Put a TV in your pocket with new DVBH system

MOBILES already store contacts and appointments, check email, edit documents, surf the internet and take photos, but soon you'll be able to put a fully fledged television in your pocket.

Thanks to a developing system called DVBH (Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds), users will be able to view live television broadcasts on their handset in exactly the same way they do at home. If you're waiting for a client meeting to start you can watch some news or catch up on the big game on your phone.

Australia's mobile phone carriers already offer limited video services, but DVB-H works in a different way.

Rather than streaming content over the mobile phone network, signals are broadcast in the same way as conventional free-to-air television.

Users with DVB-H handsets can view the broadcasts on their phone, switching between channels at will. Early tests have shown impressive video and sound quality.

Existing mobile network-based streaming video services may be affected by the number of users in a given mobile network cell. As more people crowd in, the limited bandwidth becomes congested, leading to frustrating dropouts.

However, because DVB-H services uses a broadcast technique, quality is not affected by the number of concurrent users. The result, proponents say, is a more stable, watchable picture with better sound.

Another advantage of streaming broadcasts is that service providers don't have to limit the length of time that users watch the channels on offer because it is not tying up valuable mobile network bandwidth. This compares favourably with services such as Telstra's Next G mobile network, on which users are limited to just a few minutes of content viewing each day.

A number of DVB-H trials have already been carried out in Australia to enable prospective content providers to begin developing their offerings and pricing models.

Full commercial services could begin in the next two years, once the Australian Communications and Media Authority has auctioned the radio spectrum. The spectrum process kicked off late last year when the federal Government announced plans to allocate two currently unassigned television broadcasting channels for new digital services.

The first, dubbed channel A, is likely to be used to provide extra in-home digital services.

The second, channel B, is slated for a range of other applications, including mobile television.

Testing of DVB-H in Australia began in mid-2005 and the most recent work was completed in January.

Currently a limited test is going on in Sydney, but this is not accessible to the public.

Further large-scale trials are unlikely until the spectrum auction process has been completed and the operators of DVB-H services confirmed.

Overseas, Italy became the first country to offer a commercial DVB-H service when it launched one to coincide with the World Cup in 2006. Vietnam also has an operational service and some other Asian countries are running trials. Nokia Australia mobile television expert Bruce Webb says the trials have shown the service is popular with consumers who enjoy being able to access a fully fl edged television service while out and about.

Survey research compiled by Nokia after trials were completed in Britain showed 83 per cent were satisfied with the service and 76 per cent would be willing to pay for it.

During the trial, average viewing sessions lasted for 23 minutes, with users opting for one or two sessions daily.

Webb says users tend to "snack" on content, dipping in and out at convenient times. For business users, this could take the form of watching a news bulletin during the morning commute and catching up on sport during meeting breaks.

One of the biggest challenges for service providers will be figuring out the best charging model to attach to their DVB-H offering.

The mobile network operators are keeping plans well under wraps, but it's likely some sort of subscription structure will be used.

Subscriptions could come in the form of an all-you-can-eat offering giving full access to the expected dozens of channels, or in more selective forms for users interested in particular subjects.

For example, business users could subscribe to news and fi nance channels while consumers might opt for entertainment.

Another factor being carefully studied by mobile operators is how advertising will work in this new mobile broadcasting world. It's still obviously a work in progress, but there's little doubt it will be different from the way it's handled by traditional television stations.

Nokia's Webb says users might find advertisers sponsoring blocks of programming rather than inserting 30 or 60-second ads in the programming.

If you've only got 10 minutes to watch some mobile television, the last thing you want is to sit through minutes of adverts before getting to the content.

"There is some talk that we might even see the emergence of the seven-second advertisement," Webb says. "This would be more suited to people who are only watching for limited amounts of time.

"We will see a lot of experimenting when they are up and running." Service providers also have the opportunity to use the return path offered by the mobile network to enhance their broadcast offerings.

Users could find themselves doing anything from voting in interactive polls to purchasing products or services advertised in the programs.

Because there is an electronic link to each viewer, operators will also be able to closely measure which programs are popular and which are not.

The result could be a ratings system that's more accurate and up-to-date that those currently used for free-to-air broadcasts.

In anticipation of DVB-H services becoming widespread during the next few years, handset vendors have been working developing devices capable of receiving the broadcasts. None are yet on the market in Australia, but they can be expected as soon as services go live.

In an effort to avoid the standards battles that have plagued so many other areas of technology (think early video and now high-definition DVDs), some of the handset vendors have been working together closely to ensure their devices are compatible both with each other and with the broadcasts themselves.

The task is made more complex by the fact that services will use different frequencies in different parts of the world.

Nokia has already launched its N92 and N77 handsets, both of which are DVB-H-compatible.

The N92 has a 2.8in screen designed for television viewing, while the N77 offers the same functions but in a smaller size.

Meanwhile, Samsung is offering its P930 DVB-H-compatible handset, which has a 2.3in display with picture-in-picture capabilities, making it possible to view two mobile channels at the same time.

LG is also in on the action, and has released its eye-catching LG U900 handset with a swivelling display. In portrait mode it can be used as a conventional phone and in landscape mode it can be used to catch the news.

Vendors are confident demand exists for mobile television, and broadcasters are excited about the potential for new revenue streams.

The only unknown is the level of user demand for the services.

Source : Australian IT