Date: 19/03/2012

ESD protected zero-power loop-through silicon tuners from NXP for cable STB

NXP Semiconductors has released two new silicon tuners TDA18250A and TDA18260A for cable set-top-boxes (STBs) covering worldwide digital cable standards. The TDA18250A and TDA18260A offer zero-power loop-through, enabling STB manufacturers to comply with the latest EU Ecodesign Directive requirements, which set standby power consumption levels at less than half a watt for simple STBs starting in 2013. These cable silicon tuners fully integrate 8-kV of ESD protection inside the chip.

"The TDA18250 is widely known as the 'silicon tuner of choice' for the growing cable STB market in China, due to its performance, cost-effectiveness, high level of integration, and proven manufacturing quality. Today, we're introducing NXP's next-generation TDA18250A and TDA18260A silicon tuners, which are the industry's first to enable zero-power loop-through and integrated ESD protection of 8 kV," said Luca Lo Coco, director, cable product line, NXP Semiconductors. "Delivering compelling performance advantages while consuming less power - and in a smaller PCB space - the TDA18250A and TDA18260A have been designed from the ground up to be the optimal choice for new cable STB development worldwide."

By integrating zero-power loop-through into the silicon tuner itself, NXP is introducing a significant innovation without requiring additional discrete components or introducing additional sensitivity and complexity into cable STB design and manufacturing.

Samples can be ordered from NXP starting in April 2012.