Markets Overview
Recent technological advances in the display and broadcast TV markets are driving dramatic changes in the way consumers access and experience multimedia content. These advances include the ongoing worldwide conversion from analog to digital television broadcasting; the increasing availability of high-speed broadband and wireless connectivity; rapid improvements in display technology; the transition from standard to high definition television; and, the proliferation of multimedia content accessible through terrestrial broadcast digital television, cable, satellite and telecommunications carrier services.
As a result, system designers are adding enhanced television functionality to set top boxes and digital televisions. Television also is being incorporated in stationary and mobile electronic devices that previously did not include this functionality, such as mobile handsets, PCs and netbooks. Each electronic device equipped with broadcast digital TV or video functionality must incorporate one or more RF receivers that reliably capture and process broadcast signals.
As a result of these trends, RF receiver technology is being deployed in a variety of devices for the cable, consumer, mobile and automotive markets. The proliferation of applications with advanced features has led to an increase in the number of devices with multiple RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. RF receivers incorporate RF, digital and analog signal processing functions.
MaxLinear sells our products to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, who design our chipsets into their products, and to module makers and original design manufacturers, or ODMs, who include our chipsets in products they in turn supply to OEMs. Our products enable the display of broadband video in a wide range of electronic devices, including cable and terrestrial set top boxes, digital televisions, mobile handsets, personal computers, netbooks and in-vehicle entertainment devices.