Microtune(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:TUNE) today announced that LG
Electronics, Inc. (LG) has selected Microtune's ultra low-power Mobile
MicroTuner(TM) chip to enable high-performance mobile television on
LG's LG-U900 DVB-H mobile phone.
LG Electronics, South Korea's second-largest electronics
manufacturer, plans to supply the phone to Italian mobile
telecommunications service provider, Hutchison 3 Italia. Beginning in
June, Hutchison expects to broadcast the FIFA World Cup games to
mobile handheld devices using the digital video broadcast handheld
(DVB-H) standard. LG announced the launch of the LG-U900, the world's
first commercially available UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H phone, at a ceremony
in Rome, Italy on April 27, 2006. Previously, the LG-U900 mobile phone
was previewed in LG's stand at the giant CeBIT fair in Hannover,
Germany and was successfully demonstrated in Milan, Italy.
"As a supplier that specializes in tuners deployed today across
leading stand-alone and portable devices, we understand the unique
challenges of delivering a quality TV picture in a mobile
environment," said James A. Fontaine, President and CEO of Microtune.
"We are pleased to be working with and supporting LG as it brings the
first commercial DVB-H mobile phones to market."
"To compete in the European market, home to worldwide European
mobile phone manufacturers, we developed our DVB-H mobile phone to
deliver superior quality and reliability," said Dr. Skott Ahn,
Executive Vice President, LG Electronics. "The TV tuner is a key
electronics component in ensuring excellent TV performance. We are
very pleased to be the world's first UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H phone
manufacturer deploying Microtune's market-proven RF technology."
MOBILE MICROTUNER TECHNOLOGY
In the LG-U900 mobile phone, LG deploys Microtune's Mobile
MicroTuner MT2260 chip, a miniature DVB-H digital TV tuner engineered
to deliver robust performance in a very low-power mobile environment.
Designed with a patent-pending and proprietary architecture and
Microtune's unique ClearTune filtering technology, the Mobile
MicroTuner MT2260 features higher integration than other leading DVB-H
tuner solutions on the market by not requiring bulky and costly
external components, such as a low-noise amplifier and transformer.
"We pride ourselves on being the performance leader in silicon TV
tuner technology," added Fontaine. "To ensure true quality of
reception for DVB-H devices, we designed our Mobile MicroTuner to
exceed the MBRAI performance specification. With our vast experience
developing tuners that detect very small signals and simultaneously
manage fading conditions, 0dB echos and large adjacent channels, we
believe that the MBRAI specification is, at best, a bare minimum
requirement for acceptable DVB-H TV reception."
"As with our recently introduced 3-in-1 MT2131 digital TV tuner,
we understand the importance of driving performance beyond the
specifications to deliver a superior user experience in real-world
environments. Performance beyond the MBRAI specification helps to
ensure the reception of continuous TV services under marginal
reception conditions, while providing superior manufacturing yield to
handset makers."
Microtune recently announced that its Mobile MicroTuner technology
will be available both as tuner chips and as a wafer-level chip-scale
package. This chip-scale packaged tuner allows for cost-effective
integration of the Mobile MicroTuner with a demodulator, filter or
other componentry in a system-in-package (SiP), a solution that
enables greater miniaturization in the next generations of mobile TV
products.
MBRAI SPECIFICATION
The Mobile and Portable DVB-T Radio Access Interface Specification
(MBRAI) is the DVB-H radio specification defined by the DVB Project,
and it identifies the minimum performance condition within which the
radio must operate to ensure conformance to the DVB-H standard.
ABOUT MICROTUNE
Microtune, Inc. is a silicon and subsystems company that designs
and markets radio frequency (RF) solutions for the worldwide broadband
communications and transportation electronics markets. Inventor of the
MicroTuner(TM) single-chip broadband tuner, Microtune offers a
portfolio of advanced tuner, amplifier, and upconverter products that
enable the delivery of information and entertainment across new
classes of consumer electronics devices. The Company currently holds
60 U.S. patents for its technology. Founded in 1996, Microtune is
headquartered in Plano, Texas, with key design and sales centers
located around the world. The website is www.microtune.com.
ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING DESIGN WINS AND MARKETS
It is not unusual for Microtune to announce design wins, as
referenced in this release, and the announcement of these design wins,
or any other design win, should not be viewed as an indicator of
Microtune revenues for any current or future reporting period. The
market for handheld digital television may not develop or may develop
more slowly than currently anticipated. Even in the event that the
market does develop, there can be no assurance that Microtune's MT2260
or other products will be selected by handset manufacturers or that if
selected, such manufacturers will continue to select Microtune's
products in the future to support their handsets and other mobile
devices.
MICROTUNE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
All statements in this press release other than statements of
historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements concerning
the future market for digital consumer products and the potential
demand for the Company's products) are forward-looking statements that
are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause such
statements to differ materially from actual future events or results.
Such forward-looking statements are generally, but not necessarily,
accompanied by words such as "plan," "if," "estimate," "expect,"
"believe," "could," "would," "anticipate," "may," or other words that
convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These forward-looking
statements and other statements made elsewhere in this release are
made in reliance, in part, on the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Factors which could cause actual results to differ from
anticipated results include the Company's ability to introduce new
products, achieve design wins, maintain customer and strategic partner
relationships, forecast customer demand and manage inventory levels,
control and budget expenses, protect proprietary technology and
intellectual property, and successfully prosecute and defend any
future litigation. Any one of these factors may cause the Company's
actual financial results to differ materially from its projected
results. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as
of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to revise or
update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason. Readers
are referred to our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other
Securities and Exchange Commission filings which discuss the foregoing
factors as well as other important risk factors that could affect our
business, results of operations and financial condition.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Microtune is a registered trademark and MicroTuner is a trademark
of Microtune, Inc. All other company and/or product names may be trade
names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective
owners with which they are associated.
TRANSLATIONS
Microtune has only reviewed the English-language version of this
press release for accuracy and is not responsible for the accuracy of
statements in subsequently translated versions of this document.
Readers are strongly advised to review the English-language version of
this press release.
