The latest developments in live mobile TV broadcasting, which brings local news, sports and popular TV programing to mobile devices, will be highlighted April 8 - 11 in the Mobile TV Pavilion (North Hall 2536 - 2638) at NAB Show in Las Vegas. For the first time, Mobile TV devices will be available for purchase at the NAB Show Store located in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Broadcasters continue to expand the reach and availability of Mobile TV with the "on-the-go" technology now available to more than half the U.S. population. Additionally, consumer demand for live, mobile TV content is driving new products and services, many of which will be demonstrated and available for purchase at NAB Show.
With more than 130 local broadcasters now on-air, Mobile TV's chief advantage is its use of over-the-air digital broadcast signals, which are ideal for delivering video. Conversely, wireless cell phone networks are susceptible to congestion, and users are subject to costly data charges, particularly when accessing video content.
"Mobile TV holds promise for consumers and broadcasters as video on-the-go becomes increasingly in demand and data plan consumption charges become more expensive for consumers," said NAB Executive Vice President Rick Kaplan. "Indeed, broadcasters' one-to-everyone transmission model is the most efficient means of delivering content. As Superstorm Sandy demonstrated, this is particularly true in times of emergency when all the spectrum in the world would still be unable to ensure reliability of wireless networks' one-to-one method of delivery."
On Tuesday, April 8 at 1:00 p.m., the NAB Show Broadcast Management Conference will feature a session entitled "Mobile TV Ready for Prime Time" in which representatives from both Mobile Content Venture and the Mobile500 Alliance will lay out the business opportunity presented by Mobile TV, provide case studies from various markets, examine successful marketing practices and discuss what consumers are saying about Mobile TV.
New devices are coming to market that enable consumers to receive broadcast TV signals via mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. Select devices, adapters and applications from Elgato, ESCORT and RCA will be available for purchase at the NAB Store and will be demonstrated for show attendees at a special kiosk in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Products include:
EyeTV Mobile from Elgato Systems, a compact TV tuner that connects directly to the iPad or iPhone and receives the Mobile TV signal via a miniature antenna (available for purchase during the show);
ESCORT MobileTV, a miniature mobile digital TV receiver that allows viewers to watch TV on-the-go using iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (available for purchase during the show);
The RCA Mobile TV Tablet, the first full-function Android tablet also equipped to receive both digital and Mobile TV. With an 8-inch screen, WiFi capability and retractable TV antenna, the Android 4.0 Mobile TV Tablet delivers tablet and TV functions in a convenient multipurpose package (coming soon, and demonstrated at NAB Show).
The Mobile TV Pavilion in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center will also feature broadcast service providers and manufacturers showcasing Mobile TV on cellphones, tablets and automotive receivers. Visitors to the Pavilion will see a range of live, national and local programming and learn more about the rollout of additional stations and services being provided by broadcasters:
Decontis (N2538) is showing a Mobile TV monitoring solution, atscSAM, already utilized at more than 80 Dyle TV stations;
DTVinteractive (N2637) is providing head-end solutions and demonstrating its multi-standard multiplexer, ATSC & ATSC-MH demodulator module for retransmission and central monitoring Mobile TV system;
Dyle (N2536), the Mobile TV service of the Mobile Content Venture of leading networks and broadcast groups, is demonstrating Dyle Mobile TV-compatible apps and devices that enable live broadcasting to mobile devices;
Mobile Emergency Alert System (N2638), fresh from standardization by the ATSC, will demonstrate the advantage of one-to-many broadcast TV architecture that reaches millions with one broadcast. M-EAS leverages Mobile TV broadcasting to provide multimedia alerts in times of natural disaster and during man-made attacks.
Mobile500 (N2539), a voluntary alliance of 52 broadcasters representing more than 435 TV stations, is showing how it is working to accelerate the development of Mobile TV service; and
Rentrak (N2537) is the measurement partner for Dyle and provides Mobile TV audience measurement services to professionals throughout the movie, television and advertising industries.
