LSI Logic Corp, Milpitas, California claims to have developed the world’s first single chip satellite receiver. Targeted at the Direct Broadcast by Satellite market, in which digital transmissions are made directly from the satellite to the home, the L64704 is fully compliant with the Digital Video Broadcast consortium specifications, the company claims. Although the chip is initially to be steered in the direction of the television set-top box market, it marks a major step towards the day when it will be possible to beam television signals and supplementary data directly to the home personal computer. The chip is claimed to receive up to 90M-bits per second of incoming digital television signals, correcting errors on the fly. Volume production is to begin late this year. Prices were not available.
