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Major MobiTV improvements coming next month
Likely feeling pressure to innovate as competitors like DVB-H and MediaFLO close the mobile TV gap, MobiTV is prepping a plethora of improvements to its software and back end that should be hitting customers everywhere next month. Perhaps the single biggest improvement will be the system's capability to multicast programming on the fly based on the real-time popularity of a channel in a given area, rather than unicasting it and requiring significantly more bandwidth be sapped from the data pipe. Speaking of real-time, ads will now be injected on the fly -- and they'll be targeted, too, giving users some semblance of a reason to not change channels or put the phone back in their pocket when their program cuts to commercial break. MobiTV also says that it has somehow managed to cut channel change times down to a second or less -- a huge improvement over the existing software -- addressing a complaint leveled by many a MobiTV user over the years. Sure, AT&T's rolling out MediaFLO next month -- but if there's a message in these developments here, it's that these guys don't plan on slipping quietly into the night.
Nokia: mobile TV success is a little harder than we thought
Ever wonder why it's so dang hard to get a Nokia N77 or N92 and service to go along with it? Yeah, Nokia is too, and it's starting to voice its frustration over the molasses-like uptake mobile TV systems have experienced over the last several years. The company has openly pushed DVB-H for a while now, scoring a huge win when the European Union recently formally ratified the standard as Europe's infrastructure of choice -- but neither carrier rollouts nor burgeoning customer demand have followed suit the way it had figured they would. Nokia's head of internet services has gone so far to say that mobile TV's in "turmoil," largely because folks are pleased as punch just downloading their vids over 3G instead of using a more traditional, more television-like setup like DVB-H to keep them entertained. Will carriers and manufacturers end up abandoning the whole concept when they realize there's a long trail of more red ink ahead (in the form of rollouts, marketing, hardware development, and the like) before they hit the black? And if so, how are we going to live our dream of SOAPnet Mobile?[Via mocoNews]
ICO G1 satellite successfully launched, DVB-SH headed to America
Just months after Alcatel Lucent and SFR hosted DVB-SH trials across the pond comes word that the mobile TV technology is headed Stateside. ICO Global Communications is donning the party hats and going through buckets upon buckets of ice cream in celebration of a successful satellite launch that will eventually bring those yearned-after mobile television goods to the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The ICO G1 was placed into its initial geosynchronous transfer orbit yesterday afternoon, and now the company is eagerly awaiting certification that the bird is fully operational (and can pass the final FCC milestone) by May 15th. If all goes to plan, Las Vegas, Nevada and Raleigh / Durham, North Carolina will be gifted with ICO mim (mobile interactive media) service trials "later this summer," though a commercial launch isn't slated to occur until "later in 2009." [Via phonemag], image courtesy of WESH]
Touchy TV: quick start guides surface for the LG Vu
While we're all twiddling our thumbs and waiting patiently for next month's Vu release on AT&T, we suppose some reading materials couldn't hurt, right? We've found no earth-shattering surprises in these quick guides that are filtering their way into corporate stores, but we do think it's kinda funny that they're pushing Cellular Video right alongside Mobile TV on page one; then again, with a MediaFLO launch that covers just a fraction of AT&T's total coverage area, we suppose we'll still need some entertainment when we're out in the sticks. Video Share instructions are here, along with the comforting reminder that a light finger press is sufficient to operate the Vu's touch screen -- so yeah, we're pretty much educated and ready, AT&T. Bring it on.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]%Gallery-20596%
Chilling out to some telly on the Samsung Access
The Vu is going to end up stealing the bulk of the spotlight when AT&T's initial Mobile TV devices launch in May, but the Samsung Access has one key advantage over its sexier stablemate: aggressive pricing. The wide-load candybar (thanks to the landscape display) will run $100 less than the Vu while offering the same quantity and quality of brainpower-sapping television. In fact, we imagine there'll be a contingent of folks who actually prefer the physical keypad (gasp!). We wish Samsung had put just a little bit more thought and energy into the Access' physical design -- there's no rule saying a $199 phone has to be ugly, last time we checked -- but it's functional, looks and feels solid, and you'll still manage to impress the neighbors when you fire up CNN. AT&T had a functional MediaFLO node in Las Vegas, as evidenced by the glorious footage we took in while hanging out at the Access' kiosk; hit the gallery for some more visuals of the device in action.%Gallery-19916%
Panasonic turning cellphone, gas pump into your next Plasma
We kid you not. Panasonic is working on a new low-voltage (1.5v) plasma technology which it says will rival OLED displays in brightness, thinness, and contrast. Better yet, Panasonic claims that its plasmas can be manufactured for "much less money" than OLEDs. Panny already has plans to include their new plasma displays in cellphones for use with AT&T's Mobile TV service, gas pumps, ATMs, and on HP printers under a new exclusive two-year deal. Color us impressed if the new displays look anything like the 3.5-inch, 854 x 480 pixel Viera phone instead of that anemic looking phone pictured above which accompanied the press release.
TV Guide moves to mobile, TV enthusiasts swoon
Gemstar-Tv Guide has launched a new web-enabled version of its source for all things telly related with M.TVGuide.com. The site offers a 14-day ahead look at all your favorite programming including episode guides, news, recaps, and likely anything else TV-related in the entertainment world -- if you're into that type of thing. If you choose to register with your mobile number, you can then opt in for series and show reminders via text message, and never miss Oprah again. All we need now is for it to talk to our Slingbox and sort out automatically recording anything we forgot to set up on the PVR.
Hands-on with the LG Vu
We just played with the Vu here, and we have to say -- while it's hard to deny the attraction of a huge touchscreen, it's just a little light and unsubstantial in the hands. Then again, if we have to levy a complaint against a device, "too light" is a pretty weak one. The UI is typical LG for this category of device -- think Viewty -- but we're happy to report that the screen itself doesn't exhibit the same flimsiness that we detected when we reviewed the KU990 some time back. Since you won't be able to get any closer than this to a Vu before May, check out some shots, won't you?%Gallery-19589%
Sony's PIX brings full-length films to AT&T Mobile TV
Sony just revealed a bit more about AT&T's Mobile TV service launching in May. We now know that one of the two exclusive AT&T channels will be called PIX, Sony's new feature film channel for cellphones. The service is a first of its kind in the US... for good reason. Oh, it's not that we have anything against the roster of films including "Ghostbusters," "Philadelphia" and "Karate Kid." It's more the prospect of sitting in front of that tiny mobile screen to watch a full-length film without the ability to pause, fast forward or rewind. This is live broadcast folks. Nevertheless, Sony Pictures claims to understand the risk. According to Eric Berger, VP Mobile Entertainment at Sony Pictures Television, "We recognize that people are on the go with their mobile phone and coming and going. This isn't for people looking to view a movie for the first time. It's OK to miss the beginning." Films will run on PIX for a month with new additions added weakly weekly.
AT&T announces AT&T Mobile TV for May launch
They haven't revealed anything we didn't already know, but AT&T's finally come out with a semi-firm date for the launch of its MediaFLO-powered mobile TV service which will be branded simply as "AT&T Mobile TV." It'll be available to subscribers in May -- no specific date just yet -- on two exclusive handsets, the Prada-esque LG Vu and the more pedestrian Samsung Access; the Vu features an expansive touchscreen and 2 megapixel camera, while the Access makes do with a smaller landscape display and a 1.3 megapixel sensor. Both feature Bluetooth and 3G data, but the real story here is Mobile TV itself, which will come with two new channels that are exclusive to AT&T (in other words, unavailable on the other live MediaFLO service, VCAST TV from Verizon). The latest, hottest way to burn productivity on the go gets real in just a few short weeks, folks, so finish up whatever remaining work you have now.
MediaFLO staffing up, probably still not turning a profit
We think MediaFLO's footprint, carrier buy-in, and device support are all still too puny for the Qualcomm division to be in the black, but you know how they say you should feed a cold? Yeah, it looks like MediaFLO's taking the approach to its little situation, spending its way to success. The new hires are all the way up at the Senior Vice President level, bringing in industry experience from ABC and Viewsonic for the programming / advertising and sales / marketing roles, respectively. Hopefully the new headcount dovetails nicely with the impending AT&T launch, because, you know, if there's one thing you need to wring some success out of a media service with a monthly fee attached, it's content.[Via mocoNews]
Orange, T-Mobile UK announce TDtv trials, mobile TV standards now number one bajillion
Still struggling to figure out a way to turn a profit on the whole concept, carriers and infrastructure suppliers apparently have no bones about continuing to go full speed ahead on mobile TV R&D, trials, and deployments. NextWave Wireless' TDtv standard has one key advantage over competitors like DVB-H, DMB, and FLO, though: because it utilizes unpaired UMTS spectrum, it makes use of frequencies and technologies that carriers already possess. On the flipside, it has taken considerably longer for TDtv to come into its own, while DVB-H has secured a deathgrip on Europe and FLO has done the same in North America, so it's unclear at this point just how much impact it'll ultimately have. Anyway, Orange and T-Mobile apparently have shown enough interest to find out for themselves, with both carriers committing to TDtv trials in the UK that'll have West London customers receiving up to 24 telly channels and 10 digital radio stations when the system launches in the second half of the year.
Legal issues, chipset problems holding up AT&T's MediaFLO launch?
"As early as possible" in 2008 is getting less "early" by the minute, and details are starting to emerge on all the juicy drama going on behind the scenes at AT&T where the powers that be have been unable so far to get their long-overdue MediaFLO-based mobile TV network launched. Apparently, both LG and Samsung were rearing to show their launch devices (Samsung's Access is pictured here) at CES last month, and both were asked to pull 'em at the very last minute as it became apparent that AT&T wasn't ready to rock and roll, leaving LG with a rather awkward situation on its hands as some folks caught the Vu doing... well, absolutely nothing in the company's booth. Rumor has it that unspecified legal troubles and flaky mobile TV chipsets are both to blame, with delays hovering somewhere in the two to eight week range. Here's our simple question: if the network already exists (and it does, because Verizon's been using it for a year now), what the heck is so hard here?
Gigabyte intros HSDPA devices for Euro market
As expected (sort of), Gigabyte's GSmart division came packing at MWC this year with a small army of WinMo handsets ready to battle -- and this time, they're taking the war to Europe. The headliner is the MS808, featuring HSDPA and GPS alongside support for a healthy majority of the world's digital TV standards: DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB, and ISDB-T. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually feature the cool skeleton view currently showing up on GSmart's website, but you get the idea. Also being shown are the MS800, MS820, and MS804 -- the last of which looks suspiciously like the O2 Xda Denim -- all with the same integrated HSDPA and GPS as the MS808, but lacking the television tunerfest. Separately, Gigabyte announced that its phalanx of new handsets will feature Garmin's Mobile XT software and are all cocked and loaded to be unleashed on an unsuspecting (or at this point, suspecting, we suppose) European market in the near future, leaving the glut of Windows Mobile Professional hardware packed with more choice, more confusion, and arguably less differentiation than ever. There are worse problems to have, we suppose.Read - GSmart Unveils 3.5G Mobile TV and GPS PDA Phones at Mobile World Congress 2008Read - GSmart introduces 3.5G GPS PDA phones with GARMIN Mobile XT to European market
Alcatel Lucent, SFR tout successful DVB-SH trial
The first step to deploying fancy, shmancy Europe-wide mobile TV solution is a successful trial, of course, and Alcatel Lucent and SFR are happy to oblige on that end. The infrastructure firm tied up with the French carrier last year to demonstrate that DVB-SH was a viable solution -- despite the fact that SFR is really big on using 3G data for mobile TV, go figure -- by setting up a trial network in southwestern France. How do you fake a satellite-assisted network, you ask? Good question -- turns out it involves letting a helicopter chill way up there with a transmitter and pair it with a handful of repeaters strapped onto some of SFR's existing 3G towers. Basically, the companies found that DVB-SH worked like a champ with repeaters added to "only portions" of SFR's towers, making the setup a cost-effective alternative to DVB-H for wide-scale rollouts. It's still unclear whether SFR's actually interested in getting involved with a production network or whether it's sticking to its data-only guns, but regardless, other carriers are sure to benefit from the findings.[Via mocoNews]
China ignores standards group, presses on with weird network for mobile TV
Just as it's doing with its nascent 3G network, China's forging ahead with a bunch of no-name, homegrown protocols duking it out for the title of National Mobile TV Standard, a fight that's waging deep within the halls of the country's Standardization Administration. CMMB, DMB-TH, T-MMB, CMB, and CDMB -- five "standards" we'll bet a wooden nickel you've never heard of -- are all in the running, although it seems that a rogue dissenter has gone ahead and sped up the process just a bit. China's SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television) is flatly ignoring the standardization process and starting a CMMB build-out already, promising availability in 37 cities via terrestrial networks while the planned July launch of the CMMB-STAR satellite will deliver broadcasts to a total of 324. It seems a wide variety of manufacturers are already on board and the SARFT has started producing CMMB-ready content, so yeah, you can just go ahead and wrap up this whole dog and pony show you call a standards selection process, k?[Via mocoNews]
Samsung Access, AT&T's other MediaFLO launch phone
We already know that the Prada-esque LG CU920 Vu is one of AT&T's two launch handsets in support of its MediaFLO-based mobile TV rollout, but what's the other one the carrier mentions? Mobiledia has scored gorgeous shots of this not-so-gorgeous phone, the A827 "Access" from Samsung, and the combination of AT&T branding and a dedicated "TV" button next to the d-pad has us believing that it'll be stepping up to the plate for that role. Unlike the Vu, the Access seems to be a lower-end handset on account of a 1.3 megapixel cam, unremarkable design, and smallish display, so we're certainly hoping its price point reflects the specs accordingly. Good to see that AT&T wants to bring mobile TV to every price segment, we suppose.[Thanks, Matt D.]
E-TEN glofiish V900 surfaces, flush with mobile TV support
Very little is known about the glofiish V900 from E-TEN -- in fact, nothing is known about it other than what we have on this promotional image advertising E-TEN's presence at the GSM Association's Mobile World Congress next month. What few details are revealed here, though, are pretty freakin' notable. The V900 apparently supports DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB, and DAB broadcasts, unifying half a world's worth of digital television and radio broadcast standards in a single device. We guess we'll have to wait until the big show in a few weeks to figure out the rest, but if we were the betting types, we'd wager that it'll probably be available in black and blue.[Via Unwired View]
The lowdown on AT&T's MediaFLO launch!
We still don't have a launch date other than the rather large window of Q1 '08, but AT&T's starting to prep its peeps on the launch of its MediaFLO-based mobile TV service, so we figure that's a good sign. We've learned here that in addition to the eight standard channels of programming MediaFLO has deployed -- all of which are available on Verizon's competing VCAST TV service -- AT&T will pick up two exclusive channels that are yet to be named. Pricing has also yet to be announced, but we see here that it'll be available either standalone or in a bundle with MEdia Net and Cellular Video (we still can't believe they didn't change that acronym after the Cingular name went away, by the way). Two "new devices" will be offered for the service, one of which we know to be the Vu. A grand total of 53 cities will be covered at launch, covering about 129 million people (or so AT&T says, anyway) -- you can see a larger version of the map after the break. Enjoy![Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Video: Hands-on with LG's MPH mobile broadcast standard
In the wake of LG's press conference today we're still a little skeptical that the world needs yet another standard for mobile TV, but for what it's worth, the company appears to have signed up a variety of partners in an effort to push it -- and they certainly brought enough eye candy hardware with prototype MPH hardware already integrated. In the mix was a modified VX9400, an LG laptop, a portable media player, and a USB dongle, and with the first commercial rollouts expected as soon as February of next year, we figure it's a good thing they have so much actual product to show. We're a little miffed at the idea that the standard is robbing sweet, sweet bandwidth from the traditional ATSC signal (as opposed to, say, DVB-H and MediaFLO, which rock their own frequencies), but we can also appreciate why this might speed mobile TV rollouts due to a significantly reduced dedicated infrastructure footprint. And besides, who isn't excited about the prospect of watching the boob tube at 140 miles per hour?
