[opendtv] NAB Showcases Mobile DTV

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:08:30 -0500

Quotes from the bottom of the article:

"Arlen said revenue questions remain, as well-'namely who gets a share of what? 
I'm also waiting to see how the mobile device dealers-ranging from big-box 
merchants to wireless phone carrier outlets-will sell their video services. 
That will add another level of entertainment and a lot of complexity to what is 
already a complicated sales process,' he said."

Indeed. I've been wondering the same thing exactly.

But then there's this amazing bit:

"Sterling Davis, vice president of engineering at Cox Broadcasting, chairs the 
OMVC's Technical Advisory Group. 'We already have five [Cox] stations up and 
running with mobile TV and there are a lot of good reasons to do it,' he said. 
'At this stage, I don't think the jury's still out on mobile TV-I think it's 
going to happen. Most broadcasters will wind up doing it sooner or later. And 
it's not very expensive to implement,' said Davis, the recipient of last year's 
NAB Engineering Achievement Award for Television."

I'm missing something. Is Cox planning on transmitting some of their stuff 
using the local broadcasters? That would be an about-face.

And is this going to be access-controlled, I would assume? If so, how odd would 
it be if OTA broadcasters reinvented themselves as the terrestrial wireless arm 
of MVPDs?

Wonders never cease.

Bert

--------------------------
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/97210

NAB Showcases Mobile DTV
by John Merli, 03.25.2010

LAS VEGAS

Armed with a new industry standard in hand-quite literally, in the case of 
future devices-and laying claim to some of the best real estate available at 
the NAB Show this month, ATSC Mobile DTV proponents are counting on all the 
stars aligning in Las Vegas for the launch of what some see as a "game-changer" 
for the broadcast industry.

Situated in the heart of the Grand Lobby of the LVCC at NAB (April 12-15), the 
Mobile DTV Marketplace will demo a wide array of consumer devices rolling out 
in the near future. The marketplace is being sponsored by a quartet of heavy 
hitters: the Advanced Television Systems Committee, the Consumer Electronics 
Association, the Open Mobile Video Coalition, and NAB.

Themed "Experience the Power of Local Broadcast TV on the Go," the marketplace 
is being geared to provide local broadcasters with the wide array of likely 
mobile devices to be shipped soon to American retailers-from smart-phones to 
hand-held iPad-like PCs to fixed in-vehicle displays.

Mobile DTV proponents also will conduct a NAB Super Session on Tuesday (April 
13) to brief executives on an upcoming "consumer showcase" for the Washington, 
D.C. market (DMA 9) now getting underway with the participation of at least 
eight local broadcasters. The session, "Mobile TV: Ready for Primetime?" will 
feature Saul Berman of IBM, Brett Jenkins of Ion Television, Frank Barbieri of 
Transpera, Jonathan Barzilay of Flo TV, and Gary Arlen of Arlen Communications.

BIGGEST HURDLE? CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE

"While everyone talks about 'mobile,' this is more about 'transportable,'" said 
panelist Arlen, an analyst based in Bethesda, Md. "Viewers will watch shows or 
streams wherever they are-thus validating the concept of 'best available 
screen.' That is, they'll use a handheld or mobile device if they cannot get to 
a laptop/desktop monitor or a 'real' TV set."

Arlen thinks the major challenge for mobile video will be the competitive 
landscape. "Consumers will be very confused about the different offers-and the 
incompatible equipment requirements-as they're pitched Flo TV, the various OMVC 
options, as well as streamed Web video services they can get now on 
smart-phones and other mobile handsets."

OMVC Executive Director Anne Schelle said Mobile DTV shouldn't be mistaken by 
consumers as simply another option in the current competition already out 
there. "[Pay-service] MobiTV is only on the Sprint platform and offers largely 
recorded clips-not simulcasts of live TV," she said. "And Flo TV is a total 
premium service and is not offering local stations. At NAB, you'll see us demo 
all the local Las Vegas broadcast channels, plus some premium cable content, 
across [several] broadcast stations."

NAB Science & Technology Senior Vice President Lynn Claudy said while Mobile 
DTV will have a big presence at NAB, "The focus is moving well beyond 
tech-nology demonstrations. The NAB Show's demos and sessions will underscore 
the real breadth of participation by industry partners and CE 
manufacturers-including the CEA-which will be critical in determining if Mobile 
DTV will succeed in the marketplace." However, Claudy said, the technology side 
of mobile DTV is now largely stable. "Our optimism in the technology realm has 
paid off well."

Claudy said-based on what promises to be a robust level of participation in the 
Mobile DTV Marketplace (and in the Mobile DTV Pavilion located in the upper 
level of the LVCC South Hall)-"NAB is optimistic about Mobile DTV's commercial 
future." NAB's chief technology executive also said engineers should take note 
of the several Mobile DTV sessions and papers being offered at the Broadcast 
Engineering Conference. One paper, "Perceived Video Quality and Bit Rate in the 
ATSC Mobile DTV Standard," will be presented by the Communications Research 
Center of Canada on Sunday (April 11) at 5 p.m. (Rm. S219, LVCC).

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

Andy Whiteside, general manager of Acrodyne Services, said for local stations 
the implementation of Mobile DTV is not just a transmitter or studio upgrade. 
"It requires an integrated approach to the 'signal chain' in order to provide 
the broadcaster and potential viewer with full access to the capabilities of 
the new standard," he said. (Acrodyne, which last year shuttered its 
transmitter business, increasingly sees itself as a Mobile DTV systems 
integrator and does not en-dorse any particular product lines.)

Whiteside said the new ATSC A/153 standard offers broadcasters myriad 
opportunities beyond what he calls "little TV," but he said several business 
and legal issues remain-notably content rights and questions of free-to-air or 
subscription-which must be resolved. "The resolution of such issues drives the 
tech-nical side, so my advice to tech execs is to retain as much flexibility as 
possible in selecting equipment and suppliers, so as not to get backed into a 
corner. Mobile DTV represents the only opportunity for broadcasters to extend 
their reach to new demographics, to extend their reach outside the home," he 
said.

Arlen said revenue questions remain, as well-"namely who gets a share of what? 
I'm also waiting to see how the mobile device dealers-ranging from big-box 
merchants to wireless phone carrier outlets-will sell their video services. 
That will add another level of entertainment and a lot of complexity to what is 
already a complicated sales process," he said.

Sterling Davis, vice president of engineering at Cox Broadcasting, chairs the 
OMVC's Technical Advisory Group. "We already have five [Cox] stations up and 
running with mobile TV and there are a lot of good reasons to do it," he said. 
"At this stage, I don't think the jury's still out on mobile TV-I think it's 
going to happen. Most broadcasters will wind up doing it sooner or later. And 
it's not very expensive to implement," said Davis, the recipient of last year's 
NAB Engineer-ing Achievement Award for Television. 


 
 
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