Sony has begun shipping samples of its extensive lineup of silicon tuner modules, which incorporate Sony’s silicon turner IC that conform to worldwide broadcast systems. In light of the market’s transition from coil to silicon tuners, Sony will build up a global business by launching 40 small, high-performance silicon tuner modules, which incorporate its proprietary radio frequency circuit technology.
Sony has developed different types of silicon tuner modules including antenna switch models, loop-through function, demodulator models for digital broadcasts, and dual tuner models. These new modules can reduce the number of necessary components as well as implement common global design for both hardware and software. Sony’s silicon tuner modules are also eco-friendly with low power consumption (40% less than Sony’s conventional coil tuner) and also have a standby mode. In addition, they are immediately compatible with new broadcast systems such as DVB-T2.
Mass production of silicon tuner modules in 2008 and has cumulatively produced more than 10 million modules as of June 2010.
Key Features:
- Miniaturization – Reduced size of silicon tuner module by 40% compared to conventional coil tuner which contributes to smaller printed circuit board in final products.
- Superior Interference Tolerance – Silicon tuner module is designed to withstand ingress noise from peripheral circuits because it uses Sony’s proprietary radio frequency circuit and simulation technologies.
In addition, spontaneous-emission noise can be minimized, which simplifies product development. - Stable reception performance – Achieved stable reception in silicon tuner module by excluding air-core coil. Doing so minimizes the variations caused by reception channels and by the usage environment (ex. ambient temperature). Furthermore, minimized the performance variation of each product relative to conventional coil tuner.
- Standby mode – Silicon tuner module uses 50mW in standby mode and contributes to low power consumption for final products.
