I just received a Product Announcement from SILICON LABS. There new TV Tuner Chip, the
Si2177, appears to be able to demodulate Analog TV directly on the chip without software.
If I am not mistaken, this function is a new feature in TV Tuner Chips, which may provide
a much better SDR than current TV Tuner Chip Dongles, especially when it comes to noise
performance. It also eliminates almost all external components. RF Input Frequency Range -
42 to 870 MHz
Si2177 5th Generation Silicon TV Tuner ICs
http://www.silabs.com/Support%20Documents/TechnicalDocs/Si2177-short.pdf