Making a case for mobile TV
That’s until I was given a Samsung P910 to trial from MTN. Unlike 3G, DVB-H receives an encrypted broadcast signal directly from MultiChoice via a small antenna. The SIM card acts like a card would in a DSTV decoder, providing a key for the decryption of the signal, enabling the user to access the 11 channels being broadcast over DVB-H by MultiChoice during its testing. As a result, anyone with the phone can currently access content for free.
The P910 has a startlingly clear 262144 colour screen which rotates sideways for easy viewing. Providing the signal is strong enough, the picture is as clear and stable as it would be through DSTV.
Added services:
The cellular operators believe that the combination of people’s two most import entertainment devices – the cellphone and the TV – is going to be a killer application. And they’re probably right. But it is the added services that are probably going to the clincher.
The TV for the most part is a receiving device, with consumers simply watching content. On the other hand, the cellphone is much more of an interactive device. The combination is what’s going capture people’s imagination.
To explain, the cellular networks will run the 3G network in parallel with the DVB-H network. What this means is you will be able to seamlessly switch between using the cellular 3G network and viewing content being broadcast from MultiChoice.
So for example, if you are watching a soccer match and the one side scores a goal, then a few seconds later, an icon will appear on the screen. By clicking on it, you’ll be switched over to the 3G network, where a close-up replay of the goal will be streamed or downloaded to your phone.
Content made for mobile:
As mobile TV begins to take off, content will be designed specifically for the phone. For example, in 2010 at the World Cup, there will most likely be dedicated cameras which zoom in closer to provide better content for viewing on cellular phones.
Mobile TV will make the world more instant. News will be able to be viewed wherever you are, which means should there be an event of global significance like the Olympics or a war, people will be able to view it on their phones from where they are.
When?
The cellular networks and MultiChoice are hoping to that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) will grant a license in the first quarter of 2007. Should this happen, the pricing structure the cellular networks come with their ability to push handsets out into the market will be key. If DVB-H is more affordable than DSTV, then it may well become more accessible and widely adopted.
There are also other issues to overcome, like will you need a TV licence to watch TV on your phone? Will you be able to piggy back off your TV licence, or will you need separate licenses?
Whatever the case, if the cards of played right, mobile TV could become the biggest hit since the invention of the cellphone itself.
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