The Open Mobile Video Coalition announced in January that 63 stations in 22 television markets will be the first to launch mobile DTV service this year. (Source: Open Mobile Video Coalition.)
broadcasters already have their infrastructure, programming lineups and advertising in place.
The standard-definition feed is
simply transcoded into a com-
pressed mobile TV feed, which
is then broadcast from the same
tower at the same power. Both
types of mobile TV face the same obstacles on devices: they need dedicated receiver chips to pull the mobile TV signal out of the air. A handful of phone manufacturers have built large-screen handsets for MediaFLO, running on either the AT&T (Booth C1451)
dial, but in many markets, it has receive digital signals on analog or Verizon Wireless network, but been able to offer only partial TVs. The delay will set back multicast mobile TV capabilities coverage, if any coverage at all, Qualcomm’s plans until Channel on consumer devices are far due to interference problems 55 and adjacent channels are from ubiquitous. with broadcasters transmitting cleared of broadcasters. Even in cases where there on 55 or neighboring channels. MediaFLO uses the old analog isn’t a technology impediment, Once the d TV transition is com- TV frequencies to broadcast digi- mobile TV hasn’t exactly proven plete, Qualcomm plans a sizable tally, using its own Forward Link its mass appeal. Unicast TV ser-rollout, expanding its coverage Only (FLO) technology, which vices, such as those offered by footprint from 140 million pops to allows it to shove as many as 15 Sprint and AT&T, can technically 200 million – most of which will to 20 mobile TV channels into the work on any phone with a media be complete within days of the 6MHz of spectrum that previ- player and a 3g wireless chip, cut-over date. Congress, howev- ously carried a single analog using the wireless operator’s er, has passed a delay of the d TV standard-definition channel. But IP data connection to stream transition until June 12 to give Qualcomm has had to build its video directly to the phone. But consumers more time to buy the network and negotiate program- while unicast programming d TV converters necessary to ming rights from scratch, while continued on page 36
Out-of-Home Media Mobile TV Show Highlights Content Production & Post Broadcast IPTV
References:
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