Sky To Trial New Mobile TV Technology
BSkyB is to begin trialing a new mobile TV standard, partnering with American technology firm Qualcomm to test its MediaFLO streaming solution in the Cambridge area.
The trial is not exclusive and does not prohibit MediaFLO being tested by other broadcasters, or BSkyB trialing other solutions, but should deliver superior results to existing DVB-H and DMB technologies, it is claimed.
MediaFLO International’s senior director, Omar Javaid, states that his firm’s technology can deliver “up to 30 channels in QVGA standard at 25 frames per second, which is a good video standard from mobiles.”
The technology boss went on to explain that, because MediaFLO is designed from the ground up to provide video to mobile phones, it can deliver faster channel switching and outperform its rival standards.
“We are keen to see how MediaFLO works with Sky,” Javaid told technology website The Register. “The UK is an attractive market for us as the regulatory environment is very favourable. So if all goes well we could launch relatively quickly.”
A trial using real world mobile phone handsets will take place in Cambridge this summer, although it is not yet known which handset manufacturer will provide the relevant equipment.
The marketplace for mobile TV looks likely to be hotly contested in the UK, with BT launching its Movio product later this year, having already signed up Virgin Mobile, now part of NTL:Telewest, as its first customer (see ‘Real’ Mobile TV System To Launch Within Four Months).
Elsewhere, 3G TV services are seeing a warm response, despite a common consensus amongst the industry that one-to-one broadcasts over cellular networks are not the most efficient way of broadcasting TV signals (see Vodafone Live! 3G TV Popular With Customers).
Sky already offers some channels to mobile customers through their existing telephone provider, marketing the product under the name Sky Mobile TV (see Sky Signs Vodafone For Mobile TV Service). This month sees the broadcaster extend its offering, adding live international cricket coverage, as well as the Football League Playoffs to its mobile package under the Sky Sports brand.
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