The new Pay-Per-Day access only raises the same question. It will be nice to only pay for service when you need it, but then your watching whatever already time-shifted program is on at that time as FLO TV does not actually broadcast live television signal at the same time it normally airs.

With the upcoming release of a multitude of free over-the-air ATSC-M/H products and increased station availability FLO TV must continue to think out of the box to retain subscriptions. While this is a move in the right direction it certainly does not make up for that magic word… FREE.

Two new Vizio Razor models will feature ATSC-M/H capable tuners and are extremely slim coming in at under 1 inch thick for easy mobility. The VMB090 will feature a 9 inch LED display, mdtv tuner, and a price tag around $199.99. The larger VMB100 will feature a 10 inch LED display, mdtv tuner and a price tag of $229.99. 

The one downside of the Vizio Razor’s are the antennas used in the device. With a simple dipole antenna the Razor’s will have a very short range and also have multi-pathing issues in areas such as downtown in a city where signal reflects off of multiple buildings. 

At the $199.99 – $229.99 price tag the Vizio Razor’s will make an excellent introductory MDTV system. 

#4. FLO TV

While FLO TV is currently the most publically advertised MDTV device it also has a few major drawbacks. 

Featuring a 3.5″ , 320 x 240 pixel resolution touch-screen display, built-in speakers, audio output and a wide variety of available programming compared to most current MDTV markets FLO TV is coming out of the gate strong. 

However, FLO TV has several drawbacks that we believe in time will see the service fade. First, FLO TV requires not only a $250 equpiment charge for the 3.5″ display, but also requires a monthly programming charge unlike other devices sporting a ATSC-M/H tuner and allowing you to pickup free over-the-air broadcasts. Availability and programming are also limited as local broadcasters continue to adopt free MDTV broadcasts. 

FLO TV has a good backing and a large headstart, but we believe free will win out in the end. 

#3. Tivit – Free TV for your iPhone

The Tivit is a stand-alone device that contains an ATSC-M/H tuner, 9 inch expandable antenna and a WI-FI transmitter that re-transmits the collected MDTV signal and broadcasts it to your iPhone. The user launches a Tivit iPhone app and your up and watching mobile television. 

What makes Tivit unique is the ability to broadcast the mobile handheld television signal to a device many of us already own. The Tivit will not only work with your iPhone but also the Android, Blackerry or your own personal computer or laptop. 

Current Tivit models showcased at CES had some software bugs and missing features, but the Tivit release is not scheduled until later in 2010. Cost estimates put the Tivit between $90 – $120. 

#2. Your Cell Phone

While our number three gadget on the list brings MDTV to your existing phone, get ready to have an ATSC-M/H tuner built into most cell phones in the next two years. Instead of using a Tivit type device their will be new versions of the iPhone, Android and Blackberry featuring an internal tuner, antenna and all-in-one MDTV device. 

LG is currently showcasting the GSM phone which features a 3-inch LCD screen and a battery capable of delivering up to 4 hours of mobile television viewing. LG’s 7-mm square LG2161R receiver chip is pushing much of this technology and includes a VHF and UHF tuner, the mobile DTV demodulator and the circuitry necessary to display mobile DTV signals. It offers faster channel changing speed than earlier chipsets and power consumption has been reduced, allowing increased viewing time. 

While most cell phone models will not be released until 2011, this part of the industry will really be the game changer. When you can wrap the MDTV technology into your personal cell-phone you will begin to see wide acceptance of the technology. 

#1. Winegard Cio

What’s the most important part of MDTV? Actually being able to receive the signal! Winegard has been making television antennas since the 1950’s and if anyone can acquire that signal on-the-go and figure out how to expand the range, it’s them. 

The Cio features an internal ATSC-M/H tuner, antenna, 10.2-inch touch-screen, CD/DVD player, iPhone/iPod connector and emulator, SD card reader, USB connection for a 3G or 4G dongle, wireless internet card, audio output over included RF headphones, FM modulator to your car’s stereo, or standard audio output to your own headphones. While the Cio is primarily sold as an in-car system mounted on the brackets of your head-rest, the Cio is also completely mobile and can be easily removed, a 5-hour battery pack inserted, and taken with you. 

While the Cio we were able to get our hands on at CES had several software bugs the device itself was top-notch. The screen looked crystal-clear and the device was picking up over 20 channels that day inside the convention center. 

The Cio will be available in Summer 2010 and is currently priced at $599 for version 1 and $699 for version 2 which features the internal ATSC-MH tuner.

#1. MDTV Gadget - Winegard Cio

4Caster C42 also extends beyond broadcast to support 3GPP and HTTP streaming formats, allowing distribution of Mobile TV to all Multimedia phones, including Android, Apple iPhone, Blackberry and Windows, over wireless broadband and Wi-Fi networks. Breaking through screen boundaries, 4Caster C42 can be configured to support distribution to PCs using Microsoft Smooth Streaming and Adobe Flash Dynamic Streaming, as well as HD and SD IPTV and broadcast television.

Envivio will debut 4Caster C42 for Mobile Broadcast on March 23 at simultaneous events around the world. It can be seen in Beijing at CCBN 2010 (Stand 3401); Las Vegas at CTIA Wireless 2010 (Stand 1333); London at IPTV World Forum 2010 (Stand 158), and New Delhi at Convergence India 2010 on the SeaChange stand (Stand C-95). The solution will also be on display April 12-15 at NAB 2010 (SU4302) in Las Vegas.

“Two critical and tightly related factors will establish the success of mobile TV broadcasting,” says Julien Signes, President and CEO at Envivio. “The efficiency with which we can fit mobile TV within the available bandwidth and the quality of the experience we can deliver together will determine customer satisfaction. By succeeding on both accounts, the Envivio 4Caster C42 is a true enabling platform for this exciting new way of reaching consumers around the world.”

4Caster C42 for Mobile Broadcast builds on the proven technologies and extensive field experience Envivio gained through its award-winning predecessor, the widely-deployed 4Caster M2. The result is the best video quality possible within the tight bandwidth allocated for mobile broadcast.

4Caster C42 for Mobile Broadcast readily adapts to any broadcast operation while delivering four times the channel density of previous generation encoders. It ingests MPEG-2 or H.264 sources from satellite and terrestrial networks, as well as analog, SDI and HD-SDI sources direct from broadcast studios. Envivio’s exclusive compression technologies ensure the best experience for consumers by enabling broadcasters to deliver more channels of content and higher quality video. IP-based statistical rate control delivers up to a further 40% bandwidth reduction per channel for mobile broadcast networks. An available DVB-Simulcrypt interface provides comprehensive content protection through third part conditional access systems. All Envivio encoders feature a flexible software architecture that is readily upgradeable to deliver quality enhancements and support changing requirements.

Envivio is an established leader in Mobile Broadcast encoding solutions. In China, more than 250 mobile broadcast channels using Envivio systems and the CMMB standard are on-air with the ability to reach millions of consumers. Envivio is also used in the U.S. by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) to showcase Mobile DTV services based on the ATSC-M/H standard.

Designed to the highest broadcast standards, 4Caster C42 delivers 99.999% uptime and features fully redundant signal routing and power management. The Envivio 4Manager system further provides automatic N+1 redundancy protection for always on reliability, as well as high level service management functionality.

For more information about Envivio Mobile TV solutions, visit www.envivio.com.

I like the idea of a portable TV, a handheld device that you can take with you wherever you are and watch the shows that you want, when you want. And I think that FLO TV is heading in that direction with its mobile TV network. But the company’s Personal Television, a dedicated mobile TV device, has to deliver a lot if it’s going to convince people to carry yet another device in their pockets. Right now, at least, the Personal Television isn’t convincing me that it’s worth its weight, as it suffers from reception that’s more a miss than a hit, a limited selection of content, and a price that’s just too high.

FLO TV launched the Personal Television late last year, but the company has been providing mobile TV service via cell phones for a couple of years now. FLO TV service is delivered over a dedicated mobile TV network; it doesn’t piggyback on existing 3G networks used by cellular carriers. The company says this allows it to deliver a higher-quality television experience, one that is more like the TV-watching experience that people are used to having at home.

But using the Personal Television did not quite live up to that standard, even though the $200 device makes a great first impression. It’s small (4.5 inches wide by 3.1 inches tall by .5 inches thick); at first glance you could mistake it for a portable GPS. It features a 3.5-inch touch screen for watching TV, and a neat little kickstand that flips out for propping it up on a table or desk. 

The Personal Television relies on FLO TV’s service for content, and the service is a bit expensive for what it delivers: it costs $14.99 per month (though you do get six months of free service when you purchase the device). FLO TV delivers about 15 channels to the Personal Television, including ABC Mobile, CBS Mobile, NBC 2Go, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon, among others.

Some of the content is simulcast with what the networks are broadcasting to regular old TVs. If you turn on CBS Mobile at 11:30 at night, for example, you’ll see David Letterman. But some of the content is also “timeshifted,” according to FLO TV. Letterman’s show, for example, is shown again the day after it airs at 11:30 am, so that people can watch it on their lunch break.

The timeshifting serves a couple of purposes. One, it fills gaps that might occur because FLO TV does not broadcast your local programming, like the news you might see at noon every day. It also allows you to watch programs that you’d miss because the Personal Television does not offer any DVR-type recording features, nor does it offer access to any sort of on-demand library — yet. FLO TV says on demand features are likely to be added to future products.

The absence of a DVR and an on-demand library is not a deal breaker for me. But the poor reception I often experienced when testing the Personal Television would be. According to FLO TV’s coverage map, I live in an area with relatively good service. Yet, in some areas of my house, reception ranged from poor to nonexistent. Programs often looked pixelated and smeared, and sometimes the video froze up completely while waiting for a signal.

Reception did improve when I moved around the house, and got even better when I drove to a neighboring town to test the device. At its best, the picture looked as crisp and clear as anything you’d see on a standard definition TV. The 3.5-inch screen can feel small, though, so expect to squint if you’re trying to make out the text in a news report, for example.

The Personal Television is FLO TV’s first dedicated device, and the company says it does not consider itself a “device company,” but rather a company committed to bringing the experience of mobile TV to consumers. To that end, FLO TV is currently working on both an in-car TV system and an iPhone add-on.

The Personal Television is hampered by its high price and mixed reception, but it could also benefit from more programming. I think the idea behind it has promise, though, and I’m very interested to see how well the iPhone add-on works when it’s available later this year. Using a device I already own to watch TV on the go could be a lot more convenient — and affordable — than purchasing an additional device just for that luxury.

Article Source: http://newteevee.com/2010/03/03/flo-tvs-personal-television-is-not-quite-ready-for-prime-time/

With broadcast TV viewing down over the past decade, broadcasters believe that they can grab additional viewers and increased ad sales with this new technology, which will let dedicated devices as well as smartphones receive live broadcast TV channels, even while traveling up to 160 miles per hour (don’t try this at home). In fact, the BIA/Kelsey research firm predicts that the mobile video advertising market could be worth more than $1 billion to broadcasters by 2012.

While mobile video may bring new ad revenue to broadcasters and new opportunities for viewing to consumers, it also brings with it new dangers. By April, at least two devices will be on the market that will make watching TV on an iPhone a snap; one is a separate unit that will transmit the broadcast signal via Wi-Fi, while the other, a cradle, wraps directly around the phone.

While it is illegal to watch video in a vehicle’s front seat in most states, easily receiving live video on an iPhone (and other smartphones) will make flouting the law that much easier.

Does watching live broadcast TV on a small mobile device appeal to you? Are you likely to purchase one of these add-on devices? And if you do, do you think you’ll be able to refrain from flipping on CNN when you’re stopped for a red light — or worse, when you’re driving down the freeway?

Article Source: http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/mobile-broadcast-tv-new-options-and-new-headaches/

Otherwise, users can expect to tune into programming such as live NHL hockey games , Treehouse, MTV, Much Music or CBC Newsworld. And for a limited time (from Feb 12 to Feb 28) customers can also watch the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. The app itself is free to download however it does require a subscription to watch. Once launched the app will require a monthly subscription fee of $8. Additionally, the Winter Games coverage will also require a one-time fee of $10.

Article Source: http://www.iphonefreak.com/2010/02/mobile-tv-comes-to-the-iphone-courtesy-of-bell-mobility.html

Compatible devices include the iPhone 3G and 3GS, third-generation iPod Touch, BlackBerry phones with Wi-Fi, and Windows PCs. The Tivit has a built-in, 3 hour rechargeable battery.

A similar version of the Tivit is already available in Japan which is why you can already find references to the Tivit iPhone app.

Watch live mobile TV on an iPhone

By installing dedicated application software, “Tivit Mobile TV Viewer” on yoursmart phone or PC, you can watch Mobile Digital TV channels from Tivit through a Wi-Fi connection on your smart phone or PC.

Watch live mobile TV programs anywhere, anytime! You don’t have to sit and wait to watch your favorite TV programs or sporting events in front of the TV at home anymore. Tivit enables you to enjoy live TV programs from anywhere, at anytime. Now you can watch live mobile TV programs on the smart phone or PC with Tivit.

Provides Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) Information

Tivit provides a Mobile DTV channel list that is currently available and also provides detailed information of TV programs. You can select a desired TV program with the channel, program title and broadcasting time and view detail information of the program.

Firmware Updater

Firmware upgrading can enhance system stability after the purchase. If you install a dedicated client application (Firmware Updater) that can be used for upgrading firmware, you can upgrade the newest firmware of Tivit by yourself.

The Tivet can also be used as a battery for your iPhone!

Article Source: http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/The_Tivit.html