Wideband Tuner for Cable Modems and Video Over IP - MT2170 - MicroTune

MicroTune introduced the MicroTuner MT2170, 1 GHz input wideband tuner based on the CableLabs DOCSIS 3.0 specification. The tuner chip is able to deliver 160 Mbps data stream with 100 MHz of bandwidth.  The MT2170 digital tuner is targeted to advanced cable modems or video over IP devices.

Microtune Products

The MT2170 tuner chip is optimized to receive and tune radio frequencies in the 50-MHz to 1-GHz range. It supports the DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding technology, a bandwidth expansion technique that combines four DOCSIS channels to significantly increase data rates. The MT2170 can accept bonded channels within bandwidths up to 100 MHz when paired with a DOCSIS 3.0-capable demodulator.

DOCSIS 3.0 is a series of industry specifications that enable cable operators to offer significantly higher data rates to their broadband customers. DOCSIS and CableLabs are trademarks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.

The MT2170 tuner is equivalent functionality with four previous DOCSIS digital tuners. The chip is delivered in a highly integrated miniature package, reducing PCB space requirement and the power consumption. The power consumption reduced by approximately 75% compared to previous multi-tuner solutions.

Application of the MT2170 digital tuner in cable modems or video-over-IP systems will permit cable operators to offer bandwidth-intensive digital services such as video file exchanges, high-definition video downloads,  time-shifted and place-shifted video, interactive gamming and IP voice.

James A. Fontaine, Microtune, said:

Our new wideband tuner is key to enabling true DOCSIS 3.0, and we have been actively involved in the definition of the DOCSIS 3.0 specification which ensures our compliance with this important standard… We are providing our customers cost-effective and highly advanced technology to help them accelerate adoption of DOCSIS 3.0 capabilities in their next-generation cable products…

…DOCSIS 3.0 represents a major technology shift in the cable industry, permitting cable operators to enable faster, scalable broadband Internet services, including movie downloads and other IP video.

The MT2170 wideband tuner  is engineered to function in a much more hostile signal environment than that experienced by conventional cable modem tuners. While a conventional cable modem tuner need only process a single stand-alone 6 MHz channel, the MT2170 is able to process wideband bonded channels in the presence of multiple interfering signals, while at the same time meeting stringent DOCSIS 3.0 sensitivity and adjacent channel interference requirements.

Microtune MT2170 Block Diagram

The MT2170 wideband digital tuner will be delivered in a small 7×7 mm QFN package. It will be sampling in 2nd Q of 2007. The price is less than $5.00 in volume qty.

Source: Wideband Tuner for Cable Modem