With the XC5000, a hybrid terrestrial and cable TV receiver, Xceive continues to harness the benefits of device integration to further enhance performance of silicon tuners over can tuners. Based on the same overall advanced system architecture from the previous-generation XC3028 silicon tuner, the XC5000 improves on its performance while reducing power consumption by 20% to 25%.

The device is a universal TV tuner, enabling it to receive any digital or analog video broadcast signal with the proper device settings. According to Alvin Wong, vice president of Marketing for Xceive, this hybrid capability will remain viable after 2009, when terrestrial television broadcasting is scheduled for digital conversion in the United States because analog cable television will remain in service after that date. The tuner supports both 256 QAM high-definition cable signaling and high definition digital terrestrial broadcasts along with all analog standards.

Fabricated by Jazz Semiconductor on a SiGe process, the tuner requires only a single quartz crystal (see figure). The analog demodulator is built into the device, and external SAW filters are replaced with integrated virtual SAW filters that are user-programmable. These and other analog blocks are optimized manually in firmware. The tuner also features an integrated DSP, which minimizes tuner-to-tuner performance variations and achieves tight tolerance specifications and yield.

The XC5000 is a highly integrated TV tuner, requiring only a single external crystal. (click here for large version)

In addition to added controllability of various circuit and signal-processing functions, the device can also report RF parameters during operation, such as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signal, over an I²C bus. For analog televisions, the XC5000 meets an unweighted SNR of 54 dB and a dynamic range of 95 dB.

The tuner and its internal features are designed specifically for large-screen hybrid televisions, having a noise figure less than 6 dB and a phase noise as low as –97 dBc at 10 kHz. For a can tuner, these figures are typically less than 8 dB and –85 dBc at 10 kHz, respectively.

The XC5000 is also compatible with mobile broadcasting standards such as one segment ISDB-T and DVB-H. However, other lower power, lower performance, CMOS-based solutions are typically selected for mobile applications, whereas the optimum tradeoff for stationary applications strongly favor the use of high-performance SiGe processes, according to Wong. For instance, the requirements for dynamic range, adjacent channel isolation and SNR are much more stringent for non-mobile applications

The XC5000 is housed in a 7 mm x 7 mm, 48-pin QFN package. Samples of the tuner are now available. Production quantities will begin shipping in the second quarter, and pricing will be below $6 in volume quantities.