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What will broadcast mobile DTV services of the future look like?

The consumer experience will be similar to having digital cable or satellite quality programming on a mobile phone using a DTV broadcasting standard over a separate air interface. Users will be able to watch a variety of live television programs, traffic reports, movie clips, music videos, listen to digital music or view a variety of entertainment and content options. Mobile DTV will offer high quality live broadcast TV (20-30 frames per second) paired with full audio for a mobile viewing experience unlike anything available today. In addition, other services will be available such as a menu/guide system and pay per view channels to enhance the viewing experience.

The current network of broadcast transmission towers that carry TV signals to your home will be retrofitted to also deliver a Mobile DTV signal. That signal has the ability to deliver local, full-motion digital broadcasts on multiple mobile devices, without the need for additional broadcast spectrum.

“Following a very smooth ATSC Mobile DTV standard setting process, broadcasters are on track to deliver local and national broadcast television to mobile audiences,” said Brandon Burgess, OMVC President and ION Media Networks Chairman and CEO. “The collaboration and dedication among TV broadcasters on this project has been gratifying, enabling us to meet our goal of making mobile broadcast DTV a reality in 2009.”

“Broadcasters should be recognized for seizing an opportunity to provide the entertainment and public service benefits of live, local television coverage to mobile consumers,” said David Rehr, President of the National Association of Broadcasters. “Consumers want to utilize mobile devices to follow news and sports, as well as local, regional and national emergency announcements and other content that they have come to expect from their local television stations. The roll-out of mobile DTV will give them the opportunity to experience all of those benefits.”

“Broadcasters are well positioned to dramatically improve the mobile video experience. Broadcaster-provided mobile DTV will give consumers local-station programming in a true digital format. It will also give broadcasters the opportunity to participate in this service using their own channels,” added David Lougee, President of Gannett Broadcasting.

Digital TV On-The-Go

Consumers in the participating markets will be able to watch digital simulcasts from major networks on their mobile phones and TVs in their cars.

Each market and their respective affiliates were announced by OMVC, a group of broadcasters that includes 63 stations spread throughout 22 markets. NBC leads the pack with 14 participating affiliates. ABC, CBS, Ion and PBS will each use nine affiliates and Fox will use five.
The first roll out of Mobile DTV Broadcasting.

Middle-sized metros with participating stations include:

• Orlando- ABC, NBC,

• Tampa- Ion,NBC, PBS,

• Charlotte- ABC,CBS,NBC

• Columbus- ABC,CBS, CW,FOX,NBC

• Milwaukee- CW, MyNet

• Greenville- ABC, CBS, MyNet

• Norfolk- NBC, MyNet, PBS

• Providence- CBS, NBC

• Mobile- ABC,CW, MyNet

• Roanoke- CBS,NBC, PBS

• Toledo- CBS,FOX

Larger sized metro areas with participating stations include:

• Atlanta- ABC, CBS, Ion, PBS

• Baltimore- ABC, FOX, CW

• Boston- Ion, NBC, PBS

• Chicago- Fox, Ion, PBS

• Denver- Ion, PBS

• Detroit- ABC,NBC, PBS

• New York- Ion, NBC, PBS

• Philadelphia-Ion, NBC, PBS

• San Francisco- Fox, Ion

• Seattle-ABC, CBS, NBC

• Washington D.C-.Ion, NBC, PBS

Technology

LG Electronics Technology announced that it will begin to mass produce Mobile DTV receiver chips (LG2160A) in June, suitable for use in mobile phones, notebooks, and automobile entertainment systems, and the network in Washington DC will reportedly be the an “MPH in-band mobile DTV” market. MPH is not an entirely new standard for mobile broadcasting, but rather it is an ATSC-compatible technology assembled by Harris Communications that uses LG’s chips and a proprietary encoding module.

The current network of broadcast transmission towers that carry TV signals to your home will be retrofitted to also deliver a Mobile DTV signal. That signal has the ability to deliver local, full-motion digital broadcasts on multiple mobile devices, without the need for additional broadcast spectrum. The Mobile DTV platform enables local TV stations to deliver live, digital content to ATSC-capable mobile and video devices such as mobile phones, portable media players, laptop computers, personal navigation devices and automobile-based “infotainment systems.” With little cost, broadcasters can install a Mobile DTV exciter and signal encoding equipment on existing TV transmission systems and gain the ability to transmit a robust, digital mobile TV signal. Consumers will receive that signal on various Mobile DTV devices. The Mobile DTV system allows the splitting of the 19.4 Mb/s of capacity into a slice for delivery to current DTV receivers and a slice for Mobile DTV technology that can be received on new Mobile DTV-capable receivers.

The TV services on mobile phones that consumers are most familiar with today is streaming TV over the cellular network, similar to how you would stream video over the Internet. The real break-through will come from LIVE broadcast TV. Users will enjoy the same entertainment experience from the living room TV set, but delivered anywhere in real-time on your mobile phone.

Washington DC Enters Mobile Digital TV Marketplace!

Washington, DC will be one of the first U.S. cities to get free digital TV broadcasts for mobile devices like cell phones, laptop computers and in-car entertainment systems

Broadcasts using new “mobile DTV” technology are expected to begin in late summer from five stations: local affiliates of CBS, NBC, PBS and Ion and one independent station owned by Fox.

( Digital TV transition got its launch this last month in Raleigh, N.C., where bus passengers can now watch broadcasts from a local station. It’s the first U.S. market to get digital TV on-the-go ).

The initial broadcasts will be identical to those beamed to TV sets, including the advertising.

It’s unclear what devices might be available with the special receivers needed for the new signals. Cell phones are main candidates for the technology, but the wireless carriers have shown no enthusiasm, and the largest two have their own TV services, which require subscriptions.

However, Dell Inc. has developed a prototype of a small laptop with a built-in mobile DTV receiver which was recently displayed at the National Association of Broadcasters trade show in Las Vegas The computer maker joins cell phone makers LG Electronics Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. in supporting the technology. Kenwood Corp. is developing car-based receivers.

The companies backing the technology in the so-called Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) said Washington was chosen as a test market because the city is full of tech-savvy viewers who pay attention to local news. Attention from politicians and regulators probably doesn’t hurt either — the coalition has earlier pointed to the usefulness of free mobile TV broadcasts in case of emergencies and disasters like hurricanes.

Broadcasters plan to quickly start broadcasts in more than two dozen other cities by the end of the year, covering 39 percent of U.S. households. Among the target cities are New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston and Atlanta.

By the end of the year, broadcasters intend to add enough markets to reach nearly 35% of US households with a mobile DTV signal, including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. Millions of Americans won’t have access to the mobile digital TV simulcast, at least, not in the first roll out by the Open Mobile Video Coalition, but a few small markets, such as Mobile,AL, are among the first cities to receive Portable Digital Broadcasts.

TAGS: Portable Digital Broadcasts, Open Mobile Video Coalition, mobile DTV signal, free mobile TV, free mobile TV broadcasts, built-in mobile DTV receiver, LG Electronics Inc, Samsung Electronics Co, mobile devices, car-based receivers, Digital TV transition