Live TV on a mobile device is already possible today through several subscription services. But free over-the-air TV delivered via an IP network to a mobile device could be a more ubiquitous reality soon, and Saankhya Labs is a key company working toward making that a reality.
Both an ATSC 3.0 single-frequency network (SFN) launch in Dallas and a “model market” test in Phoenix have equipment ready to go and are simply awaiting legal approval to turn on, which could come as early as tomorrow.
While consumers stream TV on desktop and mobile around-the-clock, dayparts play a role in which devices they use. Mobile devices are particularly popular for latenight viewing.
The veteran wireless and media executive will bring her experience in operations, business development, marketing communications, and legislative/regulatory work to the mobile TV partnership.
Mobile TV won’t thrive if broadcasters don’t push it rather than wait for other segments of the industry, such as electronics manufacturers, to take the lead, according to NAB Show panelist Salil Dalvi of NBCU Digital Distribution. But Hubbard Television Group’s Robert Hubbard, who heads the Mobile 500 Alliance, said it’s not that simple, with the investment necessary a challenge for some broadcasters to afford.
At the IBC Show this week in Amsterdam, the DVB standards body is showing off one of the top priority goals of ATSC 3.0 using its DVB-T2 standard: A single terrestrial signal that’s robust enough to send a 4K broadcast to a television set and a lower-resolution broadcast to a mobile device.
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Entrepreneurs are competing over best way to deliver live local TV to smartphones, tablets and other Internet devices.
Most Mobile TV Viewing Occurs In Home
A new study from the Council For Research Excellence Study details the affects of mobile media devices on overall TV viewing behavior. Among them: 82% of tablet and 64% of smartphone viewing occurs in the home.
NAB and the Florida Association of Broadcasters are in partnership with Dyle mobile TV to provide devices to Florida’s State Emergency Response Team as part of a pilot program to assist first responders with accessing important information during the 2013 hurricane season.
Users who downloaded or updated ABC’s new app that allows for a live linear stream of local and network content are complaining about technical glitches and too many commercials before live content begins.
The move is generally seen as the successful culmination of the inaugural phase of mobile DTV during which the groundwork was laid to give the fledgling service the foundation needed to become a reality.
The Open Mobile Video Coalition and NAB say the move reflects the maturity of mobile TV and will help to accelerate its commercialization while solidifying the new technology’s role in the larger broadcast television universe.
The ATSC’s completion of an NRT standard allows a variety of watch-when-ready scenarios, the tech group says. “This is a natural evolution of the mobile TV standard,” explained Sterling Davis, chairman of the OMVC’s Technical Advisory Group. “Storing programs in memory, clipcasting, digital signage, video-on-demand and micro-websites are ways for the broadcast industry to improve the array of services provided to users of mobile TV.
As TV and telco operators mull their mobile and tablet options, another software vendor is hoping to get their attention, funding itself for a larger worldwide push.
Qualcomm’s Walker: DASH Is Best For Mobile
The Qualcomm VP says Netflix-style streaming technology and over-the-top services will make mobile TV possible. For all that’s going on at NAB 2012, click here.
Video ad network YuMe is expanding to mobile, launching software development tools for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch as well as a pair of new mobile ad units.
In an ambitious series of tests organized by the Open Mobile Video Coalition, consumers equipped with special cell phones and portable personal computers capable of receiving over-the-air broadcast TV signals are yielding encouraging results, especially in terms of advertising exposure and recall.
If you’re a gamer, the appeal of immersing yourself in a virtual world might be obvious. The rest of us, though, still need convincing. The new systems represent “science fiction coming to reality,” said Gary Shapiro, head of the group that runs the annual CES gadget show in Las Vegas, which will showcase VR and related technologies in early January. What’s changed? Screen and graphics technologies have finally gotten good enough to provide a realistic and responsive VR experience.
