Mobile DTV shows solid growth at NAB 2011
Apr 19, 2011 2:17 PM, By Debra Kaufman
The Mobile DTV Pavilion at NAB 2011 featured a number of devices. Photo courtesy Open Mobile Video Coalition.
Mobile DTV made a strong showing at NAB 2011 at the Mobile DTV Pavilion and throughout panels and keynotes. Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) executive director Anne Schelle updated figures given earlier, saying, "The numbers of broadcasters on the air with mobile continues to rise, with 76 stations now on the air in 32 markets. We project that mobile DTV will reach more than 77 million households — or more than two thirds of all viewers in America — in the next 12 months."
The newly established Mobile DTV Forum, OMVC's membership category, cited significant early progress such as the creation of working groups on key mobile DTV issues, selection of steering committee members and addition of new member companies to its ranks. Harris VP of broadcast technology, Jay Adrick, was elected chairman of the Mobile DTV Forum steering committee, which works closely with the OMVC's Technology Advisory Group and reports to the OMVC board of directors. Key members of the steering committee include Harris, LG Electronics, Dell, Samsung, NBC Universal, and Sinclair Broadcasting. Its newest members are Neustar, Nagra, Hauppage Computer Works, Rentrak, MobiTV, Siano Mobile Silicon, and Rohde & Schwarz.
One of the group's first initiatives is a new RF signal capture project that is designed to further enhance reception. This project collects and records relevant signals for manufacturers to use when designing new reception devices. OMVC president Vincent Sadusky, who is CEO of LIN Media, said that forum members will have access to data from the RF capture program.
At NAB 2011, the Mobile DTV Pavilion, co-hosted by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), showcased a wide variety of MDTV devices including the new Valups Tivizen receiver that plugs directly into the iPad and iPhone; Cydle's iPhone cradle for MDTV reception, Crestech's portable Wi-Fi devices; RCA's new line of portable TV sets for mobile DTV; an in-vehicle display from Winegard; prototype cell phones from LG Electronics and Samsung; Dell's prototype netbook computer with built in mobile DTV, and several USB receivers for laptops from DTVinteractive, Hauppauge and Pixtree. Also making a showing at the pavilion were both mobile DTV broadcaster consortia, the Mobile500 Alliance and Mobile Content Venture.| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
