Lawmakers, policy makers, broadcasters and consumer electronics vendors today gathered in Washington, D.C., for an event marking the commercial launch of Mobile DTV.
The event, held in the Rayburn House Office Building, is giving those in government a firsthand look at mobile phones, media table adapters, media players and portable sets capable of receiving Mobile DTV while on the go.
Hosted by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), and the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and sponsored by Dyle mobile TV, LG Electronics, Harris, Samsung, the Mobile500 Alliance, Elgato and Rentrak, the event demonstrates Mobile DTV is a viable broadcast service.
“Today, Mobile TV is live in 50 markets reaching more than half of the U.S. population,” said Vince Sadusky, president of the OMVC and president and CEO of LIN Media. “Now that the first consumer devices are available in retail stores, we are excited to celebrate the commercial launch of Mobile DTV.” Currently, more than 130 stations are on air in those 50 markets with Mobile DTV.
The event included demonstrations of the new Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G* smartphone, the first commercial mobile phone equipped with Dyle mobile TV service. Wireless carrier MetroPCS is making the Galaxy S Lightray 4G with Mobile DTV reception available to consumers.
Other demonstrations included new accessory devices to provide mobile TV capability to tablets and media players and a new portable mobile TV equipped with WiFi capability.
The Capitol Hill event also marks the commercialization of the new Mobile Emergency Alert System (M-EAS) that goes beyond today’s electronic text alerts for mobile devices, offering real-time video, maps, photos, and urgent information in the event of an emergency. Demonstrated by LG Electronics and Harris Broadcast, M-EAS is currently being standardized by the ATSC, which also developed the A/153 Mobile Digital TV broadcast standard.