Disqus
Today I asked myself the question: how many types of “Mobile TV” (delivery systems) are there? On a day-to-day basis, my work brings me in to contact with a plethora of terms for this technology, some of which are more common than others. That being the case, please find a (semi-) definitive list – I think you will be surprised at the amount of variants!
- 3G Unicast – utilising RTSP (RealTime Streaming Protocol)
- MBMS – Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service
- BCMCS – BroadCast MultiCast Services
- CMMB – China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting
- DVB-H – Digital Video Broadcast – Handheld (including DVB-IPDC, DVB-SH,and DVB-H2)
- T-DMB – Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting
- MediaFLO – Media Forward Link Only
- ISDB-T – Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting – Terrestrial
- MPH – Mobile Pedestrian Handheld
As you can see, they range from delivery systems that rely on the existing 3G network (RTSP, MBMS), through to those that require their own broadcast infrastructure (DVB-H, T-DMB amongst others).
Another differentiator is which regions some of these techologies are dominant in. I think it’s fair to say that DVB-H is regarded (perhaps erroneously) as a European standard, whereas MediaFLO is often mentioned in conversations regarding the US. – T-DMB also gets the “Asia” label typically. However, in reality, each of these systems is being demonstrated in several countries.
So, what is the future for Mobile TV – is the dream of a single unified standard ever going to come to pass, or is the reality a more fragmented picture, with opportunities (and money) defining the way forward? Join me tomorrow for further thoughts on how the service, predicted by many Analysts to be the next “killer app” for Mobile, could pan out….
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
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