The NMI500 Sundance C chip can be used to provide digital television to cellular telephone subscribers, Newport said. The CMOS IC integrates an RF tuner, demodulator and all required memory, the company said.

Key features of the NMI500 include 120-dB of variable gain, and greater than 55-dB of adjacent channel selectivity. The SOC integrates UHF and S-band receiver, CMMB demodulator. No other external memory, baluns or loop filters are required. Volume production is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2009.

"The NMI500 and complete CMMB software platform that we provide optimally addresses the price point and ease of design requirements of the Chinese market," said Mohy Abdelgany, president and chief executive officer for Newport Media, in a statement. "Leveraging customer relationships established with our DVB-T/H and ISDB-T products, Newport Media will be able to quickly launch compelling CMMB handsets with major Chinese handset market companies."

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