UK module opens up world of TV

A UK company has unveiled a module for PCs and notebooks that can handle analogue and digital radio and TV signals of any frequency and modulation used by broadcasters anywhere in the world.

It will allow notebook users to receive local broadcasts wherever they are but the major advantage is one of cost: the global reach gives manufacturers economy of scale and the module can be made with components costing $3.

Intel-backed Mirics Semiconductor claims to be the only company to offer a silicon tuner chip to cover broadcasts ranging from 1KHz long-wave to 1.9GHz. Its MSi1001 "poly tuner ", which is appreciably smaller than a postage stamp, was announced two years ago.

This has now been combined in a single module with a peripheral chip called the MSi2500 to produce what Mirics calls a smart tuner, capable of fitting into a USB dongle or internal mini-card. The chips are to be merged into a 5mm-square package.

Part of the reason for the size and low cost is that much of the processing work is offloaded to the PC processor, including demodulation and other tasks performed on-board by conventional modules.

Some processing is done on the FlexiTV module, however, including analogue-to-digital conversion and the USB2 interface. The advantage is that all the different broadcasting formats, including new ones, can be handled in software.

Mirics chief executive Simon Atkinson said the FlexiTV product is initially targeted at PCs and notebooks because they have the processing and battery power to cope. "The PC is turning into an entertainment platform," he said.

Atkinson said Intel has put money into the company as a "strategic investment " and would not prevent Mirics from exploiting other platforms.

He agreed that one reason Intel might be interested is that the processing can take advantage of multi-core processors. There has been something of a backlash against these from critics who argue that general-purpose applications cannot take full advantage of their power.

However, multi-tasking machines can run different applications in different cores; so the FlexiTV software run in one core while other software runs in others.

The FlexiTV modules, which will be introduced at the giant Computex show next week, will be available to manufacturers early next year and should appear in products by late 2009.