UK company brings broadcast TV to Chinese laptops

December 4, 2016

Hampshire-based fabless receiver chip maker, Mirics Semiconductor, has joined forces with Shanghai-based Spreadtrum Communications to bring broadcast TV direct to Chinese laptops.

The new technology will combine Mirics’s FlexiTV tuner with Spreadtrum’s decoder to receive signals on the China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting (CMMB) standard.

Chinese consumers purchasing a laptop with the technology built in will be able to watch live broadcast television whilst on the go.

The two firms will work together to develop a complete hardware and software package for PCTV.

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will be able to install the ready-to-go package directly into laptops and netbooks.

Mirics said the package is already at an advanced stage of development, with reference models available by the end of the year.

Spreadtrum CEO Dr Ping Wu said his firm is ‘delighted’ with the co-operation that will expand Spreadtrum’s portfolio beyond mobile handsets and into the PC market.

The companies plan to continue collaboration to work on similar packages to be installed into mobile phones.