Broadcasters Herald New Era with Mobile DTV Standard
TV broadcasters entered a “new era” with the adoption of an industrywide mobile DTV standard (CD Oct 16 p8) executives told reporters Friday at an event marking the adoption of the new technology. On a bus driving around Washington and Arlington, Va., industry executives proclaimed success in a fast-paced standards setting process and predicted an explosion of video services on mobile and handheld devices. Vendors pitched their devices and transmission systems. The mobile DTV service held up well during the ride, despite rain, which sometimes causes problems with RF reception. The devices showed a clear picture, but required a small telescoping antenna for reception. Five local stations were broadcasting mobile DTV signals -- some but not all of the broadcasters in Washington.
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About 30 stations are already broadcasting for mobile, though few reception devices are available more widely than as prototypes. More stations will be on the air by year-end, said Dave Lougee, president of Gannett’s broadcasting division. Prototype devices from LG and Samsung were shown, along with adapters for PCs and prototype adapters for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. The Open Mobile Video Coalition plans consumer trials in Washington early next year and expects some mobile-carrier participation, said Executive Director Anne Schelle.
The mobile TV business model is still being worked out, executives said. Discussions are taking place behind the scenes, Lougee said. The technology allows broadcasters to offer a range of services, including free, premium and targeted advertising, he said. Broadcasters probably will move together on business plans, Lougee said. “The business models are there.”
Equipment and device makers are moving ahead now that the standard has been adopted. Samsung has developed the first single chip to combine mobile-DTV radio-frequency tuning with signal decoding, the company said. Previous versions used separate chips for the functions, John Godfrey, vice president of government and public affairs for Samsung, said. “It’s smaller, it consumes less power and it’s more affordable relative to a multi-chip system,” making it easier to use in smaller devices such as cellphones.
LG has prototypes of CMDA and GMA handsets and a personal digital TV receiver and portable DVD player that it plans to introduce next year, the company said. It’s also working to get receivers in autos, LG said. On the transmission side, Rohde & Schwarz said it has built the first system that’s fully-compliant with the new standard. Harris Corp. said 23 stations in the U.S. and Canada are already using its mobile DTV system.
A station can get a baseline mobile DTV system running for as little as $75,000, depending on how much new equipment the broadcaster needs, said Mark Aitken, director of advanced technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group. For that price, a station could simulcast its main programming stream for mobile, he said. Doing mobile programming beyond that would cost more, he said. Either way, the upgrade is quick, he said. “We were able to do this in a matter of two hours.”