Nine major television broadcasting companies (see above) have established the "Open Mobile Video Coalition" (OMVC) to develop digital TV standards for transmitting programs to portable and wireless devices.
The companies are: Belo Corp., Fox Television Stations, Gannett Broadcasting, Gray Television, ION Media Networks, the NBC & Telemundo Television Stations, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Broadcasting Company.
The press release says these companies represent "over 280 television stations in the U.S., covering 95 million households, including 49 of the top 50 markets nationwide."
Non-cellular technology
The OMVC -- open only to broadcasters -- doesn't seem interested in transmitting over cellular networks using, for example, DVB-H or MediaFLO. Instead, it wants to use TV broadcasters' existing towers to transmit programs.
As the release says, "A number of new technologies have recently been identified that enable reception of digital broadcast television (DTV) signals in portable and mobile environments. When commercialized, these new technologies will enable TV broadcasters to use their existing DTV spectrum and networks to reach consumers anywhere, both in and out of the home."
The OMVC is looking at some 100 million portable and wireless devices -- cellular phones, music players, laptop computers, in-vehicle entertainment centers, etc. -- that are estimated to be sold in 2007. The group even includes portable game players, digital cameras and video recorders in the mix.
Watching TV on your digital camera?
"With the addition of a low-cost receiver module, each of these devices could be built to receive DTV broadcasts from any of the 1,600 digital television stations in the U.S. that choose to transmit mobile capable signals," the release says.
"DTV spectrum is ideally suited for mobile video. It supports good picture quality, reliable reception inside buildings and on fast-moving vehicles, all using antennas small enough to fit in almost any portable device."
Better than cellular mobile TV?
The OMVC tackles the issue of cellular mobile TV, and it's not impressed. The organization's Web site says:
16. I get video today on my cell phone -- how is mobile digital video different?
Most video today on cell phones comes over the cellular networks, which are designed for point-to-point voice communications and have limited capacity to carry video. As a result, most video today on cell phones is of poor quality and expensive.
Mobile digital video by broadcasters is designed to transmit video to very large areas simultaneously, and as such can carry a very high quality picture at almost no incremental cost.
17. What is the difference between mobile digital video that will be implemented by current television broadcasters and new digital broadcast networks that are aimed at cell phones?
The mobile digital video system from current television broadcasters uses the existing digital television spectrum and the existing, nationwide digital television infrastructure. As such, the broadcast industry has a substantial amount of spectrum available and has already invested and built out most of the infrastructure needed to enable mobile digital video.
The new digital broadcast networks from non-broadcasters require dedicated spectrum to be purchased and completely new infrastructure to be built. Because of the limited amount of spectrum available and the cost of the network, the number of channels on the new networks is expected to be far less than what the broadcast industry collectively can offer, and the cost of the services is expected to be higher that what the broadcast industry can offer.
18. Why is the digital television spectrum better than other spectrum for mobile video?
The digital television spectrum is ideally suited for video because its signals travel long distances, penetrate walls well, can be easily received in a fast moving vehicle, and require only a small antenna. Spectrum that allows signals to travel farther typically require antennas too large for mobile devices, and spectrum that allows for a smaller antenna typically have less range and are more difficult to receive in moving vehicles.
Non-cellular wireless TV a reality
Although the OMVC might be a bit optimistic about it's own efforts, this is definitely not pie-in-the-sky thinking. Transmitting mobile TV via non-cellular standards has been around for a few years and is occurring overseas, especially in South Korea.
Check out the Wikipedia entry on "Digital Multimedia Broadcasting" as well as the "official" Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Web site. A huge number of portable devices (see below) already have DMB capability for terrestrial and satellite TV broadcasts.
"Mobile TV" in the United States has been synonymous with "cellular networks." But in several other countries, that's not the case. It's reality, not vaporware.
Worth keeping an eye on
Yes, we have had lightweight portable televisions for years and they haven't been a huge success. Few people specifically carry around a TV. But combining a TV with a device that you would carry for other purposes -- such as a cellular phone -- is one of the keys to the [possible] success of the application.
If the broadcasting industry truly is eager to offer its own mobile TV service as an add-on to other portable devices -- without cellular -- it's definitely worth keep track of. (I know -- you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition.)
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