STMicroelectronics STB0899

A DVB-S2 demodulator produced by STMicroelectronics.

Features

   • DVB-Q2 demodulator and decoder
   • QPSK, 8PSK, 4 + 12 APSK
   • Hierarchical 8PSK enhanced processor
   • LDPC and BCH decoding
   • Supports all DVB-S2 bit rates
   • up to 90 Mbps channel bit rate
   • Legacy DVB-S
   • DVB-S2 framing
   • Legacy support for DVB-S and DIRECTV® QPSK modes
   • Digital carrier and timing recovery loops
   • DiSEqC™ 2.0 22 kHz to 100 kHz interface

Public information on the STB0899 is limited. Although some documentation can be found (for example, Comtech Technology has a product brief for a tuner module, containing the STB6100 & STB0899, that outlines some basic register and timing info), what is available is not very useful. It has been claimed by the driver's author, that the chip is rather complex and even with possession of its datasheet, the chip's vendor had to be consulted on numerous occasions about un-published/documented features and inaccuracies within the specifications. And although STMicro has been very accommodating, the driver development was, and continues to be, done under a NDA. Further, this situation is quite unlikely to change.

Manu once reported that the 1st revisions of the chip had some serious issues, which were then solved in the 2nd cut ("CL2")