14 DAY TRIAL // Mobile devices like cell phones, GPS units, MP3 players, and in-car entertainment systems will be able to receive TV signals starting this year, TV stations in 22 U.S. cities announced on Thursday. Moreover, it seems that the broadcasts are bound to be free, providing users’ access to local news, traffic, and weather updates. They are also reported to play an important role in emergency situations like hurricanes, as they are not supposed to jam up as mobile phone networks do under load.
On the other hand, there might be a problem in what concerns compatible devices that would be available on the market. “Broadcasters have come together and said 'We'll be the chicken,'” Mark Aitken, director of advanced technology for the Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc, said. “We'll put services out there without devices.”
As it often happens, such products have not yet been unveiled, as they seem to have no purpose, and there is currently no launch date announced for any products of this kind. At least not at this time, that is, but as soon as the broadcasts are available, things might change.
Some prototypes of compliant devices have been displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show, and they were also able to receive trial broadcasts from local stations. LG Electronics Inc. showcased two such cell phones along with a portable DVD player, while Kenwood Corp., Delphi Corp., and Visteon Corp. are working on car-based receivers.
Another problem the broadcasters might face could be the fact that cellular carriers, like AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, offer phones that work with a mobile broadcasting system run by Qualcomm Inc., which costs $15 per month and delivers 10 channels to users. Yet, the mobile TV broadcaster group Open Mobile Video Coalition announced that it was discussing the matter with some of the carriers, and that possible deals with some of them were expected.
The “Mobile Digital TV” should be rolled-out on 22 markets covering 35 percent of U.S. households, OMVC stated. The largest of these include New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, and Atlanta. The coalition also said that 54 commercial network affiliates announced their participation, while nine PBS affiliates could also join in.
Currently, mobile devices cannot receive conventional digital TV broadcasts, nevertheless several companies are already reported to be working on the matter. Audiovox Corp. announced an in-car receiver for Qualcomm's MediaFLO service, while AT&T and RaySat Broadcasting Corp. said that a satellite TV system called CruiseCast for cars would be unveiled this spring. Alcatel-Lucent and ICO Global Communications Ltd. also presented a hybrid satellite-terrestrial broadcasting system, which would come to the market next year.