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Mobile Digital TV At CES 2010

Among the hundreds of new and inovative electronic devices that were presented at the 2010 Consumer Electronis show (CES) in Las Vegas this month a few were centered around the Mobile Digital market. Lets take a closer look at one of these unique devices, called the Tivit, that was demonstrated at the CES Mobile DTV TechZone sponsored by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC).

TIVIT – Winner in the MP3 and Portable video Players Category.

This device is designed to receive the ATSC standard signal and transmit that signal via Wi-Fi to your mobile phone. Produced by Valups,  a South Korean vendor of set-top receivers.  Adapted from a similar device used by

Tivit with iPhone

iPhone and iPod Touch  owners in both Japan and Korea. The Tivit will be part of a trial test this first quarter of 2010 in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas. Eight local broadcast stations will participate, sending signals that will be received by several different types of mobile devices such as a PC, iPhone or some models of Blackberry. ( Software Apps are required to be downloaded inorder to use )

At 2 inches by 3.5 inches and 1/2 inch thick ( about the size of a deck of cards ) this unit will probably be available in the spring of 2010. Battery-powered, comes with a USB port and wall adapter for charging, and will probably last about three hours of viewing on a single charge. You could, however, leave it on charge for continued use within a 50 ft radius. Estimated price for the Tivit will be somewhere between $90 and $120 US dollars.

This is only one of many devices that will be showcased during the trial period. Sprint and Samsung will make available 300 Mobile DTV ready Samsung Moment cell phones for collaborative testing. The Dell Company will supply hundreds of Mobile DTV equiped Inspiron Mini 10 netbook computers and LG will provide battery-powered Mobile Digital Televisions. the Washington, D.C. Baltimore consumers involved in this showcase will provide usage information that  will be evaluated by the OMVC.

Open Mobile Video Coalition

A voluntary association of television broadcasters whose mission is to accelerate the development of mobile digital television in the United States. It’s composed of 29 current members that own over 450 commercial television stations, as well as Association of Public Television Stations, Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Public Broadcasting Service, which represent an additional 360 public television stations.

Mobility Is What Consumers Want

DTV makes local, digital broadcast TV portable. With Mobile DTV, consumers can tune in to live, local news, traffic information, weather, sporting events or entertainment programs from the convenience of their car, at the beach—wherever they may be, using a variety of mobile and video devices.

For consumer electronics manufacturers and automakers, extending broadcast-quality TV to portable devices opens up a brand new new market. Better and more improved picture quality and access to more choices and local content will increase consumer interest, which makes Mobile DTV a motivation for consumer electronics companies and automakers to develop the cool devices that will capture a major share of this market. Studies have predicted a range from 25 million to 100+ million mobile broadcast end-users worldwide by the year 2010.

Additionally, Mobile DTV makes public safety information accessible from anywhere in the world. People will be able to receive their normal TV broadcasts on a mobile device, delivered in full-motion video display with local news, traffic and weather updates.

The broadcasting industry has embraced Mobile DTV as an enhancement of the conversion of its TV signals from old-fashioned analog transmission to modern digital transmission. This conversion clears a considerable portion of the airwaves, now devoted to the analog signal, for new services. Full-motion, mobile digital television is the most prominent of these services currently being developed. Broadcasters reap the benefits of Mobile DTV’s crisp picture, high-speed mobility and a wealth of new multicast choices – all made possible through the digital broadcast signal.

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