- Programmable Circuits Based on DiBcom’s Octopus Platform Provide the Solution, Especially in the USA, Where a New Standard is Introduced.

    - NAB Show 2010
    - Las Vegas, 12-15 April 2010
    - TeamCast Stand SU6023

DiBcom, the market leader in dedicated components for mobile TV reception, will be demonstrating its Octopus programmable platform at the NAB Show, which runs from 12 to 15 April in Las Vegas.

As the United States launches into a new mobile television venture with the ATSC M/H standard, a “mobile” derivative of the DTT standard currently used in North America (ATSC), operators face the question of the business model, just as they have with DVB-H in Europe. DiBcom has used its experience to develop a flexible platform, called Octopus, which enables manufacturers to enter the field at reduced risk.

The main problem encountered by mobile television around the world is the requirement to invest in a network specifically for mobile transmission. In the United States, the broadcasters think the investment is worthwhile, as they just agreed to add supplementary transmission equipment to the network, enabling their channels to be broadcast free to mobiles. The ATSC-M/H standard makes it possible to upgrade traditional DTT transmitters for “hybrid” fixed/mobile transmission.

The various standards around the world make the task of developing terminals very complicated for manufacturers, as current solutions require a different terminal to be developed for each standard. Leading terminals such as the very latest “state-of-the-art” smartphones rarely have an integrated TV tuner because of the fragmentation of standards across the World.

The revolutionary Octopus circuit offers manufacturers a flexible solution enabling them develop a single hardware design to meet the challenge of the proliferation of fixed and mobile TV standards. “Octopus” is a versatile solution based on a programmable architecture targeting current and emerging mobile TV standards, at the best price-performance ratio.

“By adding new standards to our Octopus platform, we can offer our customers the prospect of reaching ever broader markets, meeting their growth and globalisation needs,” comments Yannick Levy, CEO of DiBcom.

At this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas, DiBcom will be presenting the Octopus programmable platform on the TeamCast stand (SU6023).

About DiBcom

DiBcom is at the heart of Mobile TV. As a fabless semiconductor company that designs high-performance chipsets, DiBcom enables low-power mobile TV everywhere. The company’s solutions are used in automotive, PC/peripheral, Set Top Boxes, and mobile phones. Its chipsets are compliant with the current worldwide Digital Video Broadcast standards DVB-T, DVB-SH, CMMB, DAB, T-DMB and ISDB-T.

For more information, please visit: http://www.dibcom.com

Amont the first recommendations offered to Congress the FCC is starting with USF reform, mobile data roaming, set-top-box reform and cybersecurity. The agency plans to implement more than 40 policy proposals from its plan.

The number of broadcast viewers has risen over recent years with the digital transition bringing more channels to many areas and the overall awareness being raised through last year’s transition and advertising campaigns. With the inevitable on-set of Mobile Digital Television (MDTV) broadcasters see additional revenue models through use of the spectrum.

Wireless broadband advocates argue that the smartphone and tablet explosion will require more bandwidth than is currently available and the spectrum will help alleviate some of the traffic concerns.

“I think it’s a false choice to think it has to be either broadband or broadcasting,” said NAB executive vice president Dennis Wharton. “[Broadcast] is a one-to-everyone transmission system as opposed to a one-to-one transmission system as used by the internet and cellphone providers … We are much more spectrum-efficient than are other communications providers.”

The FCC’s proposal would require broadcasters to return the 120 MHz spectrum to the government so it can be auctioned off for broadband use. Broadcasters say this would limit channels available in many areas often eliminating say niche programming such as foreign-language and religious channels.

Wharton also claims Verizon and AT&T haven’t yet deployed any of the 108 MHz of wireless spectrum gained during the last year’s digital transition, which required broadcasters to reduce channels from 2 – 69 to 2 – 51. “Now we’re being asked to return more spectrum to the government, and we think there’s a way to work with government to maybe accomplish the goals that they are seeking without threatening all the television stations throughout the country,” said Wharton.

Situated in the heart of the Grand Lobby of the LVCC at NAB (April 12-15), the Mobile DTV Marketplace will demo a wide array of consumer devices rolling out in the near future. The marketplace is being sponsored by a quartet of heavy hitters: the Advanced Television Systems Committee, the Consumer Electronics Association, the Open Mobile Video Coalition, and NAB.

Themed “Experience the Power of Local Broadcast TV on the Go,” the marketplace is being geared to provide local broadcasters with the wide array of likely mobile devices to be shipped soon to American retailers—from smart-phones to hand-held iPad-like PCs to fixed in-vehicle displays.

Mobile DTV proponents also will conduct a NAB Super Session on Tuesday (April 13) to brief executives on an upcoming “consumer showcase” for the Washington, D.C. market (DMA 9) now getting underway with the participation of at least eight local broadcasters. The session, “Mobile TV: Ready for Primetime?” will feature Saul Berman of IBM, Brett Jenkins of Ion Television, Frank Barbieri of Transpera, Jonathan Barzilay of Flo TV, and Gary Arlen of Arlen Communica-tions.

BIGGEST HURDLE? CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE

“While everyone talks about ‘mobile,’ this is more about ‘transportable,’” said panelist Arlen, an analyst based in Bethesda, Md. “Viewers will watch shows or streams wherever they are—thus validating the concept of ‘best available screen.’ That is, they’ll use a handheld or mobile device if they cannot get to a laptop/desktop monitor or a ‘real’ TV set.”

Arlen thinks the major challenge for mobile video will be the competitive landscape. “Consumers will be very confused about the different offers—and the incompatible equipment requirements—as they’re pitched Flo TV, the various OMVC options, as well as streamed Web video services they can get now on smart-phones and other mobile handsets.”

iMovee’s Touch Telly is one of the first products on the market to be ATSC-M/H compatible and is currently on sale in selected U.S. cities.

OMVC Executive Director Anne Schelle said Mobile DTV shouldn’t be mistaken by consumers as simply another option in the current competition already out there. “[Pay-service] MobiTV is only on the Sprint platform and offers largely recorded clips—not simulcasts of live TV,” she said. “And Flo TV is a total premium service and is not offering local stations. At NAB, you’ll see us demo all the local Las Vegas broadcast channels, plus some premium cable content, across [several] broadcast stations.”

NAB Science & Technology Senior Vice President Lynn Claudy said while Mobile DTV will have a big presence at NAB, “The focus is moving well beyond tech-nology demonstrations. The NAB Show’s demos and sessions will underscore the real breadth of participation by industry partners and CE manufacturers—including the CEA—which will be critical in determining if Mobile DTV will succeed in the marketplace.” However, Claudy said, the technology side of mobile DTV is now largely stable. “Our optimism in the technology realm has paid off well.”

Claudy said—based on what promises to be a robust level of participation in the Mobile DTV Marketplace (and in the Mobile DTV Pavilion located in the upper level of the LVCC South Hall)—”NAB is optimistic about Mobile DTV’s commercial future.” NAB’s chief technology executive also said engineers should take note of the several Mobile DTV sessions and papers being offered at the Broadcast Engineering Conference. One paper, “Perceived Video Quality and Bit Rate in the ATSC Mobile DTV Standard,” will be presented by the Communications Research Center of Canada on Sunday (April 11) at 5 p.m. (Rm. S219, LVCC).

Lynn Claudy, NAB Science & Technology Senior Vice President

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

Andy Whiteside, general manager of Acrodyne Services, said for local stations the implementation of Mobile DTV is not just a transmitter or studio upgrade. “It requires an integrated approach to the ’signal chain’ in order to provide the broadcaster and potential viewer with full access to the capabilities of the new standard,” he said. (Acrodyne, which last year shuttered its transmitter business, increasingly sees itself as a Mobile DTV systems integrator and does not en-dorse any particular product lines.)

Whiteside said the new ATSC A/153 standard offers broadcasters myriad opportunities beyond what he calls “little TV,” but he said several business and legal issues remain—notably content rights and questions of free-to-air or subscription—which must be resolved. “The resolution of such issues drives the tech-nical side, so my advice to tech execs is to retain as much flexibility as possible in selecting equipment and suppliers, so as not to get backed into a corner. Mobile DTV represents the only opportunity for broadcasters to extend their reach to new demographics, to extend their reach outside the home,” he said.

Arlen said revenue questions remain, as well—”namely who gets a share of what? I’m also waiting to see how the mobile device dealers—ranging from big-box merchants to wireless phone carrier outlets—will sell their video services. That will add another level of entertainment and a lot of complexity to what is already a complicated sales process,” he said.

Sterling Davis, vice president of engineering at Cox Broadcasting, chairs the OMVC’s Technical Advisory Group. “We already have five [Cox] stations up and running with mobile TV and there are a lot of good reasons to do it,” he said. “At this stage, I don’t think the jury’s still out on mobile TV—I think it’s going to happen. Most broadcasters will wind up doing it sooner or later. And it’s not very expensive to implement,” said Davis, the recipient of last year’s NAB Engineer-ing Achievement Award for Television.

Article Source: http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/97210

Designed for use in development labs and for technology demonstration purposes, DVEO’s eYe Catcher ATSC M/H is a portable frequency agile modulator with IP, ASI, or SMPTE 310M input and ATSC M/H output.  It delivers real time or stored video to cell phones, PDAs, handhelds, and vehicles.

ATSC M/H, also known as A/153 or Mobile DTV (mobile digital television), is a relatively new standard approved by the ATSC organization as the American broadcasting methodology for delivery of TV broadcasts to mobile and handheld devices.

The eYe Catcher ATSC M/H is ideal for laboratory applications, and for testing set-top boxes and mobile devices,” comments Al Delir, Technical Support Engineer for DVEO.  “It’s also suitable for in-store demonstrations of ATSC M/H devices.  For example, retailers can install one unit each at each store, send stored or regularly updated video from a satellite feed or over IP, and play the video on cell phones, mobile TV sets, and other ATSC M/H devices.  This makes a perfect demonstration server for handsets.”

The eYe Catcher ATSC M/H modulator includes a comprehensive Windows XP playout application with a playback scheduler.  Linux and Windows SDKs are available for customization, and sample transport streams are also available.

Features:

• Input: IP, DVB-ASI, USB, or SMPTE 310M
• Supports captured file play, live from external ATSC M/H mux through ASI or SMPTE-310M input
• Output: ATSC M/H (ATSC A/153 Part 2 compliant) or DVB-ASI
• Frequency agile
• RF Output Frequency: 55-860 MHz
• IF Output Frequency: 36 MHz/44 MHz selectable
• Field upgradeable — can be reprogrammed to add additional profiles
• Playback Scheduler for Day, Week, or Month
• Ships with Windows XP based GUI
• Linux and Windows SDKs available for customization
• On board channel 1-135 selectable RF output up-converter
• Sample transport streams available
• SNMP support
• Tested with LG-2160

Suggested Retail Price:
eYe Catcher ATSC M/H — $4,295 U.S.

DVEO and eYe Catcher are trademarks of Computer Modules, Inc.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

About CMI and DVEO
CMI, founded in 1982, is a privately held company headquartered in San Diego, California.  DVEO, the Broadcast Division of Computer Modules, Inc., sells digital video and high definition television (HDTV) products to the top television broadcast companies throughout the world.

For more information on CMI and DVEO, please contact Rebecca Gray at +1 (858) 613-1818 or rebecca@dveo.com.  To download DVEO’s press releases and product images, visit the news section at http://www.dveo.com/.

The ability to access TV on a smartphone, laptop or in a car will provide “a renaissance for over-the-air broadcast TV,” Wharton says (

The DTV Mobile technology – stations have installed equipment at a cost of as much as $150,000 – allows for new portable televisions, as well as smartphones and laptops with special adapters, to receive the new digital TV signals. The new devices, becoming available in April, include a TV-DVD player from LG; a palm-sized device from Valups which retransmits a mobile signal to a smartphone or iPod via Wi-Fi; PC dongles and set-top boxes for cars from iMovee; and an iPhone/iPod mobile TV cradle from Cydle, The New York Times reports.

The potential for mobile TV for broadcasters is that it would increase viewership from an on-the-go audience – TV viewing has slipped 25% in the last 10 years – and allow them to charge more for ads. And if mobile TV takes off among viewers, broadcasters could add specialty channels such as sports and weather, creating new advertising opportunities.

Mobile TV Vs. FLO

Mobile TV, known for now by the clunky name ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) Mobile DTV Standard, could prove to be a challenge to FLO TV, Qualcomm’s subscription service that offers programming from the Big 4 broadcast nets as well as Comedy Central, ESPN and others. FLO TV is available via a compatible smartphone or a special receiver; users pay $150 a year for a subscription to the service.

FLO TV believes it will be able to sell its services as an add-on to mobile TV. “There could be a ‘Best of FLO TV Channel’ that we’d sell bundled with free digital channels,” Alice Kim, svp of strategy, is quoted as saying.

FLO TV Enhancements Unveiled

Qualcomm unveiled new mobile TV apps for smart books this week in a move that will improve the viewing experience, the company says. The apps marry video with features such as Twitter feeds, news updates or sports statistics, the San Diego Union Tribune reports. For example, a viewer could watch a sporting event while simultaneously receive real-time stats and communicating with other sports fans.

Other smart-book applications include a real-time web feed, personalized by location, which offers local news, traffic and weather.

TV for Cell Phones: Yea or Nay?

Wall Street has been slow to get excited about FLO TV for cell phones, in part because it is hampered by the price, as consumers seem hesitant to shell out money for the pricey subscription fee.

Another obstacle is the small phone screen. Qualcomm is attempting to solve that problem by making the service available on a broader range of devices, like the FLO-powered handheld it announced last fall.

But the broadcasters behind digital mobile TV are not convinced the small screen of a cell phone is a turn-off, and are eager to see their service developed for cell phones. Samsung Electronics is currently testing mobile TV in a modified cell phone to discover whether the technology offers a strong business case for wireless carriers.

Article Source: http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/entry/48879/mobile-tv-debuts-in-april-with-30-broadcast-stations/