Planegg, Germany: A high-density wideband QAM modulator chipset developed by Maxim aims to reduce cable service providers’ capital expenditure (capex) and operational expenditure (opex). The solution comprises a single RF port that’s enabled by the MAX5880/MAX5882 chipset. It will replace multiple QAM modulator boxes needed to deliver broadcast TV, high-speed data, and VoIP triple-play services, as well as video-on-demand, switched digital video, and future interactive IPTV in the home.
The chipset comprises the MAX5880 digital upconverter (DUC) and MAX5882 14-bit 4.6Gsample/s RF digital-to-analogue converter (DAC). The combination, according to Maxim, delivers up to 32 times more broadband cable capacity per RF port compared to a conventional analogue upconverter, and saves up to 93% in power dissipation per QAM channel.
The chipset synthesises up to 128 QAM channels across the 50MHz to 1GHz downstream cable spectrum. Cable service providers can deliver all their broadband content on a single RF port for an entire cable service group.
Performance exceeds Cable Labs DOCSIS 3.0 RF specifications. The chipset comes in two 17mm-by-17mm packages.
www.maxim-ic.com