----- Original Message ----- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
On the other hand, if existing OTA TV broadcasts are made available to mobile platforms "as is," there should still be a meaningful benefit, in the form of increased Nielsen ratings, I would think. So that should percolate up the chain too. I don't see why any new agreements need to be made, though. The benefits should accrue naturally, in this case, because more money should be made from the same ads.
Amen, Bert. If a mobile device could use unaltered (or very slightly altered, backwards compatible, very low bit loss) ATSC, then that would undermine any potential demand for subscription mobile video services. I am dumbfounded by the lack of interest in the Patel/McDonald patent for this use.
I have no idea how popular they are, but there are many DVB-T portable Freeview receivers available both car installations and as combo DVB-T/DVD players. Throw in the USB "thumbdrive" DVB-T receivers for laptops that at least have a chance of working in a bus or commuter train, and that's a lot of free content for any subscription service in GB to compete against.
However, our broadcast station has chosen to offer multiple channels with our ATSC stream, and we would not want to trade a 2-for-1 bit loss just to program to mobile devices free of charge. Some stations may wish to lease bits in this manner to a third party, which is fine, but I don't see free OTA E-VSB or A-VSB making much of a dent in the market.
It would be much more likely that we would license our content to (or lease space from?) an existing mobile video provider such as Qualcomm or Crown Castle.
John
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