European Commission standardizes on DVB-H, Nokia dances jig on Qualcomm's grave

As expected, the European Commission just did the obvious and made the EU's de facto DVB-H standard, standard. The move is expected to accelerate the deployment of mobile television services across Europe in the same way that GSM standardization in the early 90s gave Europe a head-start on backwater cellular locations like North America. So get outta Dodge Qualcomm and South Korea with your MediaFLO and DMB mobile television technologies, you aren't welcome around Brussels anymore.

[LondonConsultant @ Mar 18th 2008 7:57AM]

It's like Europe was betting on Blu-ray, US was betting on HD-DVD, and the European Commission was Warner Bros...

[BFish @ Mar 18th 2008 8:06AM]

That 'standard' was dead even before it was born.
UK operators are heading already to their own way:
--
Orange, T-Mobile UK announce TDtv trials
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/02/24/orange-t-mobile-uk-announce-tdtv-trials-mobile-tv-standards-no/

[dfdsfdsf @ Mar 18th 2008 8:16AM]

Well, the UK also still has the British Pound...

[L @ Mar 18th 2008 9:05AM]

Not to mention driving left and those stones and miles :p

[Wwhat @ Mar 19th 2008 1:01PM]

Didn't I read about chips that can do 3 or 4 standards long ago already? So it's a no-issue.
Mind you they also make chips that can do DVB-C and DVB-T etc. but it's damn hard to find product that aren't locked to just one of those, I think there's one PCI card from hauppauge that does more than one standard and that's it.
On the other hand, most analog tuners now do NTSC and PAL and SECAM rather than sticking to one system.

[L.Rawlins @ Mar 18th 2008 9:01AM]

DVB-H is largely useless for us in the UK until 2012 when they free up the analog broadcast to accomodate transmission of the mobile standard nationwide. Basically, the Nokia N96 is coming out four years too soon. Its wireless tuner is going to be wholly redundant.

In my opinion they should just pull the plug on analog now. Why do we need half a decades warning to buy 30 quid set top boxes from Argos? Just do it already!

[Poom @ Mar 18th 2008 9:20AM]

I agree that they should pull the plug on analog, but the N96 is not coming out too soon. It's too late! DVB-H has already been on many phones and I think DVB-H will be adopted faster than you think. Look at how fast it takes for HSPA to be widely adopted.

[Rich @ Mar 18th 2008 10:02AM]

What handsets contain DVB-H already? I can't think of any mainstream handsets.

Also, HSPA was easy to roll out. It was an upgrade to the existing UMTS networks. Frequencies were already allocated and cell towers had already been erected.

UMTS took a very long time to roll out across Europe.

[L.Rawlins @ Mar 18th 2008 10:17AM]

The N96 is the only phone due on the market thus far touting DVB-H to my knowledge. The other services that we have seen on these shores that you might be refering to have been paid for by subscription over the phone network and were mostly short programs and football highlights on loop. (Virgin, Sky & 3 flirted with this.) A proof of concept novelty only for those that could afford to tout it.

HSDPA hasn't been adopted here either as yet in my experience, and when it has it's only because the boss is paying. I don't know of anyone who can afford to have both a landline broadband connection of merit, and, another subscription solely for their ultraportable. It's just not a justifiable expense right now... and expense it most certainly is.

The best way to get TV onto your mobile for the forseeable future around here is going to be to investigate in the services of 'Orb' or 'TVersity'. Which are entirely awesome for a whole lot more than just slinging your Freeview around the world for gratis.

[Wwhat @ Mar 19th 2008 1:03PM]

All objections and complaints and youcantdothats will melt away of they can get apple to release a DVB-H ipod.

[Semi @ Mar 18th 2008 10:21AM]

what are the japanese using?
same standard?

[Andrew @ Mar 18th 2008 1:00PM]

1seg.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1seg

[Twitchy @ Mar 18th 2008 4:08PM]

1 SEG. But a mate of mine who lived there for 2 years confirmed what many have stated before - the reception can be somewhat iffy when moving, such as on a train or bus. Which makes it a silly thing to put in a cell phone.

[Tim @ Mar 18th 2008 10:27AM]

I usually keep a close eye on telcom stuff, but this was a little over my head. I understand that is a new standard of video delivery to handsets, but kind of lost it after that with all the acronyms that i have never seen before.

Could someone dumb it down for me?

[Joonas @ Mar 18th 2008 10:51AM]

Nokia N77 & N92 also have DVB-H and both have been already released.

[Wwhat @ Mar 19th 2008 1:07PM]

Wikipedia has a list of device:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvb-h
excerpt:
# Nokia - 7710 (experimental DVB-H version), N92, N77, N96 [10]
# Samsung - SGH-P910, SGH-P920, SGH-P930, SGH-P940, SGH-F510

[fREAK on E @ Apr 22nd 2008 8:09PM]

hahaha koreans owned

[Wwhat @ Mar 19th 2008 1:05PM]

Well MediaFLO is just a silly name for a standard, and DMB sounds too much like DRM or some german railroad company.