1/28/2008

Indonesia's Mediacom Collaborates with Nokia Siemens for Mobile TV Service

Nokia Siemens has teamed up with Global Mediacom to launch a mobile TV service, on Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) technology, in the world’s largest populated Muslim nation – Indonesia.

For Nokia Siemens this is the biggest ever deal yet in the mobile television market, the two companies said in a joint statement issued on Friday.


On its part, Nokia Siemens will extend its expertise to increase the capacity of Mediacom’s network and deliver multimedia content to consumers.Under the deal, Nokia Siemens Networks is responsible for the end-to-end systems and services, which will include consulting, implementation of the entire broadcasting solution and network, systems integration and the business applications.


The service offers TV programs such as dramas, news, music, sports and documentaries on mobile devices. It works much the same way as televisions do at your homes.Global Mediacom is in talks with Finnish company to gain access to DVB-H integrated devices, such as the Nokia N77, and seeking assistance in marketing to ensure that the venture becomes a success in Indonesia.


This collaboration with Nokia Siemens, said Mediacom CEO Hary Tanoesoedibjo, marks an important milestone in Mediacom’s venture into integrated media, which combines broadcasting, entertainment, and telecommunication.Mediacom, though seeming to be heavily dependent on Nokia’s expertise in mobile technology, says it is confident that it can deliver rich mobile multimedia content to consumers.


“The deal is in line with our strategy to connecting 5 billion people globally by 2015,” said Christian Fredrikson, Nokia Siemens’ chief in Asia-Pacific.The service will be launched in Indonesia’s Jabodetabek area in the first half of 2008.

Mobile 3.0 gets German DVB-H licence

Mobile 3.0, a joint venture between German mobile TV wholesaler MFD and publishing house venture Neva Media, has been awarded a licence to operate the upcoming DVB-H platform in Germany.
T-Systems Media&Broadcast (TSMB), recently acquired by TDF, obtained the licence to build the network in October.
The mobile TV platform is expected to launch by Spring 2008 in time for the European Football Championship. The service will include about 15 TV channels. Public broadcasters ARD and ZDF and commercial stations RTL, SAT.1, Pro Sieben, VOX, n-tv and N24 are already on board. Regional programmes and radio services will also be offered.

The broadcasters lined up for the service include public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, commercial stations RTL, SAT.1, Pro Sieben, VOX, n-tv and N24 reports Rapid TV News. There’ll also be some multimedia radio services offered by Digital 5, bigBuddy and soccer Bundesliga channel kick.fm.

1/25/2008

The Mobile Media Review from US

Who Wants Their Mobile TV?


Word has it that AT&T will be launching its own version of the Qualcomm MediaFLO service in early February.
In the United States, at least, MediaFLO seems to be the dominant technology in the short term for delivering broadcast video signals in real time to compatible handsets, while the competing DVB-H standard has some traction in Europe and elsewhere. Meanwhile, a consortium of U.S. providers, including Nokia, are trying to rally around an Open Video standard that will use the digital broadcast spectrum owned by local stations throughout the country to start digital video services sometime in 2009.
All of this activity in the mobile-TV space takes place in a U.S. market where, according to M:Metrics, somewhere between 3 percent and 4 percent of users even access any kind of video on their handsets in a given month. With such modest penetration of video for mobile, it remains unclear how much demand there really is for carrying TV in your pocket.
Verizon launched its VCast Mobile TV service earlier this year with limited coverage and, since then, the company has issued few announcements regarding its market reception. This real-time broadcast to your phone offers a TV-like navigation grid that lets you drop into "Today" in the morning or "CSI" in the evening. The grid lets you pop into a channel or get a description of upcoming programming on the channel that is not yet live.
VCast Mobile TV seems to be a demo of a proof of concept, but how practical a value it is for most consumers is another question entirely. The technology, while attractive, does not really match that many use cases. First, this is a $15/month add-on or part of a $25/month data bundle that includes the video on demand (VoD) VCast Video and unlimited mobile Web and e-mail use. The price of the bundle is tolerable (the AT&T Apple iPhone data plan is $20/month), but the value may not be.

1/24/2008

Sri Lanka : DVB-H and DVB-T coming soon

Sri Lanka’s first Terrestrial Digital Television Broadcast went on air, yesterday with Dialog Television’s Pilot launch of DVB-T based Terrestrial Digital Television covering the City of Colombo. Sri Lanka will be No. 1 in South Asia to enjoy this status with this launch.

Chief Executive Officer, Dialog Television, Nushad Perera said Dialog is committed to establish and operate world class digital broadcast infrastructure and to provide excellent customer service to Sri Lankan consumers.

Our platforms will carry high quality content of local and international broadcasters to Sri Lankan homes, vehicles, and handsets via our portfolio of satellite and terrestrial broadcast”, he said.

Referring to the benefits that DVB-T offers to the consumers he said DVD quality video, electronic program guides and selection, multi-lingual audio capability, multi-lingual sub-titling capability and enhanced audio technology are significant.

“The efficiencies delivered by digital broadcast technology are also set to facilitate the expansion of television availability to all regions in the country, where economic viability constrained the expansion of incumbent analogue infrastructure,” he said.

The DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial) broadcast standard enables digital broadcast over the standard VHF/UHF television spectrum, enabling viewers to access the digital broadcast using standard televisions and VHF,UHF antennae with the addition of a DVB-T access device (adaptor or set top box).

The broadcast would be also available on vehicle mounted devices, and via DVB-H technology on advanced GSM, 3G handsets.

The pilot broadcast carried out by Dialog Television carries nine television channels on a single UHF frequency demonstrating at the outset a nine fold enhancement in Frequency utilization.
State channels Rupavahini, Eye, Nethra and ITN join private broadcasters Derana, Swarnavahini and The Buddhist on the first terrestrial digital broadcast. It also carries three foreign channels to complete the channel line up.

The pilot broadcast would be initially ‘tested’ using selected viewers forming a representative set across the broadcast coverage area.

Dialog Telekom PLC Group, CEO, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya appreciating the support and encouragement it had received from state and industry stakeholders in delivering the country’s first terrestrial digital television broadcast hoped that the broadcast industry will capitalize on technology advancement in order to deliver a superior and more widely available television experience to Sri Lankan consumers.

He said the product will not be immediately available in the market as this is a pilot project but once it is ready the price will be affordable to consumers. It will be less than the price of a hand phone.

1/23/2008

NXP Launches the World’s First Ultra-low Power Terrestrial and Satellite Multi-band Silicon Tuner for Portable TV

Multi-standard: DVB-T, DVB-H, DVB-SH, T-DMB and ISDB-T applications

NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, today made available a truly anytime, anywhere digital TV viewing experience with the launch of the world’s first multi-band silicon tuner, TDA18292. Building on NXP’s pole position in silicon tuners, the TDA18292 is the first to support the five global TV standards for portable devices (DVB-T, DVB-H, DVB-SH, T-DMB, ISDB-T) and five prominent frequency bands (VHF, UHF, L1, L2, S-band).

The ultra-low power, low noise, small footprint and high immunity to other cellular and connectivity standards, makes the TDA18292 an ideal TV solution for notebooks, USB sticks, Portable Multimedia Players (PMP), portable DVD players, mobile phones, portable navigation systems (GPS) and other handheld devices – at a very low cost of less than $2, for high volume quantities.

“NXP’s new silicon tuner is a significant achievement in driving anytime, anywhere availability of TV,” said Philip Sun, Executive Vice President, Afa Technologies. “Afa is taking advantage of our collaboration with NXP to deliver low-power and high-performance TV solutions for portable and handheld devices.” Afa Technologies will integrate the TDA18292 silicon tuner with new AF9100 multi-standard demodulator series, building on its successful collaboration with NXP.
“We are very happy to work with NXP, using the S-band availability in the TDA18292 to build integrated solutions for DVB-H and the new DVB-SH satellite standards,” said Federico Ruiz, VP Engineering, SIDSA. “At Mobile World Congress, visitors will be able to see how effectively SIDSA combines NXP’s TDA18292 silicon tuner with our new low power demodulator in a robust, integrated solution for portable TV viewing.”

“The multi-band silicon tuner, TDA18292, highlights NXP’s prowess in stretching the boundaries of portable TV solutions and making a huge leap towards a ubiquitous digital TV viewing experience,” said Guy Ducos, General Manager, TV Front-end and Media Interfaces Business, NXP Semiconductors. “NXP’s TDA18292 enables ODMs and OEMs to deliver architectures that receive TV on high speed mobility modes, while drastically increasing the reception performances even in areas of low-level signals.”

1/22/2008

European Commissioner Digs In Her Heels on Mobile TV Standard

European Commissioner Viviane Reding says if necessary she will force her controversial move to have Europe adopt a specific technical standard for mobile TV. “If I need to make it mandatory I will make it mandatory,” Reding said during an interview at the DLD conference in Munich January 21. “It is in the interest of the industry to know where they are going.”

Reding caused waves last July when she recommended that all 27 European countries adopt a standard strongly associated with Nokia called Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds (DVB-H), rather than mobile broadcasting TV standards being tested in Europe by Qualcomm or one being promoted in Europe by South Korea, the first market in the world to launch mobile TV.

Reding argues that the decision by European governments in the 1980s to push GSM was good for Europe. It helped Nokia to become the world’s biggest handset maker and Sweden’s Ericsson to become the dominant telecom equipment maker. She believes Europe can repeat that success by once again encouraging governments, rather than the market, to decide on a single technical standard for mobile broadcast TV services. Industry players, from broadcasters to chip makers, disagree. They say governments should let the market decide and argue that there is room for more than one standard.
Lobbyists in Brussels are signalling that the opposition isn’t ready to give up yet.

1/21/2008

E-Ten announcing new media phone in Barcelona

E-Ten, the makers of the GloFish phones is apparently diving head first into the media-capable phone market, something they haven’t had much of a hand in, in the past. This particular phone will have support for all sorts of wirelessly streamed media including DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB, DAB, and probably 3G.

1/19/2008

Orange Applies for 2 DVB-H Mobile TV Licences

Orange has applied for two television channels in response to a call for applications made by the French Audiovisual Council on 6 November 2007 for the allocation of DVB-H mode frequencies to be used for broadcasting Personal Mobile Television services.
The first channel is Orange Sports TV, the information and sports discovery channel already available in 3G, on Orange's broadband TV offer and on the BIS satellite package. The second channel, O'TV, is targeted at an audience of 15-35 year-olds.
Orange Sports TV: "All sport, wherever I want, whenever I want, however I want"
Orange Sports TV is the first French television channel specially created for mobile viewing. Launched on 6 September 2007, Orange Sports TV is a sports information channel with a highly specialised team of writers and crew who are lent support from the experience and content provided by its prestigious partners such as CNOSF (The French Sports and National Olympic Committee) and the Sporever Group. Orange Sports TV is also available on broadband TV, the Internet and via satellite.

O'TV: "My TV how I want it, when I want it, where I want it"
O'TV is a channel aimed at the 15-35 age group, who follow new technology and who will contribute massively to the success of the personal mobile television launch. It will offer general and interactive programmes in formats designed specially for mobile viewing.

1/17/2008

Alcatel-Lucent, SFR complete DVB-SH mobile TV pilot

Alcatel-Lucent and French mobile operator SFR have completed a six-month pilot of a DVB-SH mobile TV broadcast network co-localised, for its terrestrial part, with an existing commercial 3G+ network.

The tests in Pau, South-West France, showed that reusing part of the existing 3G+ sites allows efficient and economic indoor coverage in the frequency bands adjacent to UMTS (in the S band at 2.2 GHz). The tests validated several fundamental assumptions of the performance of a DVB-SH network, notably the coverage, continuity and quality of service.

In particular, the tests confirmed that it only requires that portions of the 3G+ sites are equipped with DVB-SH repeaters to allow Mobile TV coverage inside buildings identical to the 3G+ coverage. This validates the economical efficiency of the deployment of a DVB-SH terrestrial network for Mobile TV broadcast with a very high coverage quality.

In addition, tests related to the satellite part of a hybrid DVB-SH network were performed using a helicopter as a fixed point at high altitude, thus emulating a geostationary satellite. These tests confirmed that, for the user of a mobile terminal in a pedestrian as well as a vehicular situation, the signals coming from the satellite perfectly combined with those coming from the terrestrial repeaters, in a transparent manner for the terminal.

The companies used mobile terminals provided by Sagem Mobiles and Samsung Electronics. Dibcom, TeamCast and UDcast also supplied equipment and technical support to the project.

1/16/2008

Nigeria Launches DVB-H Mobile TV

Nigeria has beaten South Africa in the roll-out of the DVB-H mobile TV... Details Nigeria, MultiChoice Africa's local business partner in Nigeria, has launched Africa's first commercial mobile broadcast TV service in the city of Abuja.

The launch places Nigeria at the forefront of the world digital television technology race, and highlights the progressive stance that the country's National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is taking in the adoption of new technologies.

Details Nigeria switched on its mobile television network using the Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld ("DVB-H") technology standard. Consumers in Abuja will be able to receive a specially compiled bouquet of DStv channels, which includes SuperSport, CNN, Africa Magic and Big Brother Africa, live on their mobile phones. The Abuja launch will be followed by a similar roll-out in other Nigerian cities over the next couple of months.

Details Nigeria chairman Adewunmi Ogunsanya says: "We are very excited that Nigeria becomes one of the first countries in the world to commercially roll out DVB-H services, something that will ensure Nigerians have early access to global innovations in the industry. We will distribute the service through several mobile operators in Nigeria and has already signed a distribution agreement with MTN Nigeria."

DVB-H is widely considered to be the world's leading mobile broadcast technology standard, and is also currently being trialled by MultiChoice Africa in Namibia and preparations are well advanced for a launch in Kenya. Eben Greyling, CEO MultiChoice Sub-Sahara Africa says, "We are fortunate to be in a position to move quickly with our mobile TV roll-outs in Africa. We have had tremendous support from government and regulatory authorities in Africa who have been providing an enabling environment for the roll-out of new technologies. Our biggest stumbling block at this stage is to find the resources to roll-out the service in all the countries where we have been allocated frequencies and commercial licenses."



1/15/2008

Gemalto and Nagravision Achieve A World’s First By Demonstrating An End-to-End OMA BCAST Smartcard Profile Interoperability Solution

Nagravision and Gemalto first to successfully demonstrate interoperability between head-end equipment and a Mobile TV card in full compliance with the OMA BCAST SCP 1.0 specifications Nagravision’s OMA BCAST SmartCard Profile head-end solution is available today and Gemalto’s one will be available early 2008 providing all the functions needed to protect broadcasted service and content.

Nagravision, a Kudelski Group company, and Gemalto announced today that they achieved a world’s first by demonstrating a fully operational, end-to-end OMA BCAST Smartcard Profile 1.0 Solution for mobile TV services.

At the OMA TestFest 21, held in Bled (Slovenia), from November 9th to 16th, the companies implemented the first ever integration and testing of the complete value chain of products from the head-end to the consumer device. The successful demonstration of interoperability between Nagravision head-end equipment and Gemalto Mobile TV cards was tested and verified to be in full compliance with the OMA BCAST SCP 1.0 specifications.

The OMA BCAST smartcard profile is an open standardized SIM-based service protection system defined by OMA members including mobile operators, device and network suppliers, and content providers.

Jean-Luc Jezouin, senior vice president Mobile TV business unit at Nagravision said: “We are building on our clear leadership in mobile conditional access, demonstrated by our current 95% market share in DVB-H users worldwide using the DVB OSF standard, and we continue to lead the market by delivering the first products that are fully compliant to the OMA BCAST specifications. Through this collaboration with Gemalto, we are actively participating in the launch of the mobile TV business and can further assist operators by helping them protect and make money from the content delivered. At TestFest 21, Nagravision demonstrated the most advanced OMA BCAST Smartcard Profile head-end platform, performing all tests covering the entire mobile TV value chain. The product is now available for shipment to our customers.” “Gemalto has successfully performed the end-to-end testing and integration of its Mobile TV card with the Nagravision Head End server; it is a first in the world and Gemalto achieved it” comments Gabrielle Bugat, senior vice president Mobile TV Business Group at Gemalto. “Gemalto SCP cards will be available by early 2008 and will fully comply with the OMA BCAST specifications. The Mobile TV cards will be bundled with a unique maintenance service that allows USIM-based software to be updated at any time to maintain a constant high level of security and implement new functionalities.”

OMA believes that interoperability is critical to ensure the commercial success of mobile data services, including those delivered by 2.5G and 3G networks.

Consequently, the OMA interoperability process (IOP) was established around the concept of regularly held Test Festivals, now called OMA TestFests. Hosted by the OMA, member companies, like Nagravision and Gemalto can bring their implementations to test in multiple cross-vendor combinations. OMA TestFests are designed to have a dual purpose by ensuring the quality of OMA specifications and enabling vendors to verify and test the interoperability of their product implementations.

For the first time, Nagravision and Gemalto OMA BCAST Smartcard Profile solutions were successfully tested, providing all the functions needed to protect broadcasted service and content. Solutions can be configured as extensions to existing Nagravision conditional access integrations or as a stand-alone platform.

The solution will be showcased at the 2008 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (11-14 February 2008) at Nagravision hospitality suite 4.4HS02 and on Gemalto booth 8 A 102 (Hall 8).

1/12/2008

Motorola demo's Linux-based DVB-H handheld

Motorola has announced a personal media player (PMP) and related broadcast transmission equipment based on the emerging wireless TV broadcast standard, DVB-H (digital video broadcast, handhelds). The Linux-based Mobile TV DH01 handheld will enable the viewing of live, on-demand, and recorded programs, says Motorola.

Along with rivals such as Nokia, Samsung, and LG, Motorola already sells phones that offer live TV playback. However, because they are not optimized with a technology such as DVB-H, the quality is lower and the phones quickly use up battery life as they struggle to process video. Motorola joins Nokia as a major backer of the IP-based DVB-H, which is optimized for 3G-enabled handheld displays, and which broadcasts data in bursts to accommodate battery-dependent devices (more on DVB-H below).
Motorola's Mobile TV DH01 is smaller than a paperback novel, says Motorola, and will enable live or recorded DVB-H playback at 25fps (frames per second), indoors or outdoors. It boasts a 4.3-inch screen with 16 million colors, an SD slot, USB, DVR capability, and support for numerous video and audio codecs. Based on "non-proprietary" Linux, the device is said to support open standard interfaces across devices, networks, and application service platforms.

1/11/2008

Industry Leaders Demo Mobile Broadcast TV Technology Platform at CES

A team composed of Samsung Electronics, MobiTV, Nokia Siemens Networks, Rohde & Schwarz and SES AMERICOM's IP-PRIME are demonstrating a joint solution at CES this week. The companies came together create a national distribution platform that enables complete mobile TV services in the United States, utilizing local broadcast TV spectrum.
The platform will showcase a complete mobile TV technology solution, delivering local and national programming and interactive applications to consumers on mobile devices “in-band,” meaning through local TV stations’ existing transmitters and spectrum. Consumer trials planned in U.S. cities are to be announced later.

The platform will use Advanced Vestigial Sideband (A-VSB), a backward-compatible enhancement of the existing U.S. digital TV broadcasting system, to empower local TV stations’ broadcast spectrum to reach mobile audiences. The platform will enable broadcasters to deliver digital media—such as entertainment, news, sports, children’s shows, and public safety notifications—to any phones, PCs, portable media players, car entertainment systems or other devices equipped with an A-VSB receiver chip. A-VSB is under consideration by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) as an open standard for mobile broadcast TV.

To help prepare for the demonstrations, Nokia will deliver an open standards- and OMA BCAST-compliant service platform; Rohde & Schwarz will provide broadcasters with the required hardware and software to convert their existing transmission infrastructure to enable A-VSB services; SES AMERICOM will contribute by aggregating the national content, integrating the encoding, security and service guide data into the national services, and providing the satellite delivery backbone to participating broadcast stations; and MobiTV will lend its interactive application and VOD delivery platform. Samsung created A-VSB.

“As the inventor of A-VSB, Samsung is proud to have shown the way forward to empower U.S. local TV stations for mobile broadcasting,” said John Godfrey, the VP of government and public affairs at Samsung Electronics. “Since proposing A-VSB to the ATSC in 2005, we have never wavered in our commitment to set an open standard for the benefit of broadcasters, manufacturers, and consumers. The all-star team announced today will enable mobile broadcast TV to reach American consumers sooner and at less cost than anyone dreamed possible only a short time ago.”

“We see A-VSB as complementary, not competitive, to wireless services,” said Alan Moskowitz, the director of strategic alliances for MobiTV. “By relying on existing TV spectrum to deliver bandwidth-intensive video to mobile devices, wireless service providers have a new option for providing TV to their subscribers. In addition, MobiTV’s interactive application and VOD delivery platform will enable a new class of services combining broadcast TV and mobile data networks.”

MediaCorp, M1 to trial launch DVBH mobile TV service

MediaCorp and mobile service provider M1 may launch a new mobile TV service soon.
The trial service, based on Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVBH) technology, is slated for a mid-year launch.
The new service follows from an MOU signed between MediaCorp and M1 in October last year.
It is the latest in a series of collaborations to offer video and TV content, customised for mobile phones.
Both service providers have expressed confidence in the product as it will offer more interesting programme content and excellent audio visual quality. In 2006, MediaCorp and M1 collaborated to provide mobile phone subscribers with entertainment programmes and dramas on their 3G phones.

1/10/2008

T-Mobile Hungary and Vodafone Hungary run DVB-H based mobile television trial on Nokia Siemens Networks’ mobile TV platform

Antenna Hungária, a major Hungarian TV and radio network operator, T-Mobile Hungary and Vodafone Hungary are conducting a DVB-H based mobile television test.
The test was first launched in spring 2007 by Antenna Hungária and T-Mobile. The current test is being carried out on a Nokia Siemens Networks platform, with Nokia handsets. Under the agreement between the two mobile companies (T-Mobile and Vodafone), Nokia Siemens Networks and Antenna Hungária, the mobile television test, comprising a technical test and a common ‘friendly user’ test, is to continue until the end of January 2008.
In the technical part of the DVB-H-based mobile television test, the equipment of the platform provided by Nokia Siemens Networks is connected to the broadcasting network of Antenna Hungária and the networks of the mobile operators involved in the project. Two handset models, Nokia N92 and Nokia N77 devices, are used in the tests, suitable for the reception of programs approved by the National Radio and Television Commission (ORTT) and the content providers.
In comparison with an earlier test, more programs are available this time, altogether 11 television channels, including news, sports and music channels. In addition to television programs, interactive services can also be tested in the trial. In the “friendly user test” to follow the technical test, the selected 200 to 300 users can watch the television content, whereas in the meantime operators obtain valuable information on actual demands, expected consumption patterns and coverage conditions.
The data obtained will help fine-tune the business model and identify the commercial services to be launched in the future. Through the test, Antenna Hungária intends to improve the technological solutions which will enable it to provide a DVB-H-based mobile tv network for Hungarian mobile operators. Nokia Siemens Networks’ DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting for Handheld) solution Nokia Siemens Networks’ DVB-H mobile tv solution for broadcasting is based on open standards and enables widest interoperability and fastest time to market. Its end-to-end capability combines the equipment, services and devices to create a unique solution for full DVB-H rollout.
This gives Nokia Siemens Networks a leading position to help its customers meet market demands in the best way. The Nokia Siemens Networks DVB-H solution is used in commercial networks with VTC (Vietnam), Doordashan (India), Umobile (Malaysia), Smart & 360 Media (Philippines) and Digita (Finland). In addition, the company has DVB-H trials running on all continents.

1/02/2008

Intel Demos Software Defined WiFi/WiMAX/DVB-H Chip

Doc Ruby writes :
"Electronics Weekly is reporting that Intel has developed a new prototype chip for software defined radio. The new chip will be able to handle WiFi, WiMAX and DVB-H digital TV all on the same chip.


'This kind of chip would allow equipment to access the WiFi network in the home, automatically handover to a WiMAX network when you leave the house and also access digital TV on the move, all through one chip.'

It's also a proof that the entire class of SW radios that could possibly converge CDMA, GSM and various other radio networks for opportunistic handoffs by a single device, a 'universal radio' that could use content formerly locked into a single radio type."

 
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