Entropic Communications… Latching On To LNB (SatBroadcasting™)

[SatNews] Entropic Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:ENTR) has announced that its Channel Stacking Switch (CSS) technology has been selected by Microelectronics Technology Inc. (MTI) to power its low-noise block (LNB) offering, the AK541-XT2, currently being deployed by a major Italian satellite service provider. Entropic’s CSS technology creates a single cable network which reduces installation complexity, allows for remote upgrades, supports the distribution of HD quality content, and prepares operator systems for future expansion in their home networking strategies.

In traditional single-family home (SFH) digital broadcast satellite (DBS) installations, a unique cable needs to be run from the LNB to each tuner in the house. For example, a personal video recorder (PVR) set-top box (STB) which has two tuners, requires two cables to be run to the STB. To support two PVRs, four cables are required. The CSS single-cable technology from Entropic enables the DBS installation to use the existing cable structure of a single cable run with splitters to branch into the various rooms where the STBs are located. A PVR, or even two PVRs, using a CSS LNB only need one cable to feed them. Entropic’s single cable implementation reduces overall system and upgrade costs versus traditional DBS installations for the service provider. The single cable architecture simplifies installation, improves aesthetics, and delivers a more reliable system that improves the customer experience — which ultimately results in less churn, and allows for future home networking solutions to be seamlessly implemented.

With the new four-channel LNB, a DBS operator can support multiple STBs and tuners off a single cable, including 2x PVR STBs, 4x single tuner STBs, or any combination of four total tuners. This capability, supported by CSS technology, helps the operator to lower their subscriber acquisition cost (SAC) by lowering equipment and installation costs, and increase annual revenue per user (ARPU), by offering advanced commercial services, such as video on demand (VOD) and whole home networking. The LNB uses Entropic’s RF5219 CSS solution, which offers up to 40 percent lower power consumption over previous generations. The integrated circuit (IC) is designed to support up to six stacked channels on a single cable per STB. As many as 12 channels can be supported with the additional implementation of a power inserter. Other Entropic CSS IC solutions can provide up to 12 stacked channels.