Date: 20/12/2011

CSS IC chip for use in single cable satellite installations

Entropic Communications, Inc. has announced its third generation Channel Stacking Switch (CSS) IC chip, the EN5288 for use in single cable satellite installations. Entropic says the new IC is cost optimized for four tuner applications. The EN5288 has been specifically designed to address single family home (SFH) requirements of the global direct broadcast satellite (DBS) market. This device is designed to use less external components and takes less PCB space.

Entropic says unlike traditional satellite installations, which require a unique cable for each tuner from the satellite dish to the set-top box (STB), its CSS technology enables delivery of multiple video streams from individual or multiple satellites into the home over a single cable. CSS technology simplifies plug and play for STB upgrades and allows all levels of installers, from professional to consumers, to reuse existing cabling to quickly setup an in-home DBS system, adds Entropic.

The new CSS IC, embedded in a low noise block (LNB), was developed to address the growing multi-tuner, multi-viewing location home. As the adoption of high definition (HD) and Digital Video Recording (DVR) devices increases in the home so does the number of tuners. The EN5288 is cost optimized to support four tuners in the home, but also offer scalability to support up to twelve tuners down a single coaxial cable, as per Entropic.

Entropic says it has already experienced positive traction in the market for its EN5288, with customers including Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC), an industry leader in the design and manufacturing of advanced wireless communication products.

"Wistron NeWeb Corporation's next generation LNB products incorporating Entropic's latest CSS solutions will support the growing DVR and multi-room DBS operator market," said Jeffrey Gau, president and COO, WNC. "The low power consumption of these new CSS ICs, cost optimization and scalability enable us to continue to service Tier 1 DBS service providers around the world."

"Entropic's CSS solution is currently being deployed to tens of millions of SFH and multi-dwelling units (MDUs) around the world by top tier satellite operators. Our technology reduces cabling complexity, lowers installation and upgrade costs, and improves installation aesthetics throughout the home," said Vinay Gokhale, senior vice president, Marketing and Business Development at Entropic Communications. "The cost effective, energy efficient, ROHS compliant design of the EN5288 reflects Entropic's commitment to single cable technology, worldwide green initiatives and the global satellite market."

The cost-optimized, 7x7 mm2 QFN packaged EN5288 is now being sampled and will be incorporated into next generation consumer premise equipment (CPE) including LNBs and multi-switches by WNC and other original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners expected to launch in 2012. EN5288 incorporates two inputs and two stacked outputs plus a dedicated legacy output per IC. IC's can be configured in parallel to provide up to twelve stacked outputs, supporting up to six DVRs in a home network. In addition to providing a single cable network to deliver DBS video signals, this network also supports home networking and access solutions such as those offered by Entropic's home networking and Broadband Access platforms, both based on the MoCA standard.

The EN5288 is ideally suited for operators and free-to-air (FTA) installers, as well as retailers in the direct-to-home (DTH) outdoor unit (ODU) market. All generations of CSS solutions allow LNB converters and multi-switches to multiplex multiple channels from DBS satellites onto a single coaxial cable enabling connection to DVRs and multiple STBs as well as providing a single cable backbone for Home Networking solutions.