Washington, D.C. has been selected as a
product showcase market for Mobile DTV technology. Also four
TV stations in Atlanta and Seattle will become model stations for
technical research and development (R&D) of device interoperability.
The Open Mobile Video Coalition's goal is to bring mobile television to American consumers,
using digital transmission over broadcast TV facilities. In addition to
the Washington consumer showcase and the Atlanta and Seattle model
stations, the OMVC said that seventy TV stations have signed on to
deliver live television broadcasts in twenty eight markets by the end
of 2009.
The OMVC further announced that Dell Inc. is joining the line-up of
prototype devices from LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics and Kenwood
USA, with its brand new netbook, the Inspiron Mini 10.
The Mobile DTV ecosystem we are encouraging brings new
opportunities to broadcasters, device manufacturers, as well as
consumers," said Brandon Burgess, OMVC President and ION Media
Networks, Inc. Chairman and CEO. "Dell joining the R&D process with
its exciting new netbook is a reminder of just how far we have come.
This broadcast Mobile DTV-powered device would have been unthinkable a
year ago."
"We're completely impressed by how quickly these television
broadcasters and equipment makers are moving to bring Mobile DTV to
market," said David Rehr, President and CEO of the National Association
of Broadcasters. "Their combined commitment to moving our industry
forward is formidable. The industry is clearly embracing Mobile DTV as
an exciting next step in the evolution of digital television
broadcasting."
Consumer Market Trial and R&D Markets to be Activated
The consumer trial in the greater Washington, D.C. metro market,
encompassing the ninth U.S. media market and surrounding areas, will go
live in late summer, permitting broadcasters to showcase and test
programming, services and features of the new Mobile DTV technology.
The trial will help prepare broadcasters for the full commercial
deployment of services scheduled for later this year. Fox Television
Stations' WDCA-DT, Gannett Broadcasting's WUSA-DT, ION Media Networks'
WPXW-DT, NBC Universal's WRC-DT, PBS' WHUT-DT and MHz Networks,
Sinclair Broadcast Group's operated WNUV-DT and National Datacast are
initial participants. The coalition anticipates adding more stations to
the trial in the near term.
David Lougee, President, Gannett Broadcasting Group, commented,
"Broadcasters recognize that the successful launch of Mobile DTV will
make broadcast TV practically ubiquitous. The beauty of the technology
is that all parties involved stand to profit. By establishing the
consumer trial and R&D model stations, the broadcast community is
essentially sending an invitation to device manufacturers: Come test
prototypes, build out products and get on board this fast-moving value
train that is Mobile DTV."
"Mobile DTV is an exciting new platform and growth opportunity for
broadcasters. NBC Universal envisions developing new revenue streams in
partnership with our affiliates, delivering compelling content to our
viewers, and providing increased value to our advertisers," commented
John Eck, OMVC Executive Committee member and President of NBC Network
and Media Works. "We're excited to be working with the Coalition to
conduct the first consumer trials of this new technology."
Four model stations - two each in Atlanta, Georgia and Seattle,
Washington - will be activated to serve as extensive system test and
validation markets for device interoperability. WPXA-DT, an ION
Media-owned ION Television station serving Atlanta, signed on with
mobile services on April 1st. Atlanta's WATL-DT, a Gannett-owned
MyNetworkTV affiliate, plus Seattle's KONG-DT, a Belo-owned independent
station, and KOMO-DT, a Fisher-owned ABC affiliate, are slated to begin
full time broadcast of Mobile DTV signals this spring. These model
stations will enable manufacturers to develop and test products that
meet broadcaster, electronics manufacturer and consumer requirements
for the projected launches and future services. Harris Corporation,
Rohde & Schwarz, Roundbox, Inc. and Triveni Digital are supplying
Mobile DTV transmission equipment and making available their technical
expertise to the stations, which represent the nation's eighth and
fourteenth largest media markets.
End-to-End Mobile DTV Infrastructure is Here; Dell Unveils Netbook Form Factor
Prominent companies such as LG, Samsung, Harris and Rohde &
Schwarz have all contributed to the technology's advancement by
producing a highly efficient ecosystem for broadcasting to mobile and
portable devices. These companies strive to simplify the Mobile DTV
infrastructure connection points, which include acquisition content
processing, encoding, multiplexing, encapsulation, modulation, network
adaptation and overall system management, thus delivering services that
will meet or exceed the end-user's expectations.
Additionally, a range of prototype devices - navigation units,
mobile phones, DTV-ready notebook computers, handheld digital TVs,
aftermarket in-vehicle video players and MP3 players - incorporating
Mobile DTV technology have been created by innovative consumer
electronics makers like LG, Samsung, Kenwood, Visteon and now Dell.
"Dell is an industry leader in bringing integrated TV capability to
the notebook and netbook categories worldwide, including support for
several over-the-air digital broadcast standards on the Dell Inspiron
Mini 10," said John Thode, Vice President, Dell consumer products -
small screen devices. "We believe Mobile DTV is an important
development for the broadcast community and its affiliated industries
and endorse ATSC Mobile DTV as the emerging standard for the U.S."
70 TV Stations in 28 Markets Ready for '09 Deployment
Twenty one charter broadcasters - Belo Corp., Capitol Broadcasting
Company, Cox Television, Dispatch Broadcast Group, Fisher
Communications, Fox Television Stations, Gannett Broadcasting, Gray
Television, Hearst-Argyle Television, ION Media Networks, LIN TV Corp.,
Media General, Meredith Corp., NBC Universal, PBS, Post-Newsweek
Stations, Raycom Media, Schurz Communications, Scripps Television
Station Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Sunbeam Television - have
committed to launching Mobile DTV services in 2009. Spanning 70
stations in 28 markets, the dedicated broadcasters will cover about 39
percent of U.S. television households. The early launch stations are
comprised of 16 NBC affiliates, 10 ABC affiliates, 12 CBS affiliates,
six FOX affiliates, nine ION Television affiliates, nine PBS member
stations, four CW affiliates and four MyNetworkTV affiliates.
Flexible System Architecture, Variety of Business Models & Limitless Convenience Opportunities
In November 2008, the ATSC approved the Candidate Standard for
Mobile DTV. The Candidate Standard is the result of an intense
development effort involving the OMVC and participants from all over
the world and across television and mobile device industries. The final
steps in the ATSC standardization process for Mobile DTV are expected
to be complete in mid-2009.
Mobile DTV's benefits include crisp picture, high-speed mobility and
a wealth of live, local and national programming at pedestrian and
vehicular speeds. The technology will simultaneously support many
different services and business models, such as linear and interactive
video, as well as free ad-supported and pay services. With content from
both traditional media and Web sources, these services will be part of
the Mobile DTV experience, just as they are part of consumers'
experience at home. And, as the technology is widely introduced, the
need for accurate audience measurement to correlate user demographic
information with traffic patterns like those offered by Nielsen and
Rentrak will become increasingly valuable in this new new media space.
ABOUT THE OPEN MOBILE VIDEO COALITION
The Open Mobile Video Coalition is a voluntary association of
television broadcasters whose mission is to accelerate the development
of mobile digital television in the United States. The OMVC is composed
of twenty seven members that own and operate over 450 commercial
television stations, as well as the Association of Public Television
Stations, Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Public
Broadcasting Service, which represent an additional 360 public
television stations. Membership in the OMVC is open to all U.S.-based
television broadcasters. Members are committed to fostering open
competition in the development of products and services related to
television. For more information, please visit http://www.omvc.org.