Integrated Set-Top Box with Daisy-Chaining

• US 20100306814A1
• Filed: 07/16/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Laskowski, Joseph L., Gomez, Ramon, Dauphinee, Leonard, GATTA, Francesco
• Application Number:
  US12/504,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306814A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/127
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention is an integrated set-top box having daisy-chaining capability. The set-top box includes a down-stream path having a tuner and a digital receiver portion and an up-stream path having a power amplifier. In one embodiment, the tuner, digital receiver, and power amplifier can all be disposed on a common substrate. In another embodiment, the tuner can be disposed on a first substrate, and the digital receiver and the power amplifier can be disposed on a second substrate. The set-top box includes a daisy-chain buffer having an input coupled to an input of the tuner and having an output coupled to an input of another receiving entity such as another set-top box, tuner, cable, etc., where the daisy-chain buffer is configured to provide a signal to drive the receiving entity.

Claims

1. A set-top box, comprising:

a common carrier;

a down-stream path having a tuner and a digital receiver portion, the tuner disposed on a first substrate attached to the common carrier, and the digital receiver portion disposed on a second substrate attached to the common carrier;

an up-stream path having a power amplifier disposed on the second substrate with the digital receiver portion; and

a daisy-chain buffer having an input coupled to an input of the tuner and having an output coupled to an input of a further receiving entity, the daisy-chain buffer configured to provide a signal to drive the further receiving entity.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the further receiving entity is one or more of another set-top box, an integrated tuner, an isolated tuner, a television, and a cable.

3. The set-top box of claim 1, further comprising an amplifier having an output coupled to the input of the daisy-chain buffer.

4. The set-top box of claim 3, wherein the amplifier is a low noise amplifier.

5. The set-top box of claim 4, wherein the low noise amplifier includes tilt compensation.

6. The set-top box of claim 3, wherein the amplifier is disposed on the common carrier.

7. The set-top box of claim 3, wherein the amplifier is disposed on the first substrate.

8. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the daisy-chain buffer is disposed on the first substrate.

9. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the daisy-chain buffer includes tilt compensation.

10. A set-top box, comprising:

a common substrate;

a down-stream path having a tuner and a digital receiver portion each disposed on the common substrate;

an up-stream path having a power amplifier disposed on the common substrate; and

a daisy-chain buffer having an input coupled to an input of the tuner and having an output coupled to an input of a further receiving entity, the daisy-chain buffer configured to provide a signal to drive the further receiving entity.

11. The set-top box of claim 10, wherein the further receiving entity is one or more of another set-top box, an integrated tuner, an isolated tuner, a television, and a cable.

12. The set-top box of claim 10, further comprising an amplifier having an output coupled to the input of the daisy-chain buffer.

13. The set-top box of claim 12, wherein the amplifier is a low noise amplifier.

14. The set-top box of claim 13, wherein the low noise amplifier includes tilt compensation.

15. The set-top box of claim 12, wherein the amplifier is disposed on the common carrier.

16. The set-top box of claim 10, wherein the daisy-chain buffer includes tilt compensation.

17. A television receiver system, comprising:

two or more set-top boxes, each set-top box having

a common carrier;

a down-stream path having a tuner and a digital receiver portion, the tuner disposed on a first substrate attached to the common carrier, and the digital receiver portion disposed on a second substrate attached to the common carrier;

an up-stream path having a power amplifier disposed on the second substrate with the digital receiver portion; and

a daisy-chain buffer having an input coupled to an input of the tuner of the first set-top box and having an output coupled to an input of a second set-top box, the daisy-chain buffer configured to provide a signal to drive the second set-top box.

18. The television receiver system of claim 17, further comprising:

a front-end circuit configured to process the signal prior to providing the signal to one or more of the set-top boxes.

19. A television receiver system, comprising:

two or more set-top boxes, each set-top box having

a common substrate;

a down-stream path having a tuner and a digital receiver portion each disposed on the common substrate;

an up-stream path having a power amplifier disposed on the common substrate; and

a daisy-chain buffer having an input coupled to an input of the tuner of a first set-top box and having and output coupled to an input of a second set-top box, the daisy-chain buffer configured to provide a signal to drive the second set-top box.

20. The television receiver system of claim 19, further comprising:

a front-end circuit configured to process the signal prior to providing the signal to one or more of the set-top boxes.

21. A set-top box, comprising:

a tuner; and

a daisy-chain buffer configured to provide a signal to drive an additional receiving entity, the daisy-chain buffer having an input coupled to an input of the tuner and having an output capable of being coupled to an input of the additional receiving entity.

22. The set-top box of claim 21, wherein the additional receiving entity is one or more of another set-top box, an integrated tuner, an isolated tuner, a television, and a cable.