Microtune, nCUBE team up VOD headend silicon, systems

Microtune and nCUBE have partnered to shrink the size of silicon needed to process video-on-demand in cable headends. The technology shrinks radio frequency [RF] electronics needed for upconversion into three miniature chips, the companies said.

Compared with alternatives, the new technology, called VideoCaster, reduces upconverter space by 90% and, power by 40% and costs by 80%, the companies said. It is the next step for Microtune, which pioneered integrated single-chip TV tuners.

“Our first target application is on-demand services, including video-on-demand,” said Douglas Bartek, Microtune’s chairman/CEO. “By combining the nCUBE video expertise with Microtune’s broadband RF integrated circuit and systems know-how, were uniquely positioned to tackle the challenges of the cable headend’s upconverter.”

While Microtune brought silicon expertise, nCUBE brought a big-picture focus and an understanding of on-demand services, including streaming media, said President Michael Pohl.

“Working with Microtune, we established key project criteria to alter the business cost model and to improve the ROI for video-on-demand and everything-on-demand services,” said Pohl. “We addressed the issues that are critical to the cable operators: scalability and cost efficiencies, manual intervention--people are an incredible expense when you start adding gear in a cable headend--and designed a solution that met the requirements of anybody who wants to stream video today.”

The VideoCaster chipset functions as the RF portal to the network in the cable headend. The chips take video signal inputs from multiple sources--for example, satellite feeds, off-air programming and video servers--boosts and conditions those signals, then places them in an operator-selectable channel for network transmission.