No demodulator chip required, software-defined mobile TV will take off on computer
No demodulator chip required, software-defined mobile TV will take off on computer
With configurable multi-standard tuner chips, the UK-based startup Mirics Semiconductor announced that they are the only company that uses software to demodulate TVs and radios.
However, software-based demodulation is not the company ’s original plan. Mirics CEO Simon Atkinson said in an interview with EE TImes a few days ago, "We hope we can profit from it, but we encountered confusion when developing our own demodulator. . "
Mirics has released an initial version of the software demodulation solution so far, supporting a series of digital radio and TV standards, including AM, FM, DAB, T-DMB in Korea, DVB-T in Europe and ISDB-T in Japan. PAL / NTSC, CMMB, DTMB and ATSC are being developed.
However, this hybrid approach-a silicon tuner plus a software demodulator-is counterintuitive, and most mobile TV chip companies have responded to industry needs with a single-chip solution that integrates a TV tuner and demodulator .
It is unclear whether Mimics' hybrid solution is too late for the market, or whether it provides a breakthrough solution to detonate the still cold mobile TV market.
Aim at the CPU
Mirics' initial software / hardware mobile TV solution was implemented on the X86 computer platform.
Atkinson revealed that Mirics is also developing hybrid solutions based on mobile phones, mobile Internet devices (MID) and other portable consumer devices. Although he did not disclose when the work will be completed, he hinted that the project is aimed at the ARM platform and the unknown GPU accelerator.
By using the existing CPU and memory resources, Mirics hopes to remove the silicon tuner in the mobile TV system to reduce the size and cost of mobile TV. Perhaps more importantly, Mirics believes that there is no need to spend a lot of money to develop complex RF SoC R & D funding.
Atkinson promised that the hybrid solution based on the PC platform can reduce the implementation cost of digital TV, from the traditional $ 15 to less than $ 5.
Mobile TV running on computer motherboard
Atkinson said that the TV function will eventually be embedded in the computer motherboard instead of using the traditional external USB dongle or Mini Card.
In September, Mirics won the first design-in for their FlexiTV receiver solution, and the customer was AzureWave Technologies, a wireless module expert in Taiwan.
AzureWave, based in Taipei, is working with several ODMs to use the module-in the form of mini-cards-to deliver a batch of netbooks and desktop computers by next year.
In Mirics' strategy, it is no problem to use the PC's CPU to implement the demodulation operation.
"It's not just the improvement of the clock speed," Atkinson said. "The expansion of the new generation CPU in DSP-like capabilities, the SIMD instruction setting and the enhancement of multimedia signal processing features make it possible to use software to demodulate all television standards.
Chinese market
At the same time, Mirics' RF tuner chip-in conjunction with a third-party demodulator chip-is also a guarantee for the company's survival.
Mirics released a cooperation with China Spreadtrum Communications Corporation on December 3 to provide a mobile TV solution for portable personal computers based on the China Mobile TV standard CMMB.
Mirics provides an RF tuner chip codenamed FlexiRF, and Spreadtrum provides a demodulation / decoding chip. The two companies will provide CMMB broadcast TV reception capabilities for notebooks and micro-notebooks.
Taking a foothold in the Chinese market is a big step forward for Mirics.
At the same time, Mirics is also developing CMMB demodulation software running on the personal computer CPU.
Whether through dongle or mimi-card, the analog / digital mobile TV market capacity in notebook computers has not yet taken off.
As for the reason, Atkinson said: "The TV on the PC must work at any time and must be free." By putting the demodulation function on the CPU, Mirics hopes that his hybrid solution can provide fuel for the burning of the future PCTV market. .
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