MUMBAI: Welcome back to your coffee fix for the week. This Sunday meet one of the finest actors this generation has seen? she is all heart and her performances are all soul? she began her career in mainstream cinema and then made a wonderful name for herself in alternative cinema? the very talented Tabu.

Karan‘s second guest is an Indian whom we are all proud of, the international celebrated filmmaker and the big name behind Namesake ? Mira Nair. Also joining them is the renowned choreographer and the director of a super-hit Bollywood film... Farah Khan. Don‘t miss this exciting t?te-?-t?te this Sunday, March 18th at 9 p.m. on ‘Koffee with Karan‘ only on Star One and Star World.

Tabu who was rather apprehensive to come on Karan‘s show admits, "You make us commit a lot of things which I don‘t want to." She talks about her journey in the film industry since 18 years, some of the regrets in her personal life and also confesses on the show that she has a low self-esteem. In spite of being a part of the internationally acclaimed film Namesake, Tabu shares that it‘s very clear in her head that she has no Hollywood aspiration. She also speaks about the special relationship she shares with Nagarjuna and the fact that nothing can ever change or alter the relation with him. Mira feels that the success of her film Namesake is largely due to her wonderful cast, she shares some of the beautiful moments while making the film and what‘s her take on being put in the same bracket as Gurinder Chadha and Deepa Mehta.

And just when the masala packed rapid fire is about to commence, the controversial rapid-fire queen of last season, Farah Khan makes an entry. According to Tabu, which actor needs to hit the gym? If Mira was mistaken for Deepa Mehta what would she say? Saroj Khan, Ganesh Hegde or Shiamak Davar, who according to Farah is the best choreographer? Mira Nair‘s next or Farah Khan next, what does Tabu chose? Wait and watch!

Excerpts from the interview:

Karan: You have been in this industry for how long Tabu?

Tabu: 18 or 19 years

Karan: Any regrets ?

Tabu: Lots .. but it will really take a while if I start discussing it ..

Karan: Professionally or personally

Tabu: Ahh ...personally more I think .. but, actually having said that I wouldn‘t look at them as regrets .. and more as a learning experience .. but, I wish I hadn‘t met a few people I had met .. which I would not want to name ...

Karan: Do you sometimes feel that you are such a great actor and you have done some amazing work ..and in fact I keep telling you this that critics awards should be globally called the Tabu awards, because you keep winning them ..year after year .. do you feel you have got your due from the industry?

Tabu: Yes I have

Karan: You don‘t feel that they have undervalued you?

Tabu: No .. I don‘t think so at all ..After Prem I thought I should just go back and study ..But I didn‘t.. I stayed on and it kept getting better for me .. for me everything is like a bonus ..

Karan: I think you are just undervaluing yourself .. is it a case of low self esteem or just modesty ..

Tabu: Terrible low self esteem

Karan: But why .. have you seen your own performances
Tabu: I prefer not to

Karan: You have made such a beautiful film ..

Mira: Firstly .. Jhumpa ..the mother of the film .. the mother of the book and then this extra ordinary cast .. from Irfan and Tabu ...

Karan: Do you some times feel that, you know .. you make these international films .. but you are not doing anything for India? Do you ever feel the need to come back and do a full Hindi picture ?

Mira: You know, my theory is .. I don‘t do anything that any one else does better than me ..laughs .. and you do it better than me .. So, I mean I am not here to imitate..

So, join Karan in a stimulating t?te-?-t?te with the three super achievers only on Koffee with Karan, this Sunday, March 18th at 9 p.m. on Star One and Star World

MUMBAI:Catch all the action on Friday March 16 as the Champions of Cricket Madan Lal, Syed Kirmani, Mohinder Amarnath & Kirti Azaad Play with the Champions of Laughter jokes, one-liners, satires, rib tickling comedy and much more? get ready for World Cup Fever on Star One‘s Great Indian Laughter Champions .

MUMBAI: STAR PLUS?s popular comic weekend show- ?Baa Bahoo Aur Baby?, will have you in splits as you roll with laughter this weekend, as it airs a special ?Singapore series? coming Fri-Sun (March 16th- March 18th) 9:30 p.m.

BANGALORE: Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal-processing applications, today introduced a two-chip IF (intermediate frequency) receiver solution that dramatically improves the data bandwidth and capacity of next-generation, multi-carrier wireless base stations compatible with emerging 3G cellular transmission standards. Analog Devices? dual-channel AD8376 VGA (variable gain amplifier) and AD6655 IF diversity receiver solution replaces 48 discrete components, enabling 3G micro- and pico-cell base stations with dramatically reduced power consumption and physical volume.

Each radio channel can handle up to six carriers. The new VGA and IF diversity receiver also increase automatic gain-control loop performance by 100 times existing options, which improves base station receiver sensitivity and dynamic range and ensures both weak and strong incoming cell phone call signals are quickly and effectively received and processed.

The AD8376 and AD6655 comprise the first two-chip dual-channel IF receiver optimized to handle both the main and diversity receive paths simultaneously. The combination of best-in-class performance, power consumption, size and cost is ideally suited to meet the wider bandwidth and multi-carrier signal processing demands of today?s wireless infrastructure equipment, while supporting emerging 3G and 2.5G mobile phone communications standards such as CDMA2000, UMTS and TD-SCDMA, as well as WiMAX.

?As the industry migrates from voice-centric services and embraces feature-rich, multimedia content, wireless infrastructure designers need devices that support the higher data bandwidths within the next-generation of mobile communications platforms,? said Peter Real, product line director, RF and Networking Components, Analog Devices. ?To help address this need, ADI developed the industry?s highest linearity digital VGA and the fastest IF diversity receiver, which when combined, not only reduce component count, but bring complex multi-carrier wideband digital receivers into mainstream production.?

The AD8376 is the first digitally-controlled VGA that enables 1dB gain-step resolution at the highest IFs. The device offers the industry?s best linearity of OIP3 50 dBm at 140 MHZ. This level of performance and step resolution simplifies receiver automatic gain control (AGC), and enables wideband multi-carrier radio platforms. A fine-step AGC loop allows the designer to maximize the ADC?s dynamic range, which is critical when handling either 3G or WiMAX multi-carrier wideband input signals.

More about the AD8376 VGA

The AD8376 dual-channel VGA provides precise fine-gain-step adjustment for digital radio receivers. The device features a bandwidth of 600 MHz, supporting high IF sampling receiver architectures within cellular and broadband WiMAX receivers. An independent 5-pin digital interface allows the user to take advantage of a 24dB gain range and 1dB gain-step resolution. The AD8376 is designed to replace discrete attenuator and IF amplifiers, offering considerable board and package density savings. With 50dBm output IP3 on 130mA of quiescent current on a +5volt supply, current consumption is also significantly reduced.

More about the AD6655 IF Diversity Receiver

The AD6655 integrates many of the functions required for diversity receive path in a single device, including an ultra-low-latency peak detector and an rms signal power monitor that can be used in conjunction with the AD8376 and logic to form a flexible AGC. In addition, the AD6655 includes the industry?s fastest 14-bit ADC (analog-to-digital converter), at 150 MSPS (million samples per second), followed by a DDC (digital down converter). The DDC functionality includes a 32-bit NCO (numerically controlled oscillator), a decimating half-band filter and an output FIR (finite-impulse response) filter. Together, these provide an effective bandpass filtering function and reduce the output rate, which yields an SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) of 75 dB at 70 MHz, an improvement of 2.5 dB over the typical ADC. By integrating the DDC with the ADC, designers realize a significant reduction in board space while eliminating the high-speed interconnect problems usually found on system boards when the devices are implemented separately.

The AD6655 is offered in both 12- (AD6653) and 14-bit resolutions with sample rates of 80 MSPS, 105 MSPS, 125 MSPS and 150 MSPS. For applications that require only the dual-ADC function without the DDC, the recently-announced AD9640 is pin compatible and includes signal monitor, level detection, and 1-to-8 clock divider.

Pricing and Availability

The AD8376 dual-channel digitally-controlled VGA is sampling now with full production scheduled for June 2007. The AD8376 is priced at $6.25 per unit in 1,000-piece quantities and is housed in a 32-lead LFCSP (lead-frame chip-scale package). A single-channel version, the AD8375, is sampling now with full production also scheduled for June 2007. The AD8375 is priced at $4.25 per unit in 1,000-piece quantities and is housed in a 24-lead LFCSP. For more information, visit www.analog.com/pr/AD8376.

The AD6653/5 IF diversity receivers are sampling now with full production scheduled for June 2007. The 12-bit version, the AD6653, is priced at $57.97 and the 14-bit at $97.50, both in 1,000-piece quantities. Both devices are available in a 9 mm x 9 mm 64-lead LFCSP. For more information, visit www.analog.com/pr/AD6655.

Analog Devices? RF Expertise

Analog Devices? RF ICs have the high-performance specifications?such as temperature stability and high accuracy?that reduce component count, decrease cost, and ease design challenges, thus enabling new, highly desirable architectural changes to radio designs. Using a unique combination of design skills, process technologies, and system understanding, Analog Devices has a broad portfolio of RF ICs, including complete chipsets and a full range of high-performance RF function blocks. Among its extensive offerings are direct digital synthesizers (DDS); phase-locked loop synthesizers (PLLs); detectors and logarithmic operational amplifiers; fixed and variable-gain amplifiers (VGAs); TruPwr? RF power detectors; mixers, modulators, and demodulators; integrated IF amplifiers; and the Othello? family of single-chip transceivers for cellular terminals.

About Analog Devices

Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the most long-standing, high-growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers around the world, representing virtually all types of electronics equipment. Celebrating more than 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices, Inc. is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, and employs approximately 8,900 people worldwide. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina, Ireland, and the Philippines. Analog Devices‘ common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and ADI is included in the S&P 500 Index.

Mumbai: TIMES NOW, the 24 hour English news television of big stories brings the ultimate stories from the cricketing ground this World Cup 2007 in a special show - ?Kings of the Caribbean? starting March 14 at 7.30 am and 6.30 pm.