Mobile

DISH may have handheld video on its plate

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:59:10 -0400

Satellite TV provider DISH Networks spent about $700 million to win 168 spectrum licenses in the Federal Communications Commission 700 Mhz spectrum auction, and thus far it has been unclear how DISH would use the spectrum. However, some advances coming to light in the area of digital video broadcast for satellite service to handheld equipment (DVB-SH) could provide a hint. Alcatel-Lucent will be testing new DVB-SH gear in DISH's lab in Atlanta this spring and summer.

DVB-SH is related to the DVB-H standard that has found support internationally for mobile TV.

For more:
- read this story at Telephony

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Mobile TV still not fulfilling its potential

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:59:20 -0400

Mobile TV continues to be a source of excitement for the mobile industry, but the recent Mobile TV World Summit in London was a venue at which some firms involved in the mobile TV ecosystem vented their concerns about the success of the service thus far, according to Digital Broadcast.

This is not an IPTV issue, strictly speaking, but since mobile TV is one aspect of any major telco's push into the TV realm, it may offer some valuable lessons. One of those lessons, according to some of the London event, is that service providers need to simplify packaging and pricing of mobile TV. At least one speaker urged service providers to include mobile TV in flat-rate service plans, rather than charging an additional fee of up to $15 for the service (If you are a Verizon Wireless customer, you recognize that price tag).

For more:
- read this Digital Broadcast story at itp.net

Related article:
- Mobile TV progress was seen in Brazil late last year. Mobile TV report
- Spending on mobile TV to rocket Mobile TV spending report

Microsoft licenses Flash

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:59:20 -0400

Adobe's Flash player is emerging as the dominant mobile standard for mobile video after Microsoft and Adobe inked a licensing deal this week. The deal follows similar agreements with Nokia and Verizon to deploy Flash Lite. The Microsoft deal enables web browsing of Flash Player-compatible content on future editions of Windows Mobile-based handsets as well as the Internet Explorer browser.

With half a million devices already loaded with Flash Lite and Flash the technology of choice for an increasing number of content creators the technology is fast becoming become the de facto standard for mobile rich media. The only hold-out is Apple which developed its own player for video content for the iPhone.

For more:
- Adobe Microsoft licensing announcement

Related articles:
Microsoft inks Silverlight deal with Nokia Article
Adobe not good enough for iPhone Article

AT&T takes on the Slingbox

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:00:50 -0400

MobiTV, which has a longstanding relationship with AT&T, has taken the carrier's U-Verse service and created an OnTheGo version that allows U-Verse subscribers to access live U-Verse content on a PC through any Internet connection. The slimmer version will offer 30 channels, many of which will have live programming like The Weather Channel, Bloomberg and others. OnTheGo will offer VOD, movie trailers and other channels and content in the future. The service costs an additional $10 a month. Sounds like an attempt to thwart placeshifting technology like Slingbox.

For more on U-Verse OnTheGo:
- take a look at this press release

Rumor Mill: U-verse to ink deal with MobiTV?

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:01:30 -0500

Light Reading is running a speculative article on whether U-verse will team up with MobiTV to make good on its marketing promise to spread IPTV across the "three screens." While the LR piece is speculative, I am willing to bet the tie-up is a fact. The case is more than compelling:

AT&T is already a MobiTV partner for its HomeZone service.
AT&T-owned Cingular Wireless has used MobiTV for its mMode mobile services for 15 months now.
MobiTV is inarguably the market leader in the space.

MobiTV's director of marketing Jason Taylor said "The PC product and the mobile product would be our specialty, so we would probably skin those two services to mirror the branding of the [U-verse] service." Taylor coyly goes on: "Would we be the technology play while they would use their own content? That's kind of up for debate, but that's certainly up to AT&T... Either way, we are really pleased that we would be hosting that offering." If it wasn't true, he would have said "We would be really pleased..." Aha!

For more on the rumored U-verse-MobiTV tie-up:
- see this article from Light Reading