Power (260mW) and Package (10×10mm 80pin LQFP).

CE 6251 Diversity DVB-T Demodulator Key features

• Performance-compliant standards
  • NorDig Unified 1.0.2
  • ETSI ETS300 744 DVB-T
• Diversity operational mode
  • Gaussian gain up to 3dB, Raleigh fading gain up to 6dB
  • Software selectable mode
• Very fast blind channel scan times
  • UHF 2K/8K only—9 digital with 5 analog channels present—less than 18 sec.
  • UHF 2K only—9 digital with 5 analog channels present—less than 10 sec.
• On-chip automatic functions
  • Co-channel and adjacent channel interference suppression
  • Lost signal re-acquisition with no external programming
  • Active impulse noise rejection
• Low power consumption
  • Less than 260 mW normal operation
  • Excellent single-frequency network SFN performance
  • Eco-friendly standby and sleep modes

Intel's new dual channel single chip demodulators are designed in 0.13 CMOS technology and available in compact 80-pin LQFP (10 x 10 mm). The new products is supported by a comprehensive evaluation system that includes a TNIM reference design, evaluation software and PC interface. Source code software device drivers are also available.

Further reading: Intel’s Digital TV Dual Channel Demodulators