Entropic, Silicon Labs Develop First MoCA(R)/Silicon Tuner Reference Design for TVs

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (International Consumer Electronics Show) — Entropic (Nasdaq:ENTR), a world leader in semiconductor solutions for the connected home and Silicon Labs (Nasdaq:SLAB), a leader in high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, today announced a joint reference design aimed at changing how consumers connect their TVs to the Internet through a robust single-cable connection for both TV and broadband entertainment. The new reference design will be shown at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, from January 7-10, 2014.

The reference design marries expertise in MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) home networking from Entropic and silicon tuners from Silicon Labs to bring broadband directly to the TV, via a single coaxial cable in the home. The design leverages Entropic’s EN258x solution, a MoCA 1.1-based chip offering 275 Mbps PHY and 175 Mbps MAC throughput that can be upgraded to Entropic’s EN285x MoCA 2.0 chip supporting up to 500Mbps as well as the Silicon Labs Si2177 Hybrid TV tuner with an analog TV demodulator. With the MoCA backbone, the new reference design enables a higher-quality connection, Quality of Service (QoS), and immunity to noise and interference from wireless networks and devices, which is necessary for advanced 4K/Ultra High Definition (UHD), over-the-top (OTT) and TV/Internet interactivity. In addition, by using Silicon Labs’ fifth-generation universal hybrid tuner, TV manufacturers can leverage the flexibility that MoCA enables across all TV segments — digital and analog alike.

“Having MoCA in the TV is the easiest way for consumers to get fast Internet access with the most reliable connection for streaming High Definition and Ultra High Definition entertainment,” said Al Servati, vice president, Marketing, Entropic. “Our reference design collaboration with Silicon Labs is a necessary step to integrate MoCA into consumer electronics devices, like TVs, where we can simplify the connection to the Internet and ensure a better end-user experience with zero wireless interference, less buffering, and higher quality video delivery.”

“Interactive over-the-top video streaming and 4K TV will continue to rise in popularity, and to ensure reliable access to entertainment, consumers must have a robust, high-quality in-home distribution system such as MoCA,” said James Stansberry, vice president and general manager of broadcast products at Silicon Labs. “In creating a joint reference design with Entropic, we are extending network reliability on the TV by coupling our silicon TV tuner technology with Entropic’s MoCA to enable high-bandwidth delivery of Internet content straight to the TV viewer.”

Key benefits of the new Entropic/Silicon Labs reference design include:

Enhanced Wired-Based TV Experiences: Although Wi-Fi is ubiquitous, its ubiquity can cause interference, bandwidth issues and limitations in Wi-Fi data rate distance. By using a wired coax-based TV-to-Internet connection via the Entropic/Silicon Labs solution, consumers get a better TV viewing experience without wireless service degradation or noise;
Greater TV Viewing Performance: MoCA delivers higher network speeds, going from 175 Mbps to 500 Mbps at the TV, which is needed for high-bandwidth OTT and 4K/UHD content;
Complements to New Standards: The emergence of new Remote User Interface (RUI) standards such as RVU and CVP-2 require a reliable network backbone, which would benefit from the Entropic/Silicon Labs solution;
Lower Implementation Costs: With MoCA integrated into the TV — lower implementation costs exist; and
Wireless Extension: The Entropic/Silicon Labs reference design sets the stage for making the TV the wireless extender for Wi-Fi as compared tomaking the TV the receiver of Wi-Fi, which would extend wireless coverage to more devices in the home

Availability

The Entropic/Silicon Labs reference design will be shown at the 2014 CES in the Entropic Meeting Suite, located at The Wynn Las Vegas — Alsace Ballroom.

About Silicon Labs

Silicon Labs is an industry leader in the innovation of high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. Developed by a world-class engineering team with unsurpassed expertise in mixed-signal design, Silicon Labs’ diverse portfolio of patented semiconductor solutions offers customers significant advantages in performance, size and power consumption. For more information about Silicon Labs, please visit www.silabs.com.

About Entropic

Entropic(TM) (Nasdaq:ENTR) is a world leader in semiconductor solutions for the connected home. The Company transforms how traditional HDTV broadcast and IP-based streaming video content is seamlessly, reliably, and securely delivered, processed, and distributed into and throughout the home. Entropic’s next-generation Set-top Box (STB) System-on-a-Chip (SoC) and Connectivity solutions enable Pay-TV operators to offer consumers more captivating whole-home entertainment experiences by transforming the way digital entertainment is delivered, connected and consumed — in the home and on the go. For more information, please visit Entropic at: www.entropic.com, read our blog Entropic Topics, or get social with us at @Entropic_News, or on Facebook, Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn.