HDTV Almanac - Mobile TV Moves Ahead

[alfredpoor]

Mobile digital TV (Mobile DTV) is one of the new technologies under development intended to bring video programming to portable devices. Mobile DTV is designed to use part of a local television station’s broadcast spectrum to provide a signal for mobile devices, delivering a combination of free and subscription content.
One issue (of many) challenges for [...]

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[BobDiaz]

[quote]It’s an interesting concept, but I still question whether or not a broadcast model will work in this day and age. People don’t want a traditional radio or television system where you get to watch whatever the broadcaster chooses to send out to you at that moment. Consumers expect to have more control over their content, and I expect that services that let you choose what to watch when you want will be more successful. If the display has WiFi support, I expect that most users will be able to access the Internet for video content. And many of these devices also have 3G or 4G mobile wireless Internet support, so they’re not tied down to WiFi access points. The Tivizen may be trying to come up with a new version of an old solution, when in fact, the market is ready for something entirely different.[/quote]

I've just gotten back from the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Trade Show, where I had a chance to see M-DTV demoed, as well as talk to several people in these companies. Sales of a single M-DTV Device seems limited, but most of the companies seem to go to adding M-DTV as part of a device, like MP3 Player, Cell Phone, Laptop, ... This seems to be the most common devices where M-DTV will appear.

The one issue I have with your logic is that you speak as if there was only "one market" with "one mindset" in this market. The real market has many different needs and wants. So what may not work for one group, may work for another.

The strength of Broadcast is providing current updated information as it comes out. Having programs like News or Market Watch on M-DTV would play to that strength. Broadcasters may have to rethink what they air on the M-DTV channel. While you might sit down and watch a 1/2 hour to 2 hour show at home, on the road, maybe waiting in line, you only care for something short and to the point.

I do find it funny when you say, "People don’t want a traditional radio or television system where you get to watch whatever the broadcaster chooses to send out to you at that moment.", yet odds are that you and most other people go home every night and watch Satellite or Cable TV where you get to watch whatever the broadcaster chooses to send out to you at that moment.

[alfredpoor]

While your statement is probably true for the bulk of the American homes, the use of DVRs and similar functions is rapidly changing that. As for me, we don't have cable or satellite service, and just about the only broadcast programs that we watch in realtime are sporting events. We rely more or less equally on recorded over-the-air, Hulu, and streaming Netflix for our TV content, with all their programming available to respond to our whim of the moment.

I do agree about Mobile DTV being suitable for niche markets, but is that enough to make a meal for the broadcasters and content creators? New edits of content, reformatted to work on smaller, low resolution screens (you can't just throw up the MSNBC stream and expect to be able to read the crawls), and all the production and scheduling and ad sales management required for a completely separate parallel broadcasting stream will be an expensive proposition, and then reaching your market to make it essential is an additional challenge. The financial market data is an excellent idea, but I contend that most people in that business are either in front of a screen that already gets it through the Internet, or have smart phone apps that let them access the content they want on demand, or even receive auto-alerts through email. I get the idea of Mobile DTV, but I'm not ready to invest any of my retirement account in it yet.

Alfred