Sep 22, 2009 11:15 ET
CrestaTech’s New “HDTV Anywhere” Chip Now Ready for Sampling to PC OEMs
Innovative architecture turns laptop PCs into globetrotting TVs
SAN FRANCISCO & SANTA CLARA, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Sep 22, 2009
Get ready to get global with HDTV on a PC. Reference designs and samples
for CrestaTech’s new programmable broadband technology are now
available, enabling PC manufacturers to pop in one universal chip and
support all analog TV and digital TV standards worldwide.
Demonstrated publicly for the first time at this week’s Intel Developer
Forum 2009, the CrestaTV™ Universal Broadband Receiver technology
combines a programmable RF IC and software that will allow PCs to
receive live analog or digital TV broadcast, radio and GPS signals in
any city, any region and any country around the world. CrestaTV
unleashes unprecedented support for the widest variety of broadband
frequencies ever.
As a result, for the first time, PC manufacturers can ship the same TV
tuner module to Barcelona as they ship to Manhattan or St. Petersburg,
ultimately streamlining the design and deployment process and reducing
costs of the overall system.
And PC users can watch the TV they want wherever they travel, picking up
local broadcasts or sportscasts by using embedded GPS capabilities to
automatically create local channel guides in their area.
“No other chip overcomes the regional and technical limitations of
on-the-go TV for PCs like the CrestaTV solution,” said George Haber,
CrestaTech president and CEO. “By supporting any TV broadcast standard
anywhere, we’re helping turn laptop PCs into truly mobile media centers,
where consumers can experience the ubiquity of the Internet with
broadcast television at the same time.”
On display at booth 215, the CrestaTV Universal Broadband Receiver
supports formats including DVBT, ATSC, Cable QAM, NTSC and PAL, along
with FM radio and GPS capabilities.
CrestaTV is comprised of the CTC-200/201 programmable RF and Interface
IC and multi-threaded signal processing software. The fully integrated
solution eliminates all external filters. Supported frequencies include
45Mhz to 1GHz - and L1 band. OEMs can implement CrestaTV on PCI express
cards for desktops and PCI mini-express cards or USB TV modules for
laptops.
CrestaTech also offers a suite of companion software applications,
CrestaWare, which provide fast channel scanning, enhanced reception, TV
and radio tower geo-location and more. It also has an open platform for
the development of social media and user-generated content programs.
Samples and evaluation boards are available for designers to quickly
prototype and test global TV reception. Contact CrestaTech to arrange a
demonstration or with any product requests.
About CrestaTech
Founded in 2005, CrestaTech (www.crestatech.com)
is the first company to provide a software-defined silicon solution that
can be programmed to work with the widest range of broadband frequencies
and wireless standards used in laptops and portable devices. To address
the PCTV market, the company offers a universal solution for the
reception of analog and digital TV, radio, and GPS called CrestaTV. The
flexible nature of the CrestaTech Programmable Broadband technology will
target ever more portable and mobile devices and emerging communications
protocols. A venture-backed startup headquartered in Santa Clara,
Calif., CrestaTech is led by an experienced management team with
extensive backgrounds in programmable RF, algorithms and parallel
processing.
Stowe Consulting
Kim Stowe, 408-839-8750
kim@stoweconsulting.com