Home >> News: January 21st, 2014 >> Story
Satnews Daily
January 21st, 2014

MaxLinear + Pro Brand International—Put A SoC In It (SATCOM—LNB)


[SatNews] MaxLinear Inc. (NYSE: MXL) has announced satellite antenna and low-noise block downconverter (LNB) developer Pro Brand International Inc. (PBI) has selected the MxL865 Full-Spectrum Capture™ (FSC™) system on chip (SoC) for a new direct broadcast satellite digital outdoor unit (D-ODU).

PBI’s new D-ODU, targeting multi-satellite, channel-stacking LNB applications, complements its full line of satellite antennas and LNBs. The MxL865 is a digital channel-stacking SoC that supports up to 24 channels over a single cable for simplified connections between the indoor set-top boxes/gateways and rooftop LNBs and multi-dwelling unit switches. The device has five FSC inputs for a total capture bandwidth of 10 GHz and features a single L-band IF output. PBI selected the MxL865 due to its high level of integration and low power consumption, which makes the deployment of high-density channel-stacking D-ODUs commercially viable for the first time.  The 10mm x 10mm device integrates a host CPU microcontroller, FSK and DiSEqC modems, and power management controllers. All major analog functions are also integrated into the device, including broadband input and output filters, RF gain blocks, channel filters, PLLs and automatic gain control (AGC) circuitry.

The device was designed to exceed stringent RF performance and MOCA co-existence requirements from leading direct broadcast satellite operators. The superior RF performance of the device, well in excess of the nominal system requirements, helps customers to significantly reduce design complexity, thereby enabling robust D-ODU solutions to be deployed in the market more rapidly.

MaxLinear's infosite is located at: http://www.maxlinear.com/