What is Mobile TV/DVB-H?

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Last modified:
16 Mar 2008
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What is mobile TV? DVB-H? T-DMH? MBMS? MediaFLO? etc

DAB-IP - Movio

DAB-IP (Digital Audio Broadcast - Internet Protocol) is a variant of DMB. It's being called Movio and uses technology developed by BT and Microsoft. Virgin Mobile was first to the UK market with a working offering using Movio in 2006. There's even a DAB-IP handset – the Trilogy- which has been developed by HTC (the firm behind O2's XDA range, for example).

DVB-H

In terms of deployed networks, however, DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting)-Handheld is currently the clear winner. (Previously known as DVB-X, too). Effectively this is the relevant mobile TV standard set for Europe by ETSI (the body which originally gave us GSM). It is being heavily supported by Nokia and O2. As the name implies, DVB-H is a version of an existing digital TV standard – but optimised for mobile phones and PDAs. However, it does require existing programme material to be re-broadcast – hence the trials to discover what handset owners want to view. Sadly, the relevant spectrum for DVB-H won't be free in the UK until 2012. DVB-H handsets have come from LG.

ISDB-T

The Japanese have adapted their existing digital TV standard for use with mobile phones. It's called Integrated Services Digital Broadcast – Terrestrial (ISDB-T). To provide the interactivity (or 'back' channel) another standard called STD-AXX is utilised. Like i-mode, can ISDB-T ever succeed outside Japan?

MBMS

Another possibility is MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services) which has been put together by the 3GPP. Its major backer appears to be Ericsson. MBMS can be offered via existing GSM and 3G networks. Better still, it includes an uplink channel, not available in rival technologies like DVB-H (backed by Nokia) or DMB (active in Asia). MBMS is a kind of TV version of multimedia messaging (MMS) and is akin to sending TV clips simultaneously to multiple recipients.

MediaFLO

A proprietary system, MediaFLO, has attracted supported in the USA but requires building out a separate network. Qualcomm’s new air-interface technology, 'FLO' (Forward Link Only) is optimized for mass delivery of multimedia content to mobile devices. FLO enables efficient delivery of up to 15 channels of QVGA video at 30 frames per second, with additional capacity for audio services, clip cast video, and general IP datacasting to both CDMA2000 and W-CDMA handsets. Qualcomm believes the FLO technology will be more cost effective for mobile multimedia content distribution than competing technologies such as DVB-H.

One-Seg

One-Seg or 1seg is a Japanese standard for digital terrestrial broadcasting aimed at mobile devises such as handsets. The service started on April 1st, 2006. nitially called 'one segment broadcast it has been abbreviated. Because it is small, broadcasters can transmit only a low resolution picture of QVGA size. It is hoped that One-Seg can be tied into regular applications such as email or take advantage of location based information via GPS, for example. It is a variant of ISDB-T and is often described as ISDBT- 1.

S-DMB

The satellite version of DMB - S-DMB (Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) - is already offered in South Korea. It's currently the most successful mobile broadcast TV service and has been put together by SK Telecom's TU Media subsidiary and Japan's Mobile Broadcasting Corporation. The service had attracted around 372,000 subscribers by Q1 2006 and is aiming for one million subscribers by Q1 2007. It's not a trial because Koreans pay around £11.39 to join the service and £7.40 per month to view it. There's one major drawback, of course. The whole thing is dependent on just one single satellite and it's pointing at Korea.

T-DMB

Based on DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast), which is familiar as the standard for digital radio stations, the mobile broadcast variant has been termed T-DMB (Terrestrial – Digital Mobile Broadcast). Significantly T-DMB went live in Korea in May 2005. Versions of this technology are being trialled in Europe – including the Mi Friends project for the World Cup in Germany (Regensburg). LG has already announced the V9000 for T-DMB and Samsung could easily convert T-DMB models it sells in Korea.

TDtv

TDtv allows operators to deploy a broadcast video solution using their existing TDD spectrum licenses, harmonised across Western Europe. It also allows the carrier full control of about 15 channels of QVGA, instead of forcing them to partner/share with a broadcast company. The MBMS broadcast architecture supports an efficient economic model. TDtv is likely to be an accelerator for UMTS TDD technology in general. (See UMTS TDD Alliance www.umtstdd.org)