Car TV tuner chip benefits all portables

A NEW integrated TV tuner chip launched today by Microtune – the MT2067 – enables a car's occupants to watch TV programmes at 160 mph on a German Autobahn.

The chip has been specifically engineered for the automotive market to be able to receive signals at high speed as well as when the signal is weak due to remoteness from the mast.

While the MT2067 supports virtually all the TV standards you can think of – including analogue, it will only be the latest digital TV channels that will work at very high speeds.

The list of standards includes DVB-T, DVB-H and DTMB (for China), so the technology can easily be applied to portable devices such as mobile phones, according to a spokesman with Microtune.

The MT2067 is also designed to work in multiple tuner environments. This not only includes devices such as DAB radio tuners but mobile phone sub-systems, too.

That should mean a variant of the MT2067 should fit nicely inside a mobile handset just like Microtune's existing products do.

Another useful facility is support for background scanning. In other words, audio or visual information which might be broadcast for traffic information purposes. That's great for the latest generation of GPS enabled handsets, too.

Meeting stringent automotive standards has meant that the MT2067 is a robust little blighter – able to survive great temperature variations. Its maker claims that not only is it compact (naturally), it is also low cost.

The price per 1,000 is presently $7.50 and the chips are available immediately. Target markets for the MT2067 are mid-range to entry level cars like the VW Golf, right up to Maseratis and Ferraris.

To help provide the best reception, Microtune recently launched a range of small antennae amplifier chips including the MT 1119.

It seems that some car owners are prepared to go to great lengths just to ensure their offspring keep quiet while travelling in the back seats. µ