MobileTV

ENENSYS to showcase end-to-end mobile TV solution

2009-09-02T04:12:00.000-07:00

ENENSYS Technologies is featuring at IBC2009 its turnkey mobile TV solution for delivery networks, a complete headend system from content transcoding and distribution to transmission and conditional access management. The package includes:

• Transcaster, an H264 mobile TV transcoder

• Cryptocaster, a ISMACryp encryption server

• MobiMux, a DVB-H IP encapsulator

• MIP Inserter, an SFN adapter

• FastCaster, an MPEG-2-over-IP gateway

• LabMod, a DVB-H modulator

• RFBooster, a 1W amplifier

• DiviCatch RF-T/H, a DVB-H pocket analyzer

In addition, the solutions also include integrated DVB IPDC and OMA-BCAST ESG servers and DVB-H IPDC handsets from ENENSYS partners. Components of ENENSYS' mobile TV system were introduced at NAB2008.

In July, French operator TDF launched a mobile TV trial in Paris using ENENSYS equipment, including the MobiMux DVB-H IP encapsulator.

Russia approves mobile TV

2009-08-31T04:13:00.000-07:00

Russia has taken a huge step towards the launch of mobile TV services in its capital, Moscow.
Kommersant reports that the country’s State Commission for Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) has given the go-ahead for subsidiaries of three operators – Sistema, Vimpelcom and Skartela – to launch DVB-H services in Moscow by the end of the year.

Until the end of the year, they will operate on a trial basis and offer eight channels free of charge. These have already been selected, according to an earlier Presidential Decree, as the main TV channels currently available in Russia, plus new youths and children’s channels.

More will subsequently be added, with operators having to obtain permission in each case, though DVB-H is as yet not regulated by Russian law.

All three operators appear to have the necessary infrastructure in place, and Sistema’s subsidiary TSTV has in fact already undertaken trials.

However, Kommersant points out that there are some doubts as to Sistema’s future mobile plans: disagreements led to the resignation of TSTV’s director only last week, and the company has stated a preference for using 3G rather than DVB-H for a future mobile TV service.

South Africa to get 3 DTT muxes

2009-04-16T05:39:00.000-07:00

South Africa will have three national digital multiplexes for television, according to The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), which has just published the Digital Terrestrial Television regulations for final public consultation.

The first multiplex will be used for public broadcasting, including the SABC and Eastern Cape community station Trinity Broadcasting Network. A public value test will be applied to any channels wishing to broadcast on this multiplex. The SABC will have to include two regional channels as part of this multiplex.

In the second multiplex, commercial free-to-air services will be included. E.tv will be allocated 60 percent of the multiplex, with additional capacity to be allocated to new broadcasters.

Of the third multiplex, 50 percent will be reserved for pay-TV operator M-Net, conditional on its ability to switch all its subscribers from its current analogue decoders to digital decoders within a year.

Complete analogue switch-off is planned on November 1, 2011. ICASA wants to introduce competition with the end of the dual illumination period, allow for trials by other interested persons, enable for the provision of mobile services such as DVB-H), provide for M-Net to conduct a hard switch over within a period of 12 months, thus allowing an early release of the digital dividend.

Mobile Word Congres 2009, news from Barcelona

2009-03-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

In Spain the DVB-H standard is still to be adopted for use but operators already offer TV channels through their 3G networks. Spanish technological developer Sidsa, which owns pay-TV conditional access system KeyFly, is having success in countries such as Iran, Russia and Indonesia with its mobile TV conditional access system of the same name. At this congress the company will present tactile mobile phones where users can watch high quality television.

In total, Abertis has deployed seven networks in order to give coverage to mobile TV demonstrations in different existing standards such as DVB-H, DVB-SH and MediaFLO. On this occasion the news is on the use of the DVB-SH technology which will allow the live demonstration of mobile TV in the S band in the city of Barcelona.

Hong Kong gets licenses in process for Mobile TV

2009-01-27T04:51:00.000-08:00

VarietyAsiaOnline.com is reporting that 3 Mobile TV licenses will be put up for auction in mid-2009. Apparently the licenses will run for 15 years, allow up to 20 TV channels to be shown, and use the DVB-H standard. Oh, and an additional 6 using T-DMB (a predominantly Korean standard).

Well this is all good news as a push for DVB-H, but how interesting that another standard gets matted up against it. You can see the sorts of unique factors in Hong Kong that cause for this ‘democratisation’ of standards, but I wonder whether practically Operators might collaborate (if they went for a license).

The good news is won’t have to wait too long to find out - those that win have to have a service up and running by the end of 2010!

Colombia offers ‘free’ DVB-H

2009-01-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

DVB-H services are proving slow to take off, but Colombia’s National TV Commission says it will permit channels to be broadcast free of charge to mobile phone users with DVB-H kit.

Colombia’s Comisión Nacional de Televisión (CNTV) says licences will be offered at zero cost later this year. Mexican-owned América Móvil's Colombian telco has already said it will be interested in taking a licence.
Colombia is busy installing digital TV (to the DVB standard) and the first transmitters go live this coming May, reaching some 11m people. Initially it will be the country’s public channels that will be seen, but the nation’s private channels are also expected to join in the next few months.

Disappointing take-up of Swiss mobile TV

2008-11-05T02:08:00.000-08:00

Take-up of the mobile TV service from Swisscom is not meeting expectations, according to Swisscom Broadcast chief Jean-Paul de Weck, speaking during the Biel Bienne Communication Days (Comdays). The main reason for the slow acceptance is the lack of choice of DVB-H capable handsets.

“Here we have a little problem with the manufacturers. We hope that next year it will be better,” said De Weck in a local newspaper, as quoted by Digital Fernsehen, “With the expansion of the supply of mobile phones and content in October, the DVB-H customer numbers should rise again.”

Up until the end of September, the Nokia N77 was the only handset available to receive the service, though now there are four different models. Swisscom currently has about 5,000 mobile TV users, though it expects to gain more subscribers with the wider choice of handsets.

NDS provides conditional access solution for commercial trial of OMA's BCAST SCP standard

2008-10-15T02:14:00.000-07:00

NDS announced that it is providing core conditional access security infrastructure for world's first commercial trial of Open Mobile Alliance or OMA's BCAST Smartcard Profile or SCP standard. The company specified that MediaCorp, MobileOne, SingTel, and StarHub lead new mobile TV trial.

The NDS solution is based on NDS Unified Headend architecture, which provides single point of rights management for all video broadcasts. The new platform supports multiple mobile broadcast profiles and multiple handsets simultaneously and cost-effectively, centralising content distribution from a single headend for consumption on multiple devices.

Viaccess, LG Electronics, Enensys, Expway and Sagem Orga Team for Broadcast TV Mobile Market Solution

2008-10-10T03:58:00.000-07:00

Viaccess, a France Telecom company, announced a partnership with LG Electronics, Enensys, Expway and Sagem Orga to secure access to mobile broadcast TV based on the OMA BCAST SmartCard Profile Standard.

The initiative launched by the partners aims at providing customers and operators with a production ready end to end environment, including handset from LG Electronics.

Viaccess's Conditional Access System dedicated to OMA Bcast Smartcard profile standard provides security and renewability, and reduces SIM management costs for Mobile Operators. Teaming with Enensys, Expway, LG Electronics, and Sagem Orga, Viaccess said it has conducted early interoperability schemes and the partnership announced a deployable solution.

"Our partnership with LG Electronics, Enensys, Expway and Sagem Orga demonstrates our full interoperability with the Broadcast mobile TV market," said Francois Moreau de Saint Martin, Viaccess CEO. "We believe the best value we can propose to our clients is turning the best in class products into immediately deployable solutions, and minimise integration costs. That's why Viaccess is building an ecosystem with partners to ensure compatibility of our solutions with the complete chain of broadcast equipment and receivers."

Thomson's Mobile TV solutions chosen by 3 Italia for Europe's largest DVB-H service

2008-10-09T03:53:00.000-07:00

The Italian mobile operator, 3 Italia, has built a new operation centre for the mobile television services La3 TV, based on an integrated solution from Thomson the worldwide leader in video solutions. 3 Italia operates Europe's largest DVB-H service with over 850,000 subscribers in Italy. The new Thomson mobile video headend allows 3 Italia to manage encoding and delivery in house, with the capability to broadcast up to 20 channels over DVB-H, with superior picture quality.

The solution is based on Thomson's ViBE Mobile TV encoder to achieve the highest possible quality of MPEG-4 compression, optimizing the bandwidth available for mobile television.

Thomson engineers provided systems design, integration, commissioning and training services for the whole implementation. The installation was completed in a record-timeframe, and handed over in July 2008.

"We have been selected for Europe's largest mobile TV services, and Thomson's mobile TV solutions are at the heart of some of the most important deployments worldwide" said Patrick Montliaud, Senior Vice President of Thomson's Networks and Integration Solutions within the Systems division. "We look forward to accompanying 3 Italia with our scalable solutions as their user base grows even further."

Thomson is unique in supporting the entire media chain from high-definition content creation to multi-play services for home consumption.

Qatar readies for world’s first commercial Mobile TV service based on DVB-H and OMA BCast Smart Card Profile technology

2008-10-08T03:48:00.000-07:00

Qatar Telecom (Qtel), the leading telecommunications service provider, and Nokia Siemens Networks have signed the world’s first commercial Mobile TV deployment contract based on DVB-H and OMA BCast Smart Card Profile technology.

Nokia Siemens Networks will supply Qtel with state-of-the-art Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H) solution providing their subscribers enhanced TV viewing experiences on their mobile phones with the added flexibility of selecting their preferred subscription payment model.

A strategic partner for operators looking to deploy Mobile TV solutions, Nokia Siemens Networks will roll out a DVB-H solution with OMA BCast Smart Card Profile (SCP) for Qtel. With OMA BCast SCP, mobile operators are able to integrate the management rights for Mobile TV broadcast content, provided via DVB-H, into their existing infrastructure. This comprehensive mobile TV solution includes software, hardware, consulting & integration, network design and implementation services. For the authentication of mobile TV subscribers, Nokia Siemens Networks is providing its One-BSF solution, forming a key part of Qtel's Unified Subscriber Database strategy for creating a common subscriber profile to be used for both mobile and DVB-H service.

From http://www.albawaba.com

Polish DVB-H tender nears

2008-10-07T03:47:00.001-07:00

The long-awaited Polish mobile TV tender may finally be announced next week, according to Anna Strezynska, the president of the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE).

Quoted in Wirtualne Media, she added that that the UKE, along with the other industry regulator KRRiT (National Broadcasting Council), have agreed that 66% of the DVB-H multiplex will be allocated to audiovisual services and the remainder to multimedia ones.

The winner of the DVB-H contest will be awarded a licence valid until 2023. The service they launch will initially be available in 31 towns and cities and only rolled out nationally following ASO, which – it is hoped – will take place in 2012 but could be delayed to 2014

Nagravision secures commercial DVB-H services for Alsumaria TV, the first services based on MicroSDs in the Middle East

2008-09-18T02:07:00.000-07:00

Swiss company Nagravision, a Kudelski Group company announced today that Alsumaria TV, the Iraqi satellite network, has selected Nagravision's conditonal access system (CAS) for its DVB-H services. One of the most dynamic and watched TV stations in Iraq, Alsumaria TV transmits on both Nilesat and Arabsat. Alsumaria TV's Mobision, now available throughout Iraq, is the first ever Middle East Mobile TV DVB-H bouquet to be based on Nagravision's MicroSD Cards with embedded security.

The Nagravision cards allow Alsumaria TV to offer services, through Mobision Mobile TV, to consumers in Iraq with both connected and unconnected devices such as mobile handsets, media players and GPS systems. In Iraq, any consumer with a certified DVB-H handset can subscribe to Mobision by inserting the Nagravision MicroSD Card into the mobile device and activating the service using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Mobision will be available through all the mobile outlets.

By introducing such an advanced technology into a fluctuating Iraqi market, Alsumaria TV not only positioned itself as one of the most high tech TV stations in the Arab world, always offering the best services, but also as a technology trend-setter providing unique audio-visual solutions to the wide audience. Through this smart positioning, Mobision is providing Nagravision MicroSD cards containing significant flash memory. Consumers can store their personal data such as photos, music, among others. At the same time, Mobision subscribers have the ability to record and time-shift DVB-H services adding PVR (personal video recording) capabilities to mobile TV viewing.

Mobision features a bouquet of up to 20 TV channels such as Alsumaria TV, and the new 'Shakomo' channel, created by Alsumaria as well, and many other well-recognised TV stations including several specialised channels only broadcasting sports, news, economic news, cartoon, weather, and music.

"Alsumaria TV selected Nagravision based on proven expertise gathered in other mobile TV commercial mass deployments, as well as a unique ecosystem supporting the largest choice of integrated broadcast equipment and mobile devices. Our long experience in the pay-TV arena includes having the first and the most deployed CAS in the mobile TV industry, which enables us to perfectly understand the needs of Alsumaria TV. Alsumaria TV is offering an outstanding and innovative set of services to Iraqi consumers and it is an honor to have been selected by them," said Thierry Legrand, Nagravision Vice President of Sales SMEA.

Alsumaria TV is determined to bridge communication between Iraqis on one hand, and between Iraqis and the world on the other. The DVB-H is a brilliantly practical idea that will help Iraqis suffering from electricity cuts to follow up on news via their mobile phones while allowing them to be aware around the clock about the latest developments and updates in Iraq and around the world.

ENENSYS Technologies demonstrates a complete end-to-end solution for optimizing DVB-H network bandwidth

2008-09-17T02:12:00.000-07:00

At this year's IBC, ENENSYS Technologies will unveil a world-class solution for optimizing the delivery of DVB-H regional content with nationwide services, enabling operators to tremendously reduce their annual OPEX.

ENENSYS' portfolio ranges from transcoding solutions and DVB-H IP encapsulation through transmission and IP distribution, to DVB-H RF signal reception and real-time analysis. ENENSYS extends its comprehensive DVB-H end-to-end solution to support regional content distribution by introducing MobiEdge, the new cost-effective and highly reliable product based on the world's first FPGA processing DVB-H IP encapsulator, MobiMUX. This unique and patented solution enables operators to drastically reduce their annual OPEX by transmitting useful data from the central head-end and building DVB-H stream at the transmission site.

As well as supporting native statistical multiplexing, MobiMUX includes the management of Multi-Mobile Network Operator (Multi-MNO) sharing the same IP encapsulator while guaranteeing bandwidth allocated to each operator. Bandwidth consumption can be logged so that the broadcast network operator can bill each MNO according to the consumed bandwidth.

To address regional content distribution, ENENSYS has designed an innovative and optimized bandwidth distribution solution that encompasses MobiMUX with the new product, MobiEdge. From the central head-end, MobiMUX carries out the aggregation of regional and national content while optimizing bandwidth delivery. At each transmission site, MobiEdge receives the broadcast content and performs DVB-H IP encapsulation including time-slicing and MPE-FEC. ENENSYS' regional content distribution solution always features statistical multiplexing and Multi-MNO.

ENENSYS Technologies has years of experience in the design and manufacturing of Digital TV transmission systems. Offer ranges from Mobile TV, Digital Terrestrial TV, IP Distribution to Test & Monitoring solutions, with high grade services and trainings. Covered standards include DVB-H, T-DMB, DVB-T, DVB-T2, DTMB, Digital Cable, ...

Press release from Enensys

KPN launches mobile TV service in Netherlands with Nokia technology

2008-08-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

Finnish telecomms infrastructure company Nokia Siemens Networks, owned by the Finnish telecomms solutions provider Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and the German electrical engineering and electronics company Siemens, said on Tuesday (19 August) that ten television channels are now available across the Netherlands through a mobile television solution from Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks.

Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks provided the telecomms group KPN with a turnkey head-end solution based on open standards to launch broadcasts on the MobielTV service.

The service is made available through a broadcast network based on the Digital Video Broadcast for Handheld (DVB-H), the European standard for mobile television, and can be watched on DVB-H-enabled mobile devices.

More channels are expected to be included in the offering in the future, the company said.

Italia : free Mobile TV offers

2008-06-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

The Italian branch of cell phone network 3 has stolen a march on rivals by introducing free mobile TV.
Italia 3 users are now offered free terrestrial coverage from Mediaset and RAI, plus Al Gore's green channel Current TV. Italia 3 is even launching its own network, La3.
Its mobile customers will be the first outside of Japan and South Korea to get free TV.
Observers note that 3's parent company Hutchison Telecom is based in Hong Kong and therefore aware of the latest consumer trends emerging from the Far East.
For Euros 2 ($3.09) a week, Italia 3 customers can also watch Sky Sport Mobile, Sky Cinema Mobile and Sky Tg 24 on their cell phones.
Italy has emerged as one of Europe's leading markets for mobile TV, with Italia 3 the number one player.
Vodafone and Telecom Italia Mobile have also begun investing in this area, however, in which TV is beamed to handsets using the technology known as DVB-H.
Analysts at Datamonitor predict that by the end of this decade, mobile TV services will generate $5.5 billion in subscription revenues.

Orange Sports TV Channel on Personal Mobile Television (France)

2008-05-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

Orange France has obtained a DVB-H mode frequency for its "Orange Sports" TV channel, following the request for applications issued on 6 November 2007 by the French Audiovisual Regulator.

Orange Sports TV, the sports news and discovery channel, will thus be one of the first channels to be broadcast on mobiles in France, via the new DVB-H standard. Winning this frequency will enable Orange Sports TV to continue its development and expand its audience. The channel, launched on 6 September 2007, is already available on TV capable mobiles, on the Internet and on Orange TV.

Orange Sports TV is the first French television channel specially created for multi-media broadcasting: TV, Internet, and mobile. 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.

Samsung and Nokia to Collaborate on Mobile TV and DRM Standard

2008-05-20T03:50:00.000-07:00

To encourage greater adoption of broadcast mobileTV services and accelerate service deployment, Samsung and Nokiatoday announced they will work to achieve interoperability among theirDVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld) enabled mobile devices and theopen standards based Nokia network services system.

The handsetmanufacturers will work together to support solutions based on the open OMABCAST standard available for operator partners interested in deployingmulti-vendor mobile TV services and trials in 2007 and onward. "Within DVB-H technology, Samsung has already commercialized handsetsbased on the CBMS OSF standard, and will develop the OMA BCAST standardbased mobile TV handset. Its inclusion in our product portfolios willenhance our customers' flexibility in choosing suitable standards based ontheir business models," says Kwang Suk Hyun, Senior Vice President ofAlliance Team of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

"Nokia warmly welcomes the collaboration in accelerating the adoptionof DVB-H based mobile TV services to the market. We see that the OMA BCASTstandard is essential in launching mobile TV services on a global scale,"says Harri Mannisto, Director, Multimedia, Nokia. "Further, thewell-defined service and content protection profiles within the OMA BCASTstandard such as the already now available OMA DRM, provides the ideal pathtowards standardized solutions enabling a coherent and open market forsuccessful worldwide mobile TV deployments." The deployment of mobile TV services will offer new businessopportunities for companies across the value chain, including content andbroadcast companies, mobile service providers, infrastructure and handsetmanufacturers, and technology providers.

The availability of interoperableDVB-H enabled devices and services is a key factor in further opening upthe market. DVB-H is an effective technology for deploying broadcast mobile TVamong the many digital technologies available to deliver mobile TVservices. DVB-H technology offers high service level quality, low batteryconsumption and offers the end-user the ability to simultaneously receivebroadcasts while using other mobile services such as telephony and internetaccess on their device.

In parallel to supporting mobile operators launching mobile TV servicesbased on existing technologies in their networks, Samsung and Nokia areboth active in ongoing standardization and technology development tooptimize the broadcast mobile TV experience. The companies will work oninteroperability efforts using the open OMA standard while continuing toparticipate in industry-wide interoperability efforts within the relatedstandardization bodies.

Skyworks Supports First European Mobile TV Slider Phone

2008-05-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

Skyworks Solutions announced that Samsung is leveraging its ultra-compact and high efficiency front-end modules (FEMs) for open-loop EDGE, and power amplifiers (PAs) for WCDMA and HSDPA across more than 10 innovative universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) models. In particular, Skyworks is supporting their first mobile TV slider phone for Europe.
At a slim 16.7 millimeters (mm), the P960 supports both European mobile TV technology standards – digital video broadcast-handheld (DVB-H), and the new open mobile alliance mobile broadcast service enabler suite (OMA-BCAST). The handset features optimized viewing with a large 2.6 inch quarter video graphics array (QVGA) thin film transistor (TFT) screen, and Bang & Olufsen ICEPower technology for top-notch audio. The device also offers a 3-megapixel camera with power LED, music player, and FM radio with RDS for 24/7 news.
“Skyworks congratulates Samsung on achieving the milestone launch of Europe’s first DVB-H handset, and is pleased to support their family of compelling mobile TV platforms,” said Liam K. Griffin, Skyworks’ senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Our participation in their P960 design reflects our multimode design-win momentum and UMTS market share gains at Samsung and other OEMs.”
The SKY77519 FEM incorporated by Samsung is the industry’s smallest solution for open-polar EDGE architectures, enabling OEMs to raise the mobile bar with an optimized power usage solution (OPUS) and delivering maximum performance that can help increase talk times by 10 percent, improve power savings by 30 percent, and expand battery capacity by 10 percent. As a result, the P960 promises battery life of up to five hours of TV watching time.
In addition, the small and efficient SKY77170 PA packs full 1920-1980 megahertz (MHz) bandwidth coverage into a single compact package. A directional coupler is integrated into the module, thus eliminating the need for any external coupler. The single gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) contains all active circuitry in the module.

Estonia : Levira starts DVB-H trial

2008-05-14T03:49:00.000-07:00

The Estonian national transmission company Levira has begun a DVB-H pilot in the capital, Tallinn.
The service, which is offering seven channels free of charge, with more to be added shortly, can be received with Nokia 77 sets that retail for around €500 and will last until the end of the year.
Levira, which is 49% owned by France’s TDF and has partnered up in the trial with EMT, hopes the necessary legislation will be put in place for it to launch a full DVB-H service next year.

Kenya launches mobile TV

2008-05-05T04:15:00.000-07:00

Business Day reports that Kenya has launched a mobile TV service. It is the third African country after Nigeria and Namibia to do so.

The service was launched by South African continental pay-TV operator MultiChoice through its Kenyan subsidiary, MultiChoice Kenya, in conjunction with mobile operator Safaricom and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.

The technology being used is Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H), the same as that in Nigeria and Namibia.

Meanwhile in South Africa, the launch of a mobile TV service is reportedly being delayed by government.

For more informations about MobileTv in Africa, see also : http://dvb-handheld.blogspot.com/search/label/Africa

Mobile TV Broadcast World Standards

2008-04-23T03:59:00.000-07:00

About Mobile TV in China during olympics game

2008-04-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

There are 2.1 million mobile TV users, including 250,000 paid-for subscriptions, at rates as low as $1.60 a month. In China video is the only killer application for 3G so far. Maybe this stats could seem so high, but we have to keep in mind that nowadays, China has more than 508 million users (July’07). So only 0,4% of users use this kind of 3G service, less than other countries such us UK, Italy, Germany or Spain.

Mobile TV is well recognized as an important service in China. Mobile TV services will be used officially during the Olympic 2008. MII and SARFT are taking care of the network building, Service Delivery platform, Charging, etc; to jointly provide the services.
CCSA ( China Communication Standards Association) is busy with the industrial standard making. CMCC and CU are busy with the mobile TV SDP trial. Platform vendors and Terminal vendors are working closely.

CCSA TC5, is responsible for the mobile TV standards drafting in CCSA.

Main responsible WG in TC5 is WG7 (Application&Service), other related WGs are WG4(CDMA), WG5(Security), WG8(Frequency), WG9(GSM/UMTS/TD-SCDMA).
–In WG4, BCMCS based on 3GPP2 DO release 0 enhance version, covering equipment, signalling, interface etc.
–In WG5, Security on WCDMA/TD-SCDMA MBMS service, and Security on CDMA2000 BCMCS service has been studied.
–In WG7, the general aspects of mobile TV system are being studied. Such as, General technical requirements for mobile multimedia service; Service Protection technical requirements of Mobile Multimedia Service;Terminal technical requirements of Mobile Multimedia Service, etc.
–In WG8, the available frequency for mobile TV in China, frequency resources for terrestrial Mobile TV system are being studied.
–In WG9, MBMS related topics are being studied

Nokia admits DVB-H still not taking off

2008-04-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

Nokia's head of internet services has admitted DVB-H isn't taking off in the way the firm had hoped, and that customers seem more interested in downloading content than watching broadcasts.
Niklas Savander told a conference in Helsinki: "We have seen that there are multiple segments who are not interested in the broadcasting, but rather in downloads", Reuters reports. He also suggested "roll out is slower than... we anticipated a couple of years ago".

This should come as no surprise to anyone who watches TV. As the living room experience moves steadily towards an on-demand model, it seems perverse for the mobile-TV industry to be deploying a broadcast paradigm. There are situations where everyone wants to watch the same thing at the same time - sporting events or world-shaking news - but the rest of the time 3G networks seem to be sufficient for distributing video.
Nokia has pushed DVB-H very hard in Europe, and beyond, but there are still only 12 deployments worldwide (and three of those are in Italy).
Deploying a new broadcast network is very expensive, and operators are going to have to find innovative ways of clawing that money back if they're going to make any success of mobile video - and that's assuming that punters actually want to watch it anyway.

Swisscom will launch DVB-H based mobile TV service on 13 May

2008-04-21T04:19:00.000-07:00

Swisscom has said it will launch Bluewin TV mobile on May 13. The mobile version of the TV service of the incumbent telecoms operator will use a DVB-H network. Bluewin TV mobile will cost CHF16 (€9.94) a month or CHF2 per day day and provide customers with mobile access to 20 channels, including the public services SF1 and TSR1 and commercial broadcasters such as Eurosport. The service will feature an electronic programme guide (EPG) and other additional services.
At the moment, DVB-H in Switzerland reaches 44% of the population. Customers in and around Basel, Berne, Geneva, Zurich and Lausanne will be able to receive UEFA Euro 2008 football coverage with a DVB-H enabled handset.
If viewers are outside the DVB-H coverage area or don’t possess a DVB-H enabled handset, they will be able to receive Bluewin TV mobile on the Vodafone live! portal using UMTS/EDGE, which covers 99.8% of the population

TANDBERG Television Drives TV’s Digital Destiny with Industry Leading Solutions for Next Generation Video

2008-04-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson Group, will show its award-winning solutions that are enabling the television industry to fulfill its digital destiny and video vision, today and for the future. Whether it's advanced compression systems, on-demand or content distribution, the company's products are being used today by the world's leading broadcasters, operators and programmers to deliver new viewer experiences and advertising opportunities. From state-of-the-art acquisition, contribution and distribution; through HDTV and VOD; to internet, mobile and IPTV – TANDBERG Television continues to drive the roll-out of multi-platform digital entertainment, and its NAB booth (#SU4210) will highlight live end-to-end demonstrations of its solutions for this multiplatform universe.
“NAB will provide us with the ideal opportunity to show how our best-in-class solutions are enabling today’s transition to digital TV, making broadcast TV analog turn-off a reality around the world. Moreover, as the personalized television experience gains momentum and HDTV becomes a mass market service, TANDBERG Television’s strong vision for the future of television is enabling broadcasters and operators to address the management, distribution and delivery of an ever increasing amount of video, to a growing community of global consumers,” says Eric Cooney, President and CEO of TANDBERG Television.
The TANDBERG Television booth will feature a number of zones focused on live demonstrations and interactive showcases of the company’s broad solutions portfolio. New products being launched include key developments in the company’s compression systems and software offerings, with solutions designed to meet customer needs today and help them grow tomorrow. The following zones will be featured:
From Acquisition to Delivery
The ‘Acquisition to Delivery’ zone will be demonstrating a broad range of TANDBERG Television contribution and distribution solutions. These include the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoders including the Voyager DSNG encoders, the latest DVB-S2 satellite modulator, the IP video gateway products, a full range of professional receivers in addition to control and management platforms for both linear and non-linear content distribution.
The centerpiece of this zone will be the new RX8320 TANDBERG Television's New professional receiver designed specifically to smooth the digital transition and improve programming reception see press release: TANDBERG Television's New Professional Receivers Smooth the Digital Transition and Improve Programming Distribution Efficiency
There will also be demonstrations of the latest EN8090 MPEG-4 AVC HD encoder configured for low delay contribution quality applications, of Clarus™, the powerful encoding pre-processing solution, and of the RX1290 decoding content between 1.5 Mbps (MPEG-4 AVC SD) up to 90 Mbps (MPEG-2 HD 4:2:2).

Mobile Television
The zone will feature demonstrations of TANDBERG Television's mPlex™ mobile TV encoder - the most advanced platform for mobile TV, providing the highest quality and density of encoding, featuring live multi-channel DVB-H transmission to handheld devices at the show. The mPlex encoder is equally applicable for 3G unicast and broadcast MBMS, as well as other mobile TV delivery interfaces such as T-DMB and ISDB-T. This most powerful mobile TV encoding/multiplexing/streaming platform has the flexibility to support simultaneous networks and emerging standards such as future ATSC M/H.
The capability for mobile TV leverages beyond the compression excellence of TANDBERG Television into the full scope of head-end to primary distribution, including systems management. As a part of the Ericsson group, the mobile TV solution extends to a fully packaged system from entire back-office to downloaded client that delivers broad and compelling consumer experiences - from fast channel-change, to podcast TV, to advertising and interactivity within a common system, all within the streaming environment of cellular delivery.
Broadband Television.

Taiwan market: Mobile TV trial broadcasters would prefer joint operations

2008-04-10T04:26:00.000-07:00

Four of the five trial mobile TV broadcast licensees in Taiwan have suggested to the National Communications Commission (NCC) that they be allowed to work together or establish a joint venture to operate mobile TV services on an integrated radio frequency band of 12MHz, according to industry sources.
The NCC issued five mobile TV broadcasting licenses on a trial basis in November 2006, each assigned a 6MHz band covering either northern Taiwan or southern Taiwan, the sources indicated. The five trial broadcasting licensees are China Television (CTV), Public Television Service (PTS), Chinese Television System (CTS), Chung-Hwa Wideband Best Network (Tw-Airnet) and Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV), with TTV adopting the Qualcomm-developed MediaFLO standard while the other four are using the DVB-H standard.

The four licensees adopting DVB-H would prefer to operate jointly or set up a joint venture to broadcast over a combined 12MHz band, the sources pointed out, as this will involve less investment and market risk than individual operations on two separate bands, the sources explained.

ICO to partner with Alcatel-Lucent on DVB-SH

2008-04-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

ICO Global Communications announced it will be launching a $500 million satellite into space April 14th that will eventually provide broadcast mobile TV service nationwide using digital video broadcast-satellite handheld (DVB-SH) technology.

“It is the largest commercial satellite ever lifted into space by (Atlas V booster),” CEO Tim Bryan said at a media event Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve worked for three years; spent $500 million to put this satellite program in space.”

DVB-SH, a variant of DVB-H that relies on satellite for delivery, is largely unproven (only satellite radio can be pointed to as a similar commercially launched service) for mobile TV services.

The Craig McCaw-backed company pointed to spectral efficiency as one of the greatest characteristics of the technology, which it plans to first trial in Las Vegas and Raleigh, N.C., around June or July. “We know DVB-SH is better. We’ve got the real world experience to back it up,” Bryan said. John Leonard, president of applications and business at Alcatel-Lucent, said trials have produced a spectral efficiency that’s twice as efficient as DVB-H.

ICO has signed on with Alcatel-Lucent to provide software that will manage content, the programming guide and interactive components for multiple screens. Its software will work with multiple technologies, “independent of the delivery vehicle, the delivery access for that content,” he said. It’s also focused on providing an identical experience across all platforms. “You don’t want the user to re-learn how to search for content, how to access content every time they change a device,” Leonard said.

“The way you access content should be consistent” through a “common content management system and a common interactivity management system.” Both companies are also claiming DVB-SH is more spectrally efficient than MediaFLO however MediaFLO USA Inc.

is focused on broadcasting TV to handsets while ICO is going after in-car TV screens and larger portable screens. Bryan said there will be opportunity for the company to extend its offering to cellphones, but didn’t give specifics and the perception he left behind was that it might never happen.

On the programming side, Alcatel-Lucent’s model provides quite a different approach than MediaFLO has crafted with carriers. The Qualcomm Inc. subsidiary does most of the content deals (excluding pairs of exclusive channels recently announced with Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility) while Alcatel-Lucent’s approach will let carriers pick and choose their content at will. Moreover, Leonard argued that MediaFLO leaves less room for innovative business models to emerge.

“MediaFLO is a pre-defined business model in the way it operates,” he said. Indeed, he believes business models will determine whether mobile TV will stay afloat (and grow) or sink into an abyss. “What we need to define as an industry is a business model,” he added. “Until we get that right obviously we’ll be a relatively small base of users.” Beyond business models, ICO’s Bryan said nationwide coverage will have to be in place for any mobile TV provider to stick.

“Competition and services in the video field are highly prized,” he said. Following both companies presentations, a financial analyst asked the executives to explain how the venture is more than a research and development project that was “mouse-trapped.” “This is not an experiment. This is a product. This is a solution,” Leonard said. “It’s going to take time for the market to develop.”

Bryan concluded by saying the addressable market is at least as great as satellite radio services in the U.S., which has surpassed 17 million subscribers thus far. “We see the size of that market being at least that size, many millions of customers,” he said.

from http://www.rcrnews.com/

Ocean Blue Software Launches World's First Truly Mobile TV Receivers

2008-04-03T04:12:00.000-07:00

Bristol-based Ocean Blue Software will be releasing its Azure TV software, which runs on ST Microelectronics Nomadik platform, with hybrid support for DVB-H, DVB-T and DVB-SH, late this year.

Apart from being the first to support multiple standards in one solution, the Azure-Nomadik platform will be able to receive DVB-SH broadcasts, the new DVB standard for satellite broadcast to handheld devices.

DVB-SH will allow satellite TV to be received on the move, without the need for a dish, overcoming the bandwidth and country border restrictions associated with Terrestrial broadcast.

The development will mean that portable TV devices, such as mobile phones, will no longer be tied to a single country or technology. People will now be able to take their mobile devices to any country operating Digital TV and be able to view TV, whether it be from DVB-H, T and when available SH transmission.

The Ocean Blue Azure/Nomadik combination will be available to designers for fast development of new generations of multimedia applications for portable media players, smart phones, wireless PDAs, internet appliances and car entertainment systems.

The STn8815 application processor enables devices to play back web content, capture high resolution pictures and record HD video clips, and receive mobile-TV and to play vivid 3D immersive games. Based on ST's distributed-processing architecture with smart multimedia accelerators, the Nomadik processors enable compelling multimedia applications with ultra-low power consumption.

Mobile TV Broadcasting: lot of Standards

2008-04-02T04:09:00.000-07:00

There is a fragmentation of standards for digital mobile TV broadcasting that appears to be the way of the future, just as we have NTSC, PAL, and SECAM for analog TV. In digital mobile TV broadcasting, several of the standards are being used in only one country today, and that situation is likely to continue in the future. Examples are MediaFLO in the US and CMMB in China.

The US Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) is developing its own mobile TV broadcast standard for local broadcasters in the US, called ATSC-M/H. In addition to the US, the standard could be used in other countries choosing ATSC as their digital TV standard.The most widely deployed standard, in terms of number of services available, is DVB-H. In addition to being promoted by the European Union, DVB-H trials or limited services are operating in the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, and soon, Indonesia.

In Europe, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Russia, and the Netherlands are expected to have DVB-H services on the air in 2008, joining Italy and Finland.Another option for mobile TV broadcasting was brought to market in Southeast Asia, the Mid-East, and Africa, in 2007. Mobile handsets began shipping with analog TV receivers. Around five million receivers had shipped by the end of 2007. That number is expected to grow six times larger in 2008. There are many markets where digital broadcasts have not begun and analog shutoff is years away.

Analog TV is free, the consumer just has to buy a handset with a receiver, making this an attractive proposition, similar to the way consumers have snapped up digital mobile TV broadcast receivers in Japan and South Korea, where the digital terrestrial service is free-to-air.The launch of new digital mobile TV broadcast services in countries where they are currently not offered will drive an increase in mobile TV broadcast subscribers. In addition, as there are more services there will be larger numbers of handset models available at a range of prices. In-Stat expects the number of subscribers to grow from under 3 million at the end of 2007 to over 200 million in 2012.

Garmin Licenses S3's onHandTV(TM) Mobile TV Software

2008-04-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

Silicon & Software Systems (S3) today announced that their onHandTV(TM) Mobile TV software has been licensed by Garmin Ltd., the global leader in portable satellite navigation. The software provides Garmin's nuvi 900T navigator with digital television functionality. The navigator is co-branded with wireless carrier 3 Italia for deployment in their DVB-H network and will be available in July 2008 in Italy.

S3 is the leading provider of mobile TV software and was selected by Garmin because they delivered a low risk solution and enabled a fast time to market. S3's proven interoperability with multiple networks and service protection vendors, and their support for multiple industry standards, gives the 900T a global reach into countries launching Mobile TV services.

"Garmin, as the global leader in portable consumer navigation products, is one of S3's most coveted customers and I am proud to add them to our list of onHandTV licensees", said John Maguire, General Manager, Consumer Mobile, S3. "S3 is at the forefront of enabling enriched TV services on multiple devices and we believe that portable navigation systems offer a compelling personal TV experience to consumers.We are at a critical tipping point in the industry where new business models and converged services are changing the way we consume TV and location-aware TV products will have a significant part to play in the future", concluded Maguire.

AT&T to launch MediaFlo based live mobile TV services in summer

2008-03-28T05:05:00.000-07:00

AT&T, the largest US mobile network operator, plans to come up with mobile TV service in May.

AT&T said it would offer MediaFlo based mobile TV services in USA to users of the Vu phone from LG Electronics Inc and the Access from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

AT&T Mobile TV with FLO will feature full-length and sports content from MTV Networks’ Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, NBC, CBS, ESPN and Fox and plans two exclusive channels which are yet not disclosed.

FLO TV has been available on select Verizon Wireless handsets for over a year.

Spokesman Mark Siegel said AT&T waited until May to offer the service as it was “a brand new service on a brand new network, and two brand new devices.” The company plans to reveal it’s pricing at the time of its service launch.

MediaFlo in USA is the equivalent of the DVB-H standard in Europe

Thomson committed to joined-up services across multiple networks

2008-03-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

Thomson highlighted its unified approach to content management and delivery across multiple platforms at IPTV World Forum 2008, outlining plans to converge its SmartVision service delivery platform for IPTV with the SmartVision platform for mobile TV.

The result will be a common management and distribution solution for linear video over 3G cellular networks, VOD over 3G, DVB-H broadcast TV (mobile), and both linear and on-demand video over DSL. According to Thierry Boudard, who is responsible for strategy marketing and innovation for service platforms at Thomson, the system will enable network operators to provide the same VOD offer through 3G and DSL and provide cross-platform continuity of service. "Subscribers can watch a movie trailer on the mobile phone and order the movie to watch on the phone or television," he explains, as an example. Ideal for telcos with fixed and mobile services, this also opens up new business model opportunities including tiered movie rental prices to cover mobile, television or both.

Thomson also announced a push-VOD solution as part of the SmartVision software platform and this is also designed to help operators provide a joined-up service using different access networks. New SmartVision modules will enable satellite and digital terrestrial platforms to download on-demand content into PVRs even without a return path connection. Where they do have access to broadband, they can use the IP pipe to augment this VOD delivery. Typically, the broadcast spectrum might be used for hit movies or TV shows, and the IP connection for long-tail content. The system supports real-time or progressive download.

Motorola Brings the Power of Touch to Mobile TV Device : DH02

2008-03-26T05:22:00.000-07:00

Motorola, Inc. today unveiled the latest addition to its Mobile TV devices portfolio -- the Mobile TV DH02 -- a personalized TV, multimedia entertainment on the go and navigation device featuring a touch screen user interface.

Building on the Mobile TV DH01 introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show and the Mobile TV DH01n introduced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, the Mobile TV DH02 demonstrates Motorola's ongoing commitment to enabling media mobility and accelerating personal media experiences. The new device features a touch screen user interface with intuitive click, drag and scroll icon-based menus. The inclusion of HSDPA/GPRS back channel support gives MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) the potential to offer rich interactive services to their customer base.

Motorola DH 01

"Today's consumers want to view TV at their convenience on devices that satisfy the entertainment experience with an easy to use interface -- and Motorola is delivering on this personalized mobile video and media experience with our end-to-end portfolio of mobile TV/Video solutions," said Navin Mehta, vice president, Mobile TV and Applications Services, Motorola. "With our rich legacy and experience in broadcast RF design, video delivery, mobility, services and devices that enable the multimedia experience, Motorola is uniquely positioned to enable a seamless mobile TV/Video solution that delivers a rich consumer media experience, and provides revenue generating opportunities for broadcasters, content owners and mobile network operators."

An all-in-one personal entertainment and navigation device, the Mobile TV DH02 delivers mobile entertainment in your pocket. Additional features of DH02 include:

-- Live DVB-H TV with PVR capabilities

-- timeshift, live pause, frame grabbing

-- Advanced navigation capabilities with GPS and Tele Atlas map views, points of interest and voice-activated directions, and handsfree calls to points of interest.

-- Convenient automatic channel scan and listing

-- High resolution WQVGA display

-- Stunning digital video quality @ 25 fps

-- Personal content like video, music and pictures on microSD cards

-- Five-minute memory buffer for live pause and time shift of TV channels

-- Points of Interest with voice assisted guidance, real-time traffic information and speed alerts

-- E-call (Emergency Calls) and SMS support

-- Bluetooth and earphones

-- Portrait and landscape auto-flip

-- use portrait view for navigation and POI calls, and landscape for mobile TV and personal media entertainment

Motorola's standards-based mobile TV solutions include network infrastructure (DVB-H transmission network equipment, video headend center equipment, interactive application services delivery platform), services (to design, deploy and optimize the network in addition to application services); and the devices themselves.

For broadcasters, the Motorola mobile TV solution represents expanded viewing figures, extended services in the new distribution channel of mobile viewers, and greater reach for advertisers. For MNOs, Motorola's mobile TV solution enables differentiated service offerings with interactive service capabilities to increase consumer revenue and loyalty.

Namibia takes the lead in mobile television

2008-03-25T04:56:00.000-07:00

MTC Namibia and MultiChoice Namibia announced on 18 March 2008 the launch of one of the world's most eagerly anticipated new consumer technologies - mobile television.This launch puts Namibia at the front of the digital technology race in Africa and highlights the progressive stance that the Namibian Communication Commission (NCC) is taking in the roll-out of new technologies in the country.

MultiChoice Namibia switched on its mobile television network today using the Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld (DVB-H) technology standard. DVB-H is regarded as the world's leading mobile broadcast technology standard and allows for the digital terrestrial broadcast of live television channels to a mobile phone.

Consumers in Namibia will be able to receive a specially compiled package of DStv channels on their mobile phones that includes popular channels such as CNN, Big Brother Africa, NBC and top-level sport from around the world.Worldwide research indicates there is genuine consumer desire for superior quality video and audio content that offers information, as well as entertainment, anywhere, anytime - and mobile TV is a very natural progression from TV in the lounge.

Industry analysts predict that by 2010 up to 150 million people worldwide will be regular users of mobile broadcast services.MultiChoice Namibia General Manager, Kobus Bezuidenhout, said: "We are very excited that Namibia becomes one of the first countries in Africa to roll-out mobile television services. With our partners MTC we will ensure that Namibians have early access to global innovations in the industry."Albertus Aochamub, General Manager: Corporate Affairs of MTC Namibia, adds: "MTC brought mobile telephony to Namibia 13 years ago. We recently introduced mobile broadband through our 3G/HSDPA during December 2006 and we can now proudly participate in a mobile TV offering using our world-class network."DVB-H allows for the digital terrestrial broadcast of live television channels to mobile telephones.

It differs from third-generation (3G) mobile telephony in that DVB-H is a one-to-many transmission on a linear basis and uses broadcasting infrastructure, while 3G uses telephony infrastructure that delivers point-to-point services. DVB-H therefore uses scarce bandwidth much more effectively than 3G technologies. 3G and DVB-H can, however, be complementary, especially in the provision of return path service for live television (ie, voting from big Brother, etc) or similar services.

MultiChoice Namibia chose the DVB-H standard because it improves robustness in the very difficult reception environments of indoor and outdoor and lowers battery power consumption in mobile phones.In order to receive the DStv-Mobile service, Namibian consumers will have to acquire a mobile phone that is specially configured to receive DVB-H broadcasts and is programmed for this purpose in Namibia. DVB-H configured cellular telephones will be made available to consumers through MTC.

Gigabyte GSmart MS808 3G Windows Mobile 6.1 handset coming Q2 08

2008-03-13T06:02:00.000-07:00

Looking at the Gigabyte GSmart MS808 handset which is a 3G Windows Mobile 6.1 one at that seems to be pretty nice, but has it got what it takes to hit the mobile phone market with an impact?

The GSmart MS808 3G Windows Mobile 6.1 mobile phone works on the following networks which include GPRS, GSM850/900/1800/1900, EDGE, WCDMA 2100, and HSDPA, some of the features this phone has include Marvell PXA310 CPU, DVB-T/DVB-H/T-DMB/DMB, and ISDB plus 2.8 inch VGA touch-screen, 3 megapixel camera with auto-focus, digital TV/radio support, 116 x 60 x 14.1mm and WiFi.

So far and going by the above we say this could be a great contender, the Gigabyte GSmart MS808 will be available sometime Q2 08.

GlobeCast Shows Broadcasters Their Options At NAB 2008

2008-03-12T04:49:00.000-07:00

GlobeCast, will be demonstrating the latest trends in international broadcast at NAB 2008. Media Management, multiplatform solutions, HD, IPTV, Mobile TV and more will all be in the spotlight.

GlobeCast Media Management

Broadcasters are becoming increasingly focused on content creation and looking to outsource their content management. In response, GlobeCast has added media management to its service offering and Arsenal TV in the UK and Ion Media Networks in the US are just the latest broadcasters to sign up. Operated from technical operations centers in central London and Sunrise, Florida, GlobeCast Media Management offers full playout, disaster recovery, program substitution and more, under one roof.

Mobile TV

With standards developing for the next generation of mobile television, GlobeCast has been building partnerships for DVB-H experimentation. In Europe, the company already operates a 3G headend and delivers more than 100 live channels to Orange. In the U.S. GlobeCast delivers, encodes and monitors 30 channels for market leader MobiTV.

IPTV

2008 is the year of IPTV in the U.S. and GlobeCast will be highlighting its role in the development of this emerging medium with a live demonstration at NAB. GlobeCast subsidiary WorldTV recently launched an IPTV platform in Canada with NeuLion to bring multicultural content to new markets, and is also aggregating multinational content for a major U.S. telecom company. GlobeCast has gained its extensive knowledge and experience with IPTV in Europe as Orange’s broadcast partner for Orange TV which has over 1 million subscribers.

India : Mobile TV commercial rollout expected in 2008

2008-03-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

The commercial rollout of mobile TV is expected to happen later this year even as Doordarshan is currently running trials with Nokia in Delhi. The government has asked for white papers from different parties on how to take this forward.

This point was made during the Sixth International Conference on Communications Convergence which was organised by IMC.
Speaking on mobile TV, NMIS University’s Chirag Unadkat said DVB-H is emerging as the preferred standard. The challenge for the other players will be in terrestrial spectrum allocation. Will the government be willing to take some spectrum away from DD and give to other players? The spectrum needed for one DD channel can serve 30 mobile channels, said Unadkat.

There is, however, the regulatory issue. Under whose jurisdiction will mobile television come? Is it the broadcaster or the telecom operator? According to Unadkat, telecom companies will play a supporting role in terms of providing things like billing and logistics support.
Another issue is that there are very few handsets in the country that are equipped to support mobile TV. Such a handset costs around Rs 500 more than an average one, Unadkat explained.
According to a survey done by the NMIS University, 36 per cent will use it as a second TV. They are also willing to pay Rs 1000 for such a service.

They are willing to use the mobile to watch television for 75 minutes every day. At the moment though globally no commercial launch has happened. There are several trials going on currently. News, sitcoms and cricket are the genres that are expected to fare well on this medium, Unadkat added.

from http://www.indiantelevision.com/

Etisalat demonstrates DVB-H technology at Cabsat 2008

2008-03-05T04:07:00.000-08:00

Etisalat is participating at Cabsat 2008 and will be displaying the DVB-H technology (Digital Video Broadcasting- Handheld), which brings television to mobiles in a much more advanced manner.

Cabsat is the 14th Middle East cable, satellite, broadcast, and communications exhibition being currently held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 4th to 6th of March.

Users with DVB-H terminals (handsets) will be able to access advanced features of the broadcast content on their handheld units, and enjoy the full benefits of interactive TV.

This new and advanced technology enables the broadcast of TV channels anywhere through a special TV broadcast instead of depending on internet connection. 'Etisalat's mission is to extend people's reach.

With this service, we are increasing the consumer's access to information and entertainment and highlighting our commitment to delivering relevant and convenient services for our customers through innovation and investment in the latest technologies,' said Essa Al Haddad, Chief Marketing Officer at Etisalat.

press release

Thomson participates in First DVB-H Mobile Television Service in Latin America

2008-03-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

Thomson today announces that it is supplying a complete head-end solution to ATV, part of the pan-Latin American media group Albavision, to power a trial mobile television service in Lima, Peru and in Guatemala. The service, the first of its kind in Latin America, will roll out to the commercial market in June 2008.

The service at present features four live television channels, transmitted using the DVB-H broadcast standard. At the head-end, Thomson ViBE Mobile TV encoders compress the incoming video streams, which are then encapsulated into a single transport stream using the Thomson Opal DVB-H encapsulator. The electronic service guide is also created by Thomson.

“The idea of mobile television is exciting consumers in markets globally” said Patrick Montliaud, General Manager of Thomson’s Network and Integration Solutions business. “The system we have delivered to ATV in Lima allows Albavision to build a market with minimum capital expenditure, knowing that they can expand through additional services, increased functionality and interactivity when they need to.”

“We see Mobile TV broadcasting as an important part of our growth in the future” said Angel Gonzalez, CEO of Albavision. “That is why it was important to get our service in Peru on air as quickly as possible. We knew Thomson as a very reliable supplier which could give us a complete, proven solution, and we are very pleased with the progress so far”. Juan Pablo Alviz, CTO of ATV added “We are examining the possibility of expanding this solution to other countries in Latin America”.

Tata Elxsi showcases broadcast solutions at BES 2008

2008-02-26T03:37:00.000-08:00

The Systems Integration Division of Tata Elxsi showcases its leading portfolio of broadcast solutions at BES 2008. The complex yet cost and time-saving solutions from Tata Elxsi, India’s most experienced Systems Integrator, will support customers across broadcast segments, including advanced advertising, professional online/on-air/print weather, news & sports systems, 24/7 business compliance logging, contemporary archive & asset management, intelligent digital storage, networking & media management, and digital content creation, animation & VFX.

“Backed by over 15 years of systems integration experience, a network of 15 offices in India, and global alliances, the Systems Integration Division of Tata Elxsi has successfully enabled several of India’s leading broadcasters, smoothing their journey from legacy setups to unified, world class broadcast environments”, said Rakesh Solomon, Manager-Broadcast Solutions Group, Tata Elxsi.

Tata Elxsi will also showcase its leadership in R&D and product development for Digital TV and Mobile TV technologies at BES 2008.

Tata Elxsi's hybrid set top box reference solution receives broadcast TV via satellite (DVB-S) and provides interactivity via IP. The solution is highly customizable and portable with options to pick and choose features desired to be supported.

The mobile TV solution features a multi-standard software platform compliant with both OMA-BCAST and IPDC (CBMS) standards. The mobile TV software platform can be easily integrated to any portable/handheld device: Smart phone, PDA, personal media player, and so on. The solution has undergone extensive field trials globally in addition to India trials. Devices based on Tata Elxsi's mobile TV platform are expected to be launched to coincide with the rollout of mobile TV services in India and abroad.

"We offer a unique mix of complete Product Solutions ready for productization along with a rich basket of engineering support services, addressing various pre-production and post-production stages of the product life cycle. Our customers leverage this proposition by bringing out differentiated products with faster time to market", said Nitin Pai, Head-Worldwide Marketing, Tata Elxsi.

New DVB-H and DVB-T Mobile TV In-Car Entertainment Receiver

2008-02-21T03:39:00.000-08:00

Nagravision is committed to its goal of introducing new innovations that enable mass market adoption of DVB-H services. “We are very proud of this collaboration with Magneti Marelli and Quantum that extends the digital mobile TV user experience to the automotive environment in the tier 1 original equipment segment,” Jean-Luc Jezouin, Senior Vice President Mobile TV business unit at Nagravision was quoted as saying.

The QTM TV is the first commercially available automotive-grade set top box that offers digital terrestrial broadcasting reception inside a car. It is based on a hybrid DVB-T and DVB-H architecture, wherein a twin diversity tuner is integrated for high quality mobile reception.

With QTM TV, car passengers will be able to gain ‘on the move’ access to a wide range of digital TV programs right inside their automobile. Stefano Martini, CEO of Quantum commented, “We are delighted to have worked with industry leaders Nagravision and Magneti Marelli and are proud to introduce the world’s first mobile set top box for Pay-TV services that seamlessly support both DVB-H and DVB-T. This will provide our service provider customers with enhanced revenue generating opportunities by enabling automotive passengers to access real time information and entertainment”.

By combining pay TV channels, the device will offer the broadest range of digital TV programming. Nagravision will manage the security as well as other “free to air” broadcasts. With an integrated SIM card, QTM TV also offers real-time traffic data monitoring capabilities and enormous opportunities to service providers to increase their revenues.

Marco Nassi, Magneti Marelli Director of Telematics Full Multimedia Systems & ADAS also commented, “We are extremely proud of offering integrated on our infotelematic devices the world’s first mobile set top box for Pay-TV services. Magneti Marelli has the same vision as Quantum and Nagravision of enhancing in-car infotainment functionality giving to passengers high quality digital TV service and increasing the journey experience on the car.”

http://www.tmcnet.com/

Thomson : New Solutions for 3G Mobile TV

2008-02-19T03:58:00.000-08:00

Thomson is expanding its integrated software and hardware platforms to support 3G solutions for mobile TV - including live video streaming, on demand, and format repurposing. Thomson has leveraged its IPTV video expertise and technologies, widely used by pay TV and telecoms operators worldwide, to adapt them to 3G/cellular networks.

Thomson is combining the ability of its mobile TV head-ends and its SmartVision service platform/VoD servers to support 3G networks in addition to IPTV. This innovative solution allows operators to provide a wide choice of revenue-driving video on demand and live streaming services to mobile handsets.

Thomson's new mobile TV solutions can thus provide convergent services and a superior customer viewing experience.

"As operators consider future-proofing their architectures in readiness for convergent services, Thomson is uniquely able to provide a range of head-end and middleware solutions for both fixed and mobile networks. Thomson's solution can simultaneously manage broadcast, unicast and on demand mobile TV services to the same handsets with a unified Electronic Service Guide for 3G/DVB-H services." said Patrick Montliaud, General Manager of Thomson's Network and Integration Solutions.

Optimising Viewing Quality Experience on Smaller Screens

According to a recent survey by TeleAnalytics, 24% of European mobile video and TV trial users stopped using the service because of service quality issues.

Thomson's head-end and VoD solutions ensure greater quality of service, and in addition its ViBE Mobile TV encoder uses innovative format repurposing technologies to automatically adapt images for display on smaller screens, such as mobile phones and PDAs.Thomson's expertise in compression technologies ensures the best picture quality for enhanced customer experience at 40% less bandwidth requires compared to previous generation codecs.

This patent-pending technology intelligently identifies the part of the image that is important to the viewer and automatically resizes the content to deliver the most complete, informative image for the mobile display.

Managing converged video services

Operators will be able to use the SmartVision service platform and VoD servers to support 3G formats for mobile TV as well as for IPTV services. Located in the heart of the operator's network, the server can be used to deliver VoD streams to mobile devices, PCs and set-top boxes.

Mobile TV evolutions at the Mobile World Congress

2008-02-18T03:37:00.000-08:00

Mobile TV has not made the top headlines this year at the show but it has been an important theme at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Improving the video usage experience on mobiles is key to drive adoption of mobile multimedia services to the mass-market - and hence it is key to the future of this industry. Several announcements at MWC have shown some good progress on various fronts for the mobile TV and video space.

As of early 2008 mobile TV is a reality, worldwide. According to Ericsson, there are more than 170 mobile TV offerings launched around the world, most of which are over cellular networks. The Swedish vendor supplies solutions to over 60 of these. Nokia Siemens Network said it provides its solutions to 30 unicast services and six DVB-H commercial launches.

For many operators, early mobile TV services have not had much success so far and are still a small niche. But at the MWC, Telstra reported encouraging progress for mobile TV services delivered over its HSDPA 'Next G' network and Alcatel Lucent's mobile TV platform. The Australian incumbent said 5% of its Next G customers subscribe to Foxtel Mobile services (at AUD12 per month).

The evolution of mobile TV will require a broadcast component. At the MWC, vendors provided some news regarding the progress of various mobile broadcast solutions:

- Alcatel Lucent's DVB-SH, a hybrid solution combining satellite and terrestrial broadcasting, is progressing towards a commercial launch with ICO in the US, with a focus on the vehicular segment (with dedicated non-cellular large-screen terminals installed in vehicles). Elsewhere it is still at trial stage (e.g. with SFR, 3 Italy). There are rollout opportunities for DVB-SH in Europe, following the allocation by the end of 2008 of an EU-wide 30MHz band reserved to hybrid systems, and also in Middle East with S2M's mobile TV project in the region. On the device side, Alcatel Lucent is showing only two DVB-SH devices from Samsung and Sagem.

- Nextwave's TDtv is still a contender in the mobile broadcast space, thanks to the announcement of a commercial pilot with Orange and T-Mobile in the UK. The pilot will involve 1,000 customers from Orange and 1,000 from T-Mobile, in West/Central London, over six months from Q3 2008. It is interesting to note that the two operators will share the TDtv infrastructure and also the UMTS TDD frequencies, in order to make a better business case thanks to increased capacity and lower rollout costs. There will be 24 TV channels in total (10 common, 7 exclusive to Orange and 7 exclusive to T-Mobile) and 10 digital radio stations. Still, TDtv struggles with the lack of handset supported, with only one mobile phone used in the pilot.

- Ericsson continues to support MBMS and has announced the first commercial rollouts of MBMS in the next 12 months.

- Finally, let's also mention Nokia's N96 device, which will be a strong addition to the line-up of DVB-H devices. It will be available in Q3 2008. Another important theme is mobile TV and convergence. Several players announced solutions that blend together unicast and broadcast, for instance Nokia Siemens Network, Alcatel Lucent or Streamezzo. This combines in the same offering and EPG channels that are distributed via the cellular network and channels that are distributed via a broadcast network, and thus hide the delivery technology to the end-users. Also, these capabilities are required to provide interactive services onto broadcast channels.

Advertising has been a key theme for the MWC this year. It is naturally becoming a central concern for players involved in developing mobile TV and video services, which see an opportunity to develop new ad-funded business models. One of the most concrete developments of advertising for mobile TV has been the announcement of an ad-funded video service by Vodafone Italy, prior to the show. QuickPlay is providing the technology that manages the video content and the video ads, and inserts ads into the content, while Amobee provides the mobile advertising platform.

On the other hand, mobile advertising in live channel broadcasting has not seen much progress yet, with only some point solutions available - e.g. banners and interactive services from Streamezzo, local ad insertion in DVB-H from UD Cast.

http://www.ovum.com/

Sagem announces five new handsets for 2008

2008-02-14T03:52:00.000-08:00

Television can be fun in many locations, regardless if on the couch at home or on the go. It’s also great when the television is so small that it fits into your pocket, and if you can also make calls with it, then even better. Sagem Mobiles are presenting their newest generation of DVB-SH compatible mobiles at the Mobile World in Barcelona.

DVB-SH is a superset of the popular DVB-T television reception technology. Next to TV functionality, a variety of multimedia features also come included like music or video functionality. A DiBcom DVB-SH receiver, belongs to the Sagem myMobileTV’s array of features, as well as a two megapixel camera with an eight fold digital zoom, and a MP3 player. The rotating display on the clamshell mobile is also practical.

Orange, T-Mobile pilot presages full TDTV launch

2008-02-14T03:29:00.000-08:00

A year and a bit after it finished a trial with Vodafone, Telefónica, and 3UK, Orange is having a further look at TDTV, the UMTS TD-CDMA-3GPP Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services (MBMS) technology.

The operator will this time partner with T-Mobile for the trial, which will take place in London, not Bristol, and will again use technology from the company formerly known as IP Wireless, now acquired and fully owned by NextWave Wireless.

John Hambidge, chief marketing officer for NextWave Wireless network products, said that the renewed trial takes the level of service and devices up a level.

"We're calling this a pilot, not a trial," he said, "because we really see this as on the path to real launch, so it's more than just a trial."

Hambidge said that the acquisition by NextWave, which also owns the former PacketVideo, gives the company a much greater scope of operation, rather than being merely an air interface provider.

Hambidge said that TDTV is likely to be attractive to operators for a number of reasons.

First, with a broadcaster having won DVB-H spectrum in Germany, and mobilkom having lost the DVB-H spectrum race in Austria, and spectrum allocations a long way off in other countries, it is still unclear what the value to operators will be of DVB-H, he said.

Second, operators already own TD-CDMA spectrum. In the UK, with forecasts of UHF spectrum sales reaching €300 million, that's a significant business advantage.

Third, TDTV, with its 10MHz of spectrum that UMTS operators already have under licence, supports 28 channels, he said.

"With DVB-H, how will they [the operators] differentiate, and can they drive revenues from a 8MHz band that supports only 16 channels, many of which are likely to be free to air," he said.

There would also be, with TDTV, no "third mouth to feed", Hambidge said. "Operators can get content direct form the provider, with no third party broadcaster."

Hambidge also claimed a range of technical benefits of TDTV, including sub-one second channel change times, and ease of integration with unicast services.

"There's no doubt if mobile broadcast TV is going to succeed it needs operators. They're the ones with the billions of customer relationships. But where's the business case for operators of wholesaling a broadcaster's product? If they're not part of the revenue case, why would it be a priority?" Hambidge said.

from http://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/

Nokia N96: The one to watch

2008-02-13T03:39:00.000-08:00

Mobile World Congress 2008, Barcelona, Spain/Espoo, Finland - Nokia today unveiled the Nokia N96, a multimedia computer truly optimized for video and TV. With a large 2.8" screen, 16 gigabytes of internal memory and support for high-quality videos in a wide range of formats, the dual-slide Nokia N96 represents an exciting new chapter in mobile media. The Nokia N96 multimedia computer is expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 with an estimated sales price of approximately 550 euros, before subsidies or taxes.

"In 2007, the Nokia N95 became an icon of convergence of Internet and mobility. With over 7 million units sold to date, the N95 has changed the way people use their mobile device. The Nokia N96 we introduced today builds on the success of N95, further enhancing the experience," says Jonas Geust, who oversees Nokia's Explore category. "Through the power of the Internet, video and TV are becoming even more prevalent in people's lives. With its large, bright screen, and a range of high-speed connectivity options and the enhanced Nokia Video Center, the new Nokia N96 is a personal window to entertainment."

Accessing internet videos is quick and simple. The Nokia N96 supports common video formats including MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash Video, making favorite videos easy to view. Transferring and accessing videos is even faster with the high-speed USB 2.0 connection and WLAN and HSDPA support. In select markets, the integrated DVB-H receiver offers live broadcast TV with an automatically updating program guide. The massive memory can store up to 40 hours of video content. The storage capacity of the Nokia N96 can even be further expanded with an optional microSD card, such as the new Nokia 8GB microSDHC Card MU-43 which increases the available memory of the Nokia N96 to a total of 24 GB. For added convenience, the Nokia N96 features a 'kickstand' on the back cover that allows for hands-free viewing.

The Nokia Video Center offers one place to discover and access a variety of mobile content ranging from movie trailers and comedy to news from world-leading content brands such as YouTube, Reuters, and Sony Pictures. The catalogue of internet video feeds is continually expanded with more regional and country specific content.

For a superb music experience, the Nokia N96 features media keys, a 3.5 mm headphone connector and built-in 3D stereo speakers. The Nokia Maps application offers richer maps with urban details and satellite views and has upgrade options such as City Guides, turn-by-turn pedestrian mode and voice-guided car navigation.

The Nokia N96 boasts a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, flash and video light. It allows DVD-like quality video capture at 30 frames per second. Further, with the integrated A-GPS, consumers can now 'geotag' their pictures with location data and share them with their online communities.

The Nokia N96 naturally supports the Ovi family of Nokia internet services, including maps, music, media sharing and more.

Expway’s FastESG™ Solution Selected by ICO Global Communications for Mobile TV Services

2008-02-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

Expway, the leading provider of content-rich Electronic Service Guide (ESG) solutions delivered over cellular, broadband and broadcast networks, today announced that ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Limited (NASDAQ:ICOG) has selected Expway FastESG™ for the alpha trial of its ICO mim™ service, which will use the DVB-SH standard.

ICO mim™ (mobile interactive media) is a converged service capable of delivering a wide range of consumer entertainment and communication services, including television, interactive navigation and roadside assistance. ICO mim will be delivered through ICO’s next-generation geostationary satellite (ICO G1) and an ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) to the ICO network. ICO G1 is scheduled for launch in March, 2008. The ICO mim alpha trial will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.
The Expway FastESG™ solution enables end-users to select, access and watch mobile TV content on portable devices, and delivers other advanced services such as advertising, interactive services, podcasting and location-based services. Combined with Expway’s recent trial with Hiwire in the US, this deployment confirms the company’s leadership in standard-based ESG and advanced mobile TV services.
“We are proud that ICO has selected Expway for the first DVB-SH deployment in North America. It confirms our global leadership in advanced mobile TV services for both telecom and broadcast
providers. We believe that the combined features of the FastESG™ service layer and the DVB-SH standard will deliver a richer experience for end-users of the ICO mim service,” said Antoine Weil, chief executive officer of Expway.
ICO has chosen both the Expway client and server products, allowing it to deploy a compelling and personalized mobile TV experience as part of the ICO mim service.

“Expway is a leader in mobile TV ESG, and FastESG™ represents a proven solution that will help enable the unique set of interactive services that ICO mim will deliver to our customers,” said David Zufall, senior vice president, network systems for ICO.

NDS, UDcast To Provide Content Protection For DVB-H Mobile TV Services

2008-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

NDS (NNDS), provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, and UDcast, provider of wireless IP broadcast solutions, announced a partnership to provide content protection solution for DVB-H Mobile TV services.

The solution would help operators to maximize revenue from mobile TV services by providing premium content to end users as well as enabling business models such as targeted advertising. Further, the solution would enable the ecosystem supporting global deployment of DVB-H.UDcast said that as part of the partnership, NDS integrated its VideoGuard Mobile TV content protection system for DVB-H with UDcast's Mobile TV head-end solution to provide a secure environment for Mobile broadcast and on-demand video.

The integration testing of the system proved seamless and effortless interoperability for broadcasters and mobile network operators deploying best of breed technologies.Nigel Smith, NDS Chief Marketing Officer, commented, “The content protection system of NDS together with the IP encapsulation provided by UDcast will enable mobile operators to create serious, revenue-generating businesses.”

Jas Saini, CEO, UDcast, noting the significance of content protection, commented, “True success with Mobile TV services comes about by providing more content that users demand and services that help to increase revenue, such as targeted advertising, so security is a top priority.”

abertis telecom deploys nine mobile TV networks at the Mobile World Congress 2008

2008-02-08T04:10:00.000-08:00

abertis telecom, the abertis group’s infrastructure and telecommunications operator, will provide and manage the mobile TV broadcasting and transport network to receive television signals and interactive services on handsets during the Mobile World Congress 2008, to be held in Barcelona from 11 to 14 February.

As in the previous two years, the Mobile World Congress, the industry’s most important event and previously known as the 3GSM World Congress, will bring together the leading companies and international bodies involved in the development of telephone and mobile communications. Exhibitions and seminars on mobile TV services will be offered, while leading audiovisual and telecommunications companies will showcase their latest innovations and technological solutions in this market.

abertis telecom, as Official Mobile TV Provider at the World Congress for the third year running, is responsible for rolling out the network for all mobile television providers. This year abertis telecom has deployed nine networks to provide coverage in the DVB-H, DVB-SH, StiMi, T-DMB and MediaFLO standards. This year’s congress will also see the rollout of a network based on the Chinese StiMi standard for the first time. This has been made possible through the cooperation agreement signed in November with the National Scientific Institute of China to develop mobile television projects in conjunction with abertis telecom.

The infrastructure deployed by abertis telecom includes its television transport and broadcasting facilities at the Collserola Tower, the capacity of the Hispasat and Eutelsat satellite systems and a number of transmitters installed in the Fira showground, which will complete the coverage for broadcasts inside its halls. The rollout by abertis telecom guarantees mobile TV coverage throughout the showground.

abertis telecom will be broadcasting over these programming networks for more than 40 radio and television channels from leading national and international broadcasters, as well as the GSM Media Partners, CNBC and the congress’ own channel, the Mobile TV network, which will be broadcasting throughout the event.

abertis telecom actively promotes the development of mobile television, spearheading internationally renowned projects such as WingTV and FURIA. It has also carried out six pilot programmes throughout Spain with the country’s leading radio broadcasters and mobile operators.

Thomson participates in First DVB-H Mobile Television Service in Latin America

2008-02-07T03:37:00.000-08:00

Thomson today announces that it is supplying a complete head-end solution to ATV, part of the pan-Latin American media group Albavision, to power a trial mobile television service in Lima, Peru and in Guatemala. The service, the first of its kind in Latin America, will roll out to the commercial market in June 2008.

The service at present features four live television channels, transmitted using the DVB-H broadcast standard. At the head-end, Thomson ViBE Mobile TV encoders compress the incoming video streams, which are then encapsulated into a single transport stream using the Thomson Opal DVB-H encapsulator. The electronic service guide is also created by Thomson.

“The idea of mobile television is exciting consumers in markets globally” said Patrick Montliaud, General Manager of Thomson's Network and Integration Solutions business. “The system we have delivered to ATV in Lima allows Albavision to build a market with minimum capital expenditure, knowing that they can expand through additional services, increased functionality and interactivity when they need to.”

“We see Mobile TV broadcasting as an important part of our growth in the future” said Angel Gonzalez, CEO of Albavision. “That is why it was important to get our service in Peru on air as quickly as possible. We knew Thomson as a very reliable supplier which could give us a complete, proven solution, and we are very pleased with the progress so far”. Juan Pablo Alviz, CTO of ATV added “We are examining the possibility of expanding this solution to other countries in Latin America”.

Abilis Systems Introduces World's Smallest DVB-H/T Receiver

2008-02-06T03:40:00.000-08:00

Abilis Systems, a Kudelski Group company, has announced the availability of the world's smallestdigital mobile TV receiver for DVB-H/T applications, produced in a 5mm x 5mmCSP package. The new AS-101 integrates multi-band RF tuner, advanced OFDMdemodulator, memory and interfaces onto a single 90nm CMOS die, with thereceiver performance surpassing the MBRAI 2 and Nordig 1.0.3 specifications.

The AS-101 is optimized for multiple mobile and handheld applications,enabling digital TV capability on any device with a display. It supports theintegration of both DVB-H and DVB-T standards in mobile phones, portable mediaplayers as well as PND. A number of reference designs based on variousapplications processors have already been developed. This new single-chip receiver is part of a family of digital TV receiversfrom Abilis Systems based on its unique low power software defined radio (SDR)architecture and innovative multi-band RF tuner.

The company's SDR techniqueallows adaptive data processing and ensures excellent receiver performance inall reception conditions - using a parallel processing OFDM engine thatdemodulates signals even in noisy environments and high speed conditions.

The integration of a multi-band zero-IF radio ensures that the minimum of externalcomponents are required. This means that the AS-101 enables worldwide coveragewith superior sensitivity, power efficiency and low system cost. The AS-101, available in a 5mm x 5mm CSP package, reduces significantlythe overall cost and size of mobile devices with digital TV enabled.

AbilisSystems will demonstrate at the Mobile World Congress taking place inBarcelona early February a small, easy to integrate, module with single sidemounted components which breaks the $5 barrier in volume quantities. For moreinformation, visit our Hospitality Suite, 4.4HS02.

Broadcom Raises the Bar in the Mobile TV Market With World's First Single-Chip 65nm Mobile TV Receivers

2008-02-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

Broadcom will demonstrate its new mobile TV SoCs at next week's 2008 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, from February 11th to 14th.

Announced today is the Broadcom® BCM2940 mobile TV receiver -- a 65nm monolithic single-chip solution that integrates a dual-mode demodulator and tuner to support both DVB-T and DVB-H for the high-growth cellular handset market.

Also announced is the 65nm Broadcom BCM2930 mobile TV receiver that is optimized for DVB-T applications targeting today's high volume set-top-box and PC markets, and enables digital TV broadcasts as a value-added feature on portable platforms. Consumer electronics manufacturers can use Broadcom's new solutions to build innovative, robust and cost effective solutions that will continue to move the handset to the center of the personal communications and entertainment experience.

Discretix, VisualOn, Axel Debut Mobile TV Solution for Handset OEMs

2008-02-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

Three prominent names in the mobile handset software space — embedded security solutions leader Discretix, multimedia application provider VisualOn, and mobile TV middleware developer Axel Technologies, have partnered to provide a pre-integrated Mobile TV solution for handset OEMs. The DVB-H-based solution, which supports both the OMA BCAST Smartcard and DRM Security Profiles, delivers an ultra-reliable, out of the box strategy for the "next big thing" in cell phones: digital television.

The partnership announced at Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona, gives handset OEMs and service providers a new and practical alternative for rolling out mobile TV. The solution combines VisualOn's Mobile TV Player, Axel Technologies' Salmonstream Mobile DVB-H middleware stack and Discretix' Multi-Scheme Mobile TV security client.

The OMA BCAST Smartcard Profile protects Mobile TV services via the use of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. Both the Smartcard and DRM Profiles ensure that commercial broadcast content can be protected and tracked when transmitted over wireless networks.

"Cost-effective, standards-based technology solutions are the key to making mobile TV a reality for manufacturers and markets around the world," said Sean Torsney vice president of sales and marketing of VisualOn. "The combination of technologies from Axel, Discretix and VisualOn demonstrate that mobile TV is both user friendly and easy to implement."

"Using the DVB-H standard ensures a crystal-clear, broadcast-quality viewer experience. The Salmonstream Mobile stack, combined with the VisualOn Mobile TV Player front end and Discretix Multi-Scheme Mobile TV security client, is a turnkey solution that will cut time-to-market and project costs, and most of all, reduce risk for OEMs," said Markku Koponen, vice president of sales of Axel Technologies.

Salmonstream Mobile, one of the world's most comprehensive DVB-H middleware products, supports IPDC (Internet Protocol Data Casting) and OMA BCAST using DVD-H standards and implementation guidelines. A field-tested and proven technology, Salmonstream Mobile also enables file casting, and offers a Java API suitable for implementing future interactive services conforming to the forthcoming JSR 272 standard.
In addition to supporting DVB-H, VisualOn's Mobile TV multimedia player allows T-DMB, DVB-T and ISDB-T with PVR services. Using an MPEG-2 stream multiplexer, VisualOn Mobile TV's H.264 software codec enables users to experience "iPod quality" TV on a variety of handset devices.
"The Discretix-VisualOn-Axel solution is based on 3 proven technologies, with extremely strong appeal for companies looking to implement mobile TV capabilities," said Edo Ganot, executive vice president of sales and business development for Discretix. "What's more, with standards-based mobile TV security, this combined solution offers the highest security without compromising the user experience."

For more information, visit Discretix at Hall 4, Level 7, Hospitality Suite #22 and Axel at Hall 3, Level 1, Hospitality Suite #03 or at bmcoforum booth in Hall 2, at Stand B82 of the Fira de Barcelona center

France extends mobile TV trial

2008-02-02T04:34:00.000-08:00

The French media authority CSA has extended the DVB-H trial for reception on the Paris metropolitan transport system RATP until April 15th.

The Paris trial has been going on since last October and intends to study the feasibility of mobile TV reception in metro stations and on the trains. The current trial will be extended to the suburban RER lines A and B and will also include radio broadcasts

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

2008-01-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-28T03:55:00.000-08:00

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.

The Mobile Media Review from US

2008-01-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2008-01-24T03:51:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2008-01-23T03:51:00.000-08:00

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.”

European Commissioner Digs In Her Heels on Mobile TV Standard

2008-01-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

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.

E-Ten announcing new media phone in Barcelona

2008-01-21T03:41:00.000-08:00

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.

Orange Applies for 2 DVB-H Mobile TV Licences

2008-01-19T03:20:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2008-01-17T03:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Nigeria Launches DVB-H Mobile TV

2008-01-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

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."

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

2008-01-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

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).

Motorola demo's Linux-based DVB-H handheld

2008-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

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.

Industry Leaders Demo Mobile Broadcast TV Technology Platform at CES

2008-01-11T04:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-11T04:05:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2008-01-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2008-01-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

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."

SK Telecom to pull out of SDMB services; 500 billion won may go up in smoke

2007-11-29T07:49:00.000-08:00

SK Telecom has effectively decided to end satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (SDMB) services offered by its subsidiary, TU Media. The mobile telecom giant judges that even an additional investment in TU Media won't help the latter gain viability, considering its presently weak competitiveness. Some 1.28 million people currently subscribe to SDMB services. The services require at least 2 million subscribers to become economically viable, but the number of subscribers has been declining, rather than increasing. The SDMB services have lost ground because rival terrestrial DMB services are offered free of charge. Though SDMB offers superior contents, users are shunning the services, which fail to offer reruns of network TV programs, and which require service fees. If SK Telecom ends the SDMB services, some 500 billion won it invested in satellite, stake, facilities and contents development will go up in smoke.

More than 1 million subscribers who bought expensive handsets to enjoy SDMB services will inevitably suffer damage. SDMB's most critical shortfall is that it fails to deliver real-time reruns of network TV programs, which constitute the most popular contents among DMB service users. Also, it is all too apparent that users will prefer TDMB, which offers all different network TV programs free of charge, to SDMB. The government originally prompted a two-way competition between fee-based and free DMB services. It granted a permit for TDMB services right after the launch of SDMB services in May 2005. This has posed a key stumbling block to both media services, which had been striving to take off as viable business models. TU Media has failed to increase its subscriber base, though it has increased the number of new subscribers. The number of new subscribers amounted to 50,000 on average per month last year, but declined to 20,000 this year. Another reason for SDMB's failure is that SK's rival telecom carriers KTF and LG Telecom declined to offer SDMB. TU Media has incurred 40 billion won in losses in the first half alone, with its cumulative deficit rising to 235.5 billion won. Its deficit is projected to hit 270 billion won by year's end, which would be more than its paid-in-capital of 268.2 billion won. Some are raising the possibility for a capital increase for TU Media. But SK Telecom, the majority stake holder, thinks such a move would have little impact, if any. In the final analysis, SK Telecom apparently has decided to give up TU Media, since neither TU's capital increase nor sell-off looks plausible. However, the backlash resulting from such a liquidation would not be insignificant.

Alsumaria launches DVB-H technology at Erbil International Fair

2007-10-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

For the First Time in the Arab World, Alsumaria TV channel launches the new DVB-H Digital Video Broadcast technology that enables all the Iraqis to watch Alsumaria TV programs.

In the framework of its endeavors to progress and to keep pace with the new technologies, Alsumaria presents this service that allows the Iraqi viewers to watch all its programs on their mobile phone screen wherever they are. However, electricity shortage will not impede you anymore from watching your favorite TV shows, as thanks to DVB-H technology, your phone’s battery will be all what you need to watch Alsumaria at all times.

Alsumaria launched this new technology in Erbil International Fair 2007 which was inaugurated on Monday October 29 and that will last until November 2. Leading national and international companies participate in this fair which is expected to heave Kurdistan’s and Iraq’s economies.

This fair is expected as well to entice Arab and Foreign capitals. Kurdistan’s Prime Minister Nechirvan Barazani attended the Fair in addition to a huge number of Businessmen and investors who stressed on the importance of this Fair and on the role it plays in developing Kurdistan’s province economy. In fact, in the middle of the security progresses and challenges Erbil International Fair comes as a fundamental step in order to boost the economy.

Zee Moots Concept Of Universal Broadcaster For Mobile TV In India; Wants MediaFLO Barred

2007-10-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

The Zee group has come out all guns blazing on the issue of allocation of licenses and spectrum for Mobile TV in India. The group has told the TRAI in comments submitted on Mobile TV that just having the capability to transmit TV content doesn’t mean that Telecom operators do not need a license for media sector services. Zee has mooted the concept of a Universal Broadcaster, allowing existing broadcasters to offer Mobile TV, making the case for DTH operators like Zee’s Dish TV to be automatically permitted to extend their transmission to mobiles and be granted spectrum. “Universal Access Service License (UASL) licensees” (like telcos), says Zee, should need a separate “Universal Broadcaster License”. In addition, licenses should be awarded only to those companies with a minimum of 10 years experience in running channels of all genres, with an experience of a minimum of three years of operating an encrypted Pay TV service in India. I think that rules out everyone apart from Zee.

Zee has also asked for Qualcomm’s MediaFLO to be barred since India has been following the DVB standards, and no spectrum for Telecom or WiMax operators. The group has advocated the use of terrestrial spectrum only, and that DTH operators be granted terrestrial transmitters so as to use both satellite frequencies and terrestrial transmission. In terms of Foreign Direct Investment into the mobile TV segment, Zee wants it to be in line with DTH operators—49% Foreign Equity Cap for the company, of which no more than 20% from any foreign investor in DTH Services—thus ruling out telcos, which have a 74 percent limit. Sony (NYSE: SNE) Entertainment Television (SET) however, wants 100 percent FDI to be allowed.

India : Cellular operators urge Govt. to go slow on Mobile TV

2007-10-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Cellular operators in the country have asked the Government to go slow on devising regulations on Mobile TV, saying that the technology is "nascent" and the customer behaviour still uncertain.

"This is a nascent business and therefore, no decision should be taken which will restrict the development of the market or foreclose technological options," the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has told the telecom and broadcast regulator TRAI.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had last month issued a consultation paper for the stakeholders on issues relating to mobile television.

"Various technology solutions are being tested in the global marketplace. It is also important to recognise that customer behaviour and demands are also evolving," the operators said.
Mobile TV essentially uses DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast to Hand-held devices) technology for broadcasting content on mobile handsets, or any DVB-H enabled devices such as palmtops, gaming devices or laptops.

However, other technology options for Mobile TV are also available such as 3G, MediaFLO, T-DMB, and S-DMB.

So far, only Doordarshan has announced its foray into using DVB-H technology on its terrestrial networks. Other telecom and broadcasters are also planning to enter the new media platform.
The operators pointed out that the popularity of I-pods has enabled the customers to download TV or video content to a PC and then transfer it to a mobile device for viewing later on.
"This time-shifting and location-shifting potential is obviously similar in some ways to a Mobile TV proposition," the COAI said, adding the technology will retain a distinctive niche in its ability to provide time-critical content, such as news and sports anywhere, anytime.

"How the customers would react and willing to pay for these propositions is uncertain and it needs to be tested in each market," the operators said in their recommendations sent to the regulator.

Seeking views of the stakeholders, TRAI had said a range of issues pertaining to the new media platform needed to be addressed before its full rollout.
These issues include the preferred technology for mobile television service, whether to use satellite or terrestrial broadcast system, the spectrum requirements for analogue, Digital and Mobile TV terrestrial broadcasting and the methodology to be adopted for frequency spectrum allocation.

The issues also included examining the prevailing international practice, eligibility criteria for the player, net-worth requirement, foreign direct and indirect investment levels, technology to be adopted, license fee, revenue sharing, entry fees and bank guarantee.

Fuzzy Reception for Mobile TV

2007-10-18T04:01:00.000-07:00

Mobile TV viewing remains low in Europe and the U.S., but the rollout of mobile broadcast networks could boost usage.

Only 1 percent of mobile phone users across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. watched a video clip or commercial TV program on their mobile phone at least once in a month, according to M:Metrics Inc. 's most recent data for the three month period ending in August.

In the U.S., just 1.4 percent of mobile phone users say they view video clips or TV programs at least once per month, according to M:Metrics.
M:Metrics finds that the most popular mobile video content is user-generated videos sent by friends or family. In Europe, 4.2 percent of mobile users say they have watched this kind of video at least once per month, while 3.2 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers say they have watched these videos.

Early indications of users' experiences with these services is not terribly encouraging. According to a study conducted by the Mobile Entertainment Forum and LCC International Inc. , only 26 percent of mobile entertainment users are satisfied with their service. (See MEF Tackles Users and MEM Sizzles on the Riviera.)

Statistics from mobile operators themselves about their mobile TV services are hard to come by. Operators do not readily share much information how many mobile TV subscribers they have or how much revenue they make from content services.

TF1 (french TV) RoadMap and DVB-H

2007-10-17T03:46:00.000-07:00

We can see on the picture when DVB-H could be launch in France in 2009

T-Systems to provide DVB-H broadcast services

2007-10-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

T-Systems Media&Broadcast GmbH (TSMB), a subsidiary of the Deutsche Telekom Group, has obtained the frequencies necessary to operate a mobile TV broadcasting service based on DVB-H technology. The decision by the President's Chamber of Germany's Network Agency was announced in a statement by the regulatory authority in Bonn. "The assignment of DVB-H frequencies marks another important step for mobile TV in Germany," said Network Agency president Matthias Kurth on Monday in Bonn.

Kurth said that the tenders to operate the network had been reviewed by the regulator in accordance with established evaluation criteria. The Telekom subsidiary was the most suitably qualified to fulfil the legal and technical requirements of the call for tenders, he continued. The announcement means that the tender filed by the joint venture of the Burda and Holtzbrinck media groups and of MFD, which already offers DMB-based mobile TV, was unsuccessful.
The expansion of the broadcast network is scheduled to start in Hanover the spring of 2008. Kurth expects the first broadcasts to take place in time for CeBIT 2008, with coverage of the main cities in the other 15 German states in place by the end of the year. Starting in 2009, the network will be rolled out to provide coverage for all German towns with a population of over 150,000 as well as to each of the four largest cities in each state with a population of over 100,000.

Coverage should extend to 90 percent of the Germany population by 2015 assuming that DVB-H reaches a "commercially viable" penetration rate by 2013. However, this is by no means a foregone conclusion. Although DVB-H is the EU's officially preferred technology, it is up against the rival DMB standard used to transmit MFD's "Watcha" mobile TV service (marketed by Debitel and others), which was launched last year with only moderate success.
German mobile phone operators T-Mobile, Vodafone and O2 have formed a consortium to develop a common platform based on DVB-H technology. It remains to be seen which of the two standards will prevail, and indeed whether "handset TV" will be able to gain the popular support necessary to ensure its commercial survival.

Rugby World Cup 2007: live on DVB-H receivers

2007-10-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

ENENSYS, in partnership with TF1, French major service provider, is currently enabling live transmission of 2007 sport event, the Rugby World Cup! At TF1 premises, games starring the French Team, but also 1/4 finals, 1/2 finals and final, are watchable on latest generation DVB-H receivers (Samsung, Sagem).

ENENSYS was selected as the official supplier of transmission equipment: DVB-H Head End, TS over IP distribution solution and DVB-H transmission means. ENENSYS makes DVB-H transmission secure and fully ready for 2008 deployments. ” It is ideal for us to have French local partners working at the leading edge of DVB-H technologies, such as ENENSYS, and to run a live demo. All our guests were delighted to find out what DVB-H looks like and were very enthusiastic about images quality...» says Thomas Jacques, Director of Strategy and Technical Innovation at TF1 Group.

German Bundesrat against mandatory DVB-H

2007-10-04T03:57:00.000-07:00

Broadband TV News reports that the German Bundesrat (upper house) has decided there should be no mandatory standard for mobile TV broadcasts.

This point of view is at odds with the European Commission, which wants to make adoption of the DVB-H standard compulsory.

Next year, a consortium of cellcos O2, Vodafone and T-Mobile plan to launch a nationwide DVB-H service in the country, but at present mobile TV provider Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland (MFD) already offers a commercial service using the DMB standard in some parts of the country. The Bundesrat also warned that such regulatory measures from Brussels could interfere with the free flow of information, the plurality of the media and cultural diversity.

Orcon delays mobile service till February

2007-10-01T03:44:00.000-07:00

Orcon has pushed back the launch of its mobile phone service till the first week of February, but promises it will be "well worth the wait" with the state-owned owned telco lining up a range of services that it says will be new to New Zealand cellphone users.

Customers will be able to set their landline and mobile so they ring at the same time when they receive a call, so they could pick up on either, and could retrieve voicemail left on mobiles and landlines from a single voicemail box.

Chief executive Scott Bartlett says Orcon has a couple of bigger innovations in the wings. "Only one other carrier in the world is doing what we intend to do." Orcon is "actively working" on DVB-H, a broadcast technology trialled earlier in the year by parent Kordia that promises to revolutionise mobile TV by letting customers use their mobiles as fully-functioning mini-TV sets that could pick up Freeview free-to-air broadcasts.
But Mr Bartlett would not say whether this was one of the services Orcon had in mind for its mobile launch.
Kordia has previously estimated the cost of deploying DVB-H in a city the size of Auckland at about $10 million.
Orcon struck a deal to resell connections to Vodafone's mobile network in August last year and had originally hoped to start a service this month.
Mr Bartlett says the delay reflects the complexity of the wholesale deal it negotiated with Vodafone.
"Internal testing is kicking off now. It does involve a degree of network build between Orcon and Vodafone. We need to tie our network into theirs and tie our billing systems into their data warehouse. It is quite a bit of work, but it will be well worth the wait."
Customers will be able to switch from Vodafone to Orcon's service by plugging an Orcon sim card into their Vodafone mobile. Orcon says will also sell a range of handsets over its website which it is sourcing itself from manufacturers.
It will have exclusive rights to sell some iMate handsets in New Zealand and is talking with Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung, among others, he says.
Mr Bartlett says Orcon has not had to share its plans with Vodafone. "We have no intention of letting Vodafone know all the things we intend to do to differentiate ourselves in the market and they are quite happy about that, because it shows it is a wholesale and not just a resale deal.
"Obviously with any telecommunications service your ability to make significant profits is always encumbered when you don't own the asset, but for now we are happy with the deal."

from The Dominion Post

Thomson aiming at Nokia with OMA BCAST

2007-09-27T04:05:00.000-07:00

Thomson has developed a content and access solution based on OMA BCAST standard, that it says will help operators choose their mobile TV platform with more confidence it will be interoperable with different handsets and security platforms on he market, writes Keith Dyer reporting from IBC,.

Thomson's OMA BCAST solution features a Thomson DVB-H Mobile TV encoder with scrambling capabilities and its SmartVision service platform, which generates an OMA BCAST Electronic Service Guide (ESG). Speaking to Mobile Europe, Yann Courqueux, Director IP & Mobility Systems, WW Systems Solutions, Thomson, said that so far in the area of content access there has been a battle between the broadcast and the mobile side of the industry. The standards based approach was about bridging that gap, he said. "Essentially the head end market is split between Thomson and Nokia, so up until now, if you chose Nokia¹s solution, it also meant working with Nokia phones, not with LG, Motorola, or anyone else.

The incompatibility meant it was not possible to change across brands. Yet of course with nearly 50% of the market operators feel they need to have Nokia in their portfolio. So they need Nokia phones yet can¹t work with others. "This is a single platform that is interoperable with different service and content protection systems including Irdeto, Nagravision and Viaccess," Courqueux said. Courqueux added that that in countries where there is going to be one frequency, and one host mobile TV network, sharing is going to be essential, hence mandating interoperability.

"When Nokia phones get OMA BCAST in them in the next year or so then operators will have a choice, and that¹s the differentiation," Courqueux said. The OMA BCAST SmartCard Profile integrates security software into the SIM card itself.

"The OMA BCAST SmartCard Profile is Mobile Operators' preferred standard for Mobile TV service and content protection, as it places all the rights management in the SIM card to lower the overall price of mobile TV terminals," said Frédéric Caussarieu, General Manager of Thomson¹s network software business. Thomson said its Mobile TV solutions is involved in 50% of the trials and 70% of the commercial services currently deployed around the world.

First trial in South-Africa

2007-09-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Multichoice is currently trialing their Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld (DVB-H) service in Soweto, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban.
This service is delivered over Multichoice’s own 800 MHz trial network, and the company has partnered with Vodacom, MTN and Cell C to ensure smooth service delivery and that SIM cards are compatible.

Most of the content which is delivered on the new DVB-H platform is syndicated with a strict requirement that encryption is part and parcel of the service. This in turn requires conditional access which is why Vodacom, MTN and Cell C are important players in Multichoice’s mobile TV plans.

The DSTV provider further envisages that consumers will purchase this new service – and be billed for it - through their cellular company rather than Multichoice since it makes sense that it will be bundled with other mobile services like voice or data.

Multichoice’s Linda Vermaas, CEO of DSTV Mobile, says that the company is confident that the service will enjoy great uptake after launch. The DVB-H product will be a commercial business in its own right, looking for high volumes at low rates.

For this trial Multichoice selected the Samsung P910, which has a direct TV button that makes accessing the service seamless. The process is as easy as pressing the TV button and selecting a channel.

Once connected, the streaming of content is very smooth – as can be expected from a broadcasting service – and the visuals and sound quality are excellent.

You can clearly read the small scrolling text appearing on news sites like CNN (which is surprising considering the size of the screen) and the sound quality is superb.

The resolution is currently 320 x 240 pixels, high enough to satisfy most mobile TV users.

Axel & Siano Cut DVB-H Channel Switching Time Down To 2 Seconds

2007-09-25T03:35:00.000-07:00

Axel Technologies, and Siano Mobile Silicon, have announced a comprehensive platform for DVB-H terminals, with record-fast channel switching time of even less than 2 seconds.

The platform will be demonstrated in a mobile phone at the Informa DVB-H conference in London, September 26-27.The companies feature a comprehensive, highly optimized DVB-H solution, compliant with the MBRAI 2.0 specifications, based on Siano's SMS1010 integrated mobile TV receiver chip, and Axel's Salmonstream DVB-H middleware.

Among other features, the joint offering obtains the industry's fastest channel switching time, of 2 seconds. The solution is targeting DVB-H enabled cellular phones, smartphones, laptops, PDAs, pocket TVs, PMPs and GPS systems.

DVB-H is already commercially deployed in Italy and is expected to be further deployed in additional countries within the next 9-12 months, including Germany, France, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, and more.

“The combination of Salmonstream, Axel’s leading DVB-H middleware and the SMS1010, Siano’s integrated receiver chip has enabled us to offer a fully optimized DVB-H solution, which achieves an unprecedented channel switching time,” said Petri Kalske, CEO of Axel. “We are working very closely with Siano to provide our customers cutting edge technology, that will result with the most enjoyable and innovative user experience for DVB-H consumers.”

“By integrating the fastest DVB-H receiver in the market with the most compact, efficient DVB-H middleware, we were able to obtain the industry's fastest channel switching time," said Alon Ironi, CEO, Siano Mobile Silicon.

"At the same time, we have provided evidence that the commonly believed myth about DVB-H being slower than FLO is no longer relevant, and proved, that the two technologies are practically equivalent.""Towards the major DVB-H launches expected in the first half of 2008, Siano and its partners are focused on perfecting the DVB-H offering so as to enable our customers to introduce devices that people love to use," added Ironi.

"The idea of mobile TV is to take the experience of watching TV at the living room – out to the street, and onto the end user's palm. This means crystal-clear, multiple-channel, real-time audio and video experience packaged into an easy-to-use application - and this is exactly what Axel and Siano offer."The demonstration will utilize also the market leading multimedia player and video and audio codec’s from VisualOn, a Silicon Valley based mobile software company.

Mobile TV to create 10000 jobs in France

2007-09-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

At a meeting with telecommunication regulator Arcep and media regulator CSA, the ministry of economy and finance is set to sign a decree retaining the norm DVB-H.

The government would like that MobileTV is thrown before next summer, for the Olympic Games of Beijing. This new service should create 10000 jobs according to Hervé Novelli, state secretary loaded with Firms and with the Foreign trade.

Mobile TV to reach 120 million users by 2012

2007-09-19T03:36:00.000-07:00

Mobile TV is expected to reach almost 120 million users by 2012 -- a significant increase from the current 12 million.
The broadcast services are expected to be available throughout 40 countries worldwide, with consumer spending on mobile TV predicted to top USD6.6 billion within the five-year period.

According to a report from Juniper Research, DVB-H will be the dominant transmission standard, and the streaming services that are currently available will gradually evolve to complement mobile broadcast TV, as an outlet for minority viewing TV channels. The largest single market for the services in 2012 is expected to be the US, followed by Japan and Italy.

Spanish mobile operators want DVB-H conditions

2007-09-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

Spanish mobile TV operators Telefónica's Movistar, France Telecom's Orange, Vodafone and Yoigo want to establish some conditions on the development of the DVB-H standard in the territory.

DVB-H has been chosen by the Spanish government for the country’s mobile TV service. The mobile operators essentially want to build their own network and issue themselves the frequencies for their services. So the implementation of DVB-H (the technological standard chosen by the European Union) will depend basically on the competition for the construction and usage of the network, due in 2008.

But it is likely licenses will be limited since Spanish Minister of Industry Joan Clos has already announced the radioelectric spectrum "is very full" of signals (see separate story). If the Spanish government doesn't come to an agreement with the mobile operators, the developement of the DVB-H network is at risk since the operators may then choose their own UMTS networks for the distribution of content.

Source : http://www.rapidtvnews.com/

Irdeto conducts Sydney DVB-H trial

2007-09-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Irdeto, the proven expert in content security for digital TV, IPTV and mobile, has partnered with Broadcast Australia, and head-end systems vendor Thomson in a DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) trial in Sydney, Australia.

During the three-month trial, which began on May 7, 2007, Irdeto is demonstrating the delivery of a secure platform on DVB-H networks. It has deployed its Mobile Broadcast conditional access (CA) solution to secure content across mobile services and devices, in order to ensure content protection and robust rights management.

The first phases of the trial, which included testing interactive services, technical capabilities and performance of the DVB-H Solution to deliver mobile TV and related broadcast services has resulted in five secure, encrypted channels available for viewing in the Sydney Metropolitan area, on the newest generation Samsung P930 swivel screen handsets.

Irdeto technology is currently integrated into more than 90 different devices from leading manufacturers including mobile phones, PDAs, PMPs and in-car devices, making it the most-integrated mobile TV security solution in the world. The solution uses patented technologies which enable mobile TV operations to scale to support at least 20 million subscribers.

Irdeto is the only content security company with deployments in all three types of networks - with DVB-H solutions in South Africa and Hungary, S-DMB solutions in South Korea and T-DMB solutions in Germany. Irdeto also supports and complies with the security specification adopted by the FLO Forum, the interest group that supports MediaFLO.

According to ABI Research, the subscriber base for mobile broadcast services is expected to grow from 1.5 million at the end of 2006 to 460 million by 2011.

Harris Corporation to Conduct Collaborative DVB-H Mobile TV Demonstration at IBC2007

2007-09-13T03:45:00.000-07:00

Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS), an international communications and information technology company, will host a continuous Mobile TV demonstration using the DVB-H standard at the upcoming IBC convention (RAI Exhibition Center, September 7-11, Stand #7.621).

The demonstration, featuring a Harris® Atlas™ DVB-H transmitter that broadcasts TV content to mobile phones, highlights a new collaborative effort with key technology vendors to design fully integrated DVB-H Mobile TV transmission solutions for service providers in Europe and beyond. Harris offers a wide range of DVB-H solutions from its Atlas™ range of transmitters, from gap filler and low-power transmission to high-power UHF solutions for single frequency networks.

The Atlas™ DVB-H transmitter display features the Expway FastESG™, a highly robust electronic service guide that is a gateway for seamless access to Mobile TV and digital audio channels, as well as video-on-demand programming and interactive services. Harris and Expway recently signed an agreement to work together to supply a collaborative DVB-H Mobile TV transmission solution.

"We are thrilled to announce our technology alliance with Harris to develop a collaborative DVB-H solution to provide Mobile TV content to consumers," said Antoine Weil, chief executive officer of Expway. "The Expway FastEPG™ electronic program guide enables Mobile TV broadcasters to expand and differentiate their service offerings and effectively promote their brands. We look forward to working with Harris, a worldwide leader in Mobile TV and transmission solutions, on a collaborative DVB-H solution for Mobile TV."

The complete demonstration features Envivio® MPEG-2 and H.264 encoding hardware and an UDcast™ IP encapsulator. The demo will mimic a deployed solution where Envivio® encoded video content and Expway encoded data content is sent to the UDcast™ IP encapsulator separately and multiplexed into a single transport stream. The Harris® Atlas™ DVB-H transmitter will then provide the broadcast-quality video and audio to LG Electronic mobile handsets at the booth.

The Expway FastESG™ electronic service guide program enables revenue opportunities for Mobile TV operators, offering interactive capabilities such as advertising, click-on-banners, video and music clips datacasting, voting, betting and advanced features not unlike what digital cable, satellite and IPTV consumers experience at home. Visitors to the stand can control the Expway FastESG™ to navigate program listings on mobile receivers and learn about search functions, real-time schedule updates and other features.

"Harris is pleased to collaborate with Expway, Envivio, and UDCast at IBC, and to announce an official technology alliance with Expway as we continue to grow and refine our range of DVB-H transmission solutions for Mobile TV," said Tim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications. "The European Commission’s recent endorsement of DVB-H as the preferred standard for Mobile TV delivery in Europe has accelerated the decision making process for telcos, broadcasters and other service providers who plan to roll out Mobile TV services in the coming months and years. We expect to continue our collaborative efforts with these technology leaders moving forward."

The Atlas™ DVB-H transmitter is part of the transmission offerings in the Harris Broadcast Communications ONE initiative to deliver interoperable workflow solutions that span the entire broadcast delivery chain. The unique Harris approach brings together highly integrated and cost-effective products that are ideal for emerging media business models and for customers upgrading media operations to digital and high-definition services.

Expway's software for TV over mobile deployed in more than 1 million mobile devices

2007-09-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam (Netherlands), September 11, 2007 - Expway, the leading provider of Electronic Service Guides for Mobile TV, today announced that its FastESG™client software has been deployed in more than one million DVB-H mobile telephones and portable media players worldwide.

FastESG™ is an IPDC-compliant and OMA-compliant technology solution that enables subscribers to access, watch and interact with Mobile TV content. "The one-million mobile device mark is an achievement which demonstrates that operators worldwide are trusting Expway’s software solutions to deliver the best mobile TV services to their customers," states Expway Sales Director Nicolas Andrieu. "The fact that the one million device mark has been passed in just one year shows the strength of the emerging DVB-H mobile TV
market."

Expway is the first company worldwide to have deployed an endto-end Electronic Service Guide compliant with DVB-IPDC for a commercial TV over mobile service. Since its 2006 pioneering launch in Italy, Expway has actively participated in the deployment of Mobile TV worldwide by supporting interoperability initiatives in the BMCO forum and the OMA test camps. Its customers include H3G Italia Vodafone Italia, Telecom Italia and PMSI.

Spanish DVB-H timed for Q2 08

2007-09-10T03:41:00.000-07:00

Spain’s DVB-H network will be ready in the second quarter of 2008, the general manager of DTT network provider Abertis Telecom assured delegates to IBC over the weekend.

Tobías Martínez said the deployment of the DVB-H network was a "great" opportunity for Spain's broadcasters and mobile operators in order for them to give a "convergent" service where the same content is offered at the same time to users.

Martínez identified three pilars of Spain's future DTT: mobile DTT, HDTV and DTT on the internet. As for interactive services, Martínez mentioned the initiatives called TDT 2.0 and TDT 3.0. The first will allow the citizen easy and secure access to the Information Society's services while TDT 3.0 will centre its efforts on the development of the HDTV concept in order to profit by the new technologies of the future TV sets.

Although the Spanish DTT market is not successful with DTT PVRs or MHP receivers or even with HDTV such as France for example, the speed at which the DTT receivers penetration go is the highest in Europe. Martínez said Spain had a market of 3.4 million DTT receivers eight months ago in comparison to France which had 4.8 million terminals. "This difference is very small taking account France's objective is to reach 6 million homes more", he declared. France launched DTT later than Spain but the platform is more interesting in terms of content and services.

Sidsa Launching DVB-H Trial In Iran

2007-09-08T03:27:00.000-07:00

[09/07/07 - Satellite Today] Sidsa is working with the Islamic Republic of Iran to distribute satellite television to handheld mobile phones, the company announced Sept. 7.

Sidsa will distribute 16 TV channels through its Polar Plus headend, broadcasting the channels from Intelsat and Eutelsat satellites to Sagem Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) equipped mobile phones.

Sidsa is working with the Iranian National Radio and TV Network (IRIB) to broadcast the channels, including IRIB Quran and Press TV from Eutelsat and IRIB Amouzesh TV and Azarbayejan TV from Intelsat satellites. This is the third international DVB-H trial led by Sidsa.

The company has also launched services in the Russian Federation and the south of Spain.

Samsung Demonstrates The Future Of Mobile TV

2007-09-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, is once again breaking new ground. At the IFA in Berlin (August 31 through September 5, 2007) and at the IBC broadcasting trade show in Amsterdam (September 7 through 11, 2007), the world's leading provider of mobile phones and telecommunication systems will treat visitors to a peek into the future of interactive mobile TV in Germany.

For the first time, Samsung mobiles now also support the reliable, open OMA BCAST standard. In Berlin, live demonstrations of TV broadcasts using the new DVB-H-based standard will be staged on Samsung's own booth and on the booth of T Systems .

Mobile phone manufacturers and telecoms carriers alike see TV offerings as value-added services that will generate substantial revenue streams. A recent "Screen Digest" study, for example, predicts a bright future for mobile TV. According to this study, the sale of mobile TV offerings should be netting global revenues of EUR 4.7 billion as early as 2011.

Since DVB-H was recommended as the standard for television services on mobile phones, interactive TV on the move has begun to roll up the German market too. Handset manufacturers such as Samsung are supporting this development to ensure that customers can take advantage of offerings provided on the basis of DVB-H BCAST.

The new standard enables interactive elements that facilitate direct product purchases or participation in fee-paying surveys and competitions, for example, to be built into mobile TV and video-on-demand offerings. BCAST works as a kind of "add-on" and can 'like DVB-H' be used with any and every IP-based transmission technology.

"We are working flat out to enable mobile TV offerings that comply with the DVB-H-based BCAST standard to be rolled out in Germany. We are aligning our handsets with the needs of this market," stresses Dr. Anthony Park, Director Business Development, Samsung Telecommunication Europe. "Samsung mobiles will also support all other relevant standards, such as DVB-H CBMS in Italy, T-DMB in Germany, MediaFlo in the USA and T/S-DMB in South Korea."

Sidsa demonstrates dvb-h mobile tv platform at ibc

2007-08-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

from Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

The DVB-H mobile TV platform will distribute both free-to-air and encrypted TV content to the entire IBC exhibition area. SIDSA will provide and operate the platform through its POLAR PLUS Headend. The demonstration aims to show interoperability among all DVB-H-enabled devices for CBMS and OMA BCAST
SIDSA, an International DVB technology provider, announced plans to provide and operate a DVB-H platform at the upcoming IBC show. The company has been selected by the IBC organisation to operate, through its POLAR PLUS Headend - which is compliant with DVB standards-, the mobile TV platform from its 245 booth (IPTV/Mobile Zone), proving once again that its DVB-H technology solutions are in the forefront of the industry.
The DVB-H platform will cover the entire IBC exhibition area, and will broadcast seven channels: BBC1, BBC2,BBC News24, BBC4, BBC3, Cbeebies and CBBC. They will be distributed free-to-air using the CBMS and OMA BCAST standards, although some will be encrypted in collaboration with a third party. The IBC Organisation, National Grid and Teamcast will also take part in the DVB-H live service. The aim of the demonstration platform is to show interoperability among the different DVB-H enabled devices that are going to be shown during the IBC and to make clear that DVB-H mobile TV transmissions are currently a reality. Moreover, SIDSA has enriched its POLAR PLUS platform with a new added-value by including the OMA BCAST solution. This experience comes at a time when several countries have already launched commercial DVB-H services, such as Italy and the Russian Federation, and some others are preparing for their launch.

Nigeria: DSTV Mobile Debuts in Nigeria

2007-08-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

Nigeria attained another technological height yesterday, with the launch of Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) by Details Nigeria Ltd, one of the licenced pioneers of Multi-point Multi-channel Distribution Services (MMDS) in the country.
The first of its kind in Africa, the DVB-H is a technological standard that allows digital terrestrial broadcast of live television and audio channels to a mobile phone.

The technology, which will be rolled out commercially by December this year, will afford subscribers the opportunity to view 12 Dstv channels on their phones. Such channels include CNN, Big Brother Africa, NTA, African Magic, Trinity Broadcasting service, Supersport 3, and E entertainment.
Other channels include supersport update, channel O, Cartoon network, Supersport 9, and M-Net movies channels.

Iranian searchers design DVB-H

2007-08-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

From TaliyaNews

Iranian searchers on the fields of electronics and communication have designed DVB-H, by the use of which consumers can watch television serials by their mobile phones, said technical assistance of the project.

Mr. Mahmud Fakhraee said: '' we are going to design the mock-up DVB-H , by which the television serials can be watched on the cell phones, as Industrial ministry supported us. We will test the mock-up in IBC trade fair, one of the focal fair trades on the mass media equipments which is going to be held in Netherlands. We hope the pilot, which is going to be tried as a prototype by the assistance of Media, be successful.''

He talked over Information Technology and the effect it has on our modern lives and said that so many equipments are going to be offered that used IT as their main technology, among which DVB is mentionable. Different kinds of DVB that are going to be sold are DVB-S, which is a kind of DVB that is used in broadcasting movies by satellite, DVB-T, which is another kind of DVB that is used to broadcast movies by a land-based transmitter; or Terrestrial, and DVB-H, which broadcasts movies on the cell phones.Mooj technical company has manufactured DVB-S, DVB-H, DVB-T, and DVB-S2 till 1381 as DVB helps the consumer watch some channels simultaneously.

He added that DVB-H has the ability to receive all the programs that are in MPEGII with high capacity and after coding and standardizing them, the standard would be ETSI EN 300421, sends them to the strengthener for satellite broadcasting. It is helpful in stationary stations of satellite broadcasting, live programs, and other DVB over IP satellite broadcasting.

Thomson Leads Open Mobile Television Trial in Sydney

2007-08-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Thomson is working to deliver a trial, five-channel mobile television service across the greater Sydney area in Australia. The service uses the open DVB-H standard and can be received on any DVB-H capable mobile device equipped with decoding technology from Irdeto, with whom Thomson is working to deliver the service.

"The Thomson DVB-H encoding platform is able to offer scrambling capabilities, multi-MNO services, and statistical encoding" said Martin Farrimond, Broadcast Australia's general manager for mobile television. "The platform is pre-integrated with Irdeto conditional access. This is a further phase of Australian mobile TV trials, and is designed to ensure that a well-informed decision is made regarding selection of the best solution for the eventual commercial mobile TV service."

There are five channels in the trial service at present, with CNN and children's service Boomerang as well as three national channels ABC, ABC2, and SBS. Other channels may be added later. They are encoded using the Thomson Mobile TV encoder, developed specially for Mobile TV applications. The encoder relies on a powerful hardware platform that features a best-in- class acquisition board, advanced pre-processing filters, multiple codec support and multi-stream generation.

The statistical encoding capabilities of the Mobile TV encoder is also used in conjunction with the Opal statistical time slicing to ensure that the best use is made of the available bandwidth while preserving video quality.

The other critical part of the trial system is the Thomson SmartVision Mobile TV service platform. As well as managing subscriber, services and system configuration, it also provides a live electronic service guide (ESG), generated automatically by SmartVision.

"The use of open, international standards is critical to the success of any mobile television service," said Patrick Montliaud, Senior Vice President of Integration and Networking Solutions business unit within Thomson. "This Broadcast Australia trial uses the widely accepted standards of MPEG-4 AVC encoding and DVB-H transmission. We are delighted to be a part of this trial, and proud to be able to ensure that audiences receive the best possible quality through the use of our dedicated statistical encoding platform."

KPN targets summer Olympics launch for DVB-H

2007-08-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Dutch incumbent KPN has revealed plans to launch its mobile Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld (DVB-H) service in the Netherlands to coincide with the start of the summer Olympics in Beijing.

The new service will be offered over the company’s Digitenne DTT service. No details about packages, subscription plans or services have been released. KPN is the sole company licensed to provide DVB-H in the Netherlands although it is expected to wholesale its mobile TV service to the country’s other cellcos – Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange.

DVB-H licensing coming soon in Germany

2007-08-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Reuters reports that a spokesperson for the directors’ conference of the state media authorities has stated that a national licence for mobile television using the DVB-H broadcast standard should be awarded by the end of this month. The interested parties – including a consortium comprising the three largest cellcos by subscribers, T-Mobile Deutschland, O2 Germany and Vodafone Germany – had until Friday to work on their proposals. The country’s cartel office will decide by 13 August whether to allow the wireless operators to join forces and compete for a licence against broadcasters Premiere, ProSiebenSat.1 and units of the RTL Group.

DMB and DVB-H conquer the world

2007-08-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Mobile TV standards DMB and DVB-H have led a fierce battle in the domination of the mobile TV market.

Two mobile TV broadcast network operators, based on DVB-H and DMB respectively, have decided to leave the mobile TV business. On the other hand more progress has been made by both technologies in Europe and Asia where several services were launched and some important partnerships signed.

Indonesia: Local consumer electronics manufacturer PT Agis has started a partnership with mobile TV and IP TV technology firm Broadband Network Systems (BNS) and infrastructure provider Toshiba. PT Agis will act as the service provider while BNS will aggregate content and Toshiba deploy the network. The broadcast mobile TV service will be based on the DMB technology.

Italy: Local public broadcaster RAI has opted for DMB as the technology format for its new mobile TV platform. The choice come as the result of a deployment cost comparison between DVB-H and DMB. The DMB network deployment cost is around €8m for a 85 per cent population coverage while a similar deployment with DVB-H would cost in the order of €300m. The service is expected to launch in Roma in August with 3 TV channels and several radio stations. RAI plans to cover more than half of the population by Christmas this year.

Malaysia: Local pay TV operator MiTV and handset manufacturer Nokia have signed a partnership is order to launch a DVB-H based mobile TV broadcast service during the second half of 2007. Nokia will be responsible for the end-to-end integration of the mobile TV service.

Netherlands: Mobile TV start-up Mobiele Televisie Nederland (MTVN) launched DMB trials in The Hague. The service uses existing digital audio broadcasting (DAB) frequencies. The purpose of this trial is to prove the Dutch government that this spectrum, to be awarded this year, is also appropriate for mobile TV broadcasting. KPN is currently the unique broadcast mobile TV licence holder in the region and uses DVB-H.

Philippines: Leading local mobile operator Smart Communications and broadcaster 360media have launched a mobile TV service called myTV in 6 major cities in the Philippines. The service uses the DVB-H mobile TV technology. The mobile TV package offers access to 10 channels including CNN, Cartoon Network and MTV for 488 Pesos (€7.8) per month. The service will be free as a promotional offer until 31 August. Smart Communications expects between 60,000 and 70,000 mobile TV subscribers in the coming months.

Portugal: Leading national broadcaster TVI and second largest mobile operator Vodafone Portugal have finished a DVB-H trial in Lisbon and are looking forward to launch commercial services relatively soon. No specific launch date was mentioned. The service uses Thomson's SmartVision platform to broadcast 8 mobile TV channels.

South Korea: Satellite mobile TV service provider TU Media signed a content deal with major national broadcaster MBC. The service counted 1.17m subscribers at the end of June. Through this partnership TU Media will expand its channel portfolio from 12 to 15 channels which is almost twice competing mobile TV broadcast service operated by the three main TV broadcasters in the country.

Switzerland: The Federal Communication Commission (ComCom) is to award broadcast mobile TV licences in Q4 2007. Applicants have until 27 July to submit their mobile TV proposition. ComCom follows the European decision regarding the standard to adopt and recommends the use of DVB-H. Five criteria will be used for the selection including coverage and roll-out, concept and implementation, business and service plan, contribution to media diversity, coherence and credibility of the candidature. The licence is for 10 years and requires 30 per cent population coverage by the end of May 2008 and 50 per cent by end of 2012.

USA: Mobile TV broadcast operator and Aloha Partners venture HiWire is to offer access to 24 TV channels during its trial in Las Vegas this summer. Content partners include Discovery Communications (7 channels), MTV networks (6 channels) and Turner Broadcasting (2 channels). Mobile operator T-Mobile will be the service provider during the trial.

Vatican: After a successful T-DMB trial in partnership with Korea's Ministry of Information and Communications, the Vatican has decided to adopt the standard for commercial mobile TV and radio broadcasts

France, UK : ???