Tuesday, April 24, 2007 Limpag: A glimpse into mobile broadcast TV By Max Limpag Celltalk
SMART DEMO. I attended a demo last April 11 on the mobile broadcast TV currently being commercially tested by Smart. I couldn’t help noticing in the demo that Smart officials took pains to clarify how the service isn’t really meant to be a replacement for cable TV.
The mobile TV launched by Smart isn’t your puny IP-based service running on the telecoms network and the low resolution and constant buffering that comes with it. It is an actual broadcast, similar to how your regular TV receives signals, only that it airs on the Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld network. It doesn’t mean that if you have a Smart signal, you can view the Mobile TV broadcast. Smart is still rolling out the network.
The quality is crisp. If you’ve watched those portable TVs with screens the size of lunch boxes, you’d notice that if you view the free TV channels (and not plug it into cable TV) you’d encounter various distortions and static images because of interference on the signal caused by location or by nearby electronic devices.
In the several minutes I watched video during the demo, I did not notice any signal disruption. The image is so clear that despite it’s size, I could read text flashed on screen.
I said Smart took pains to say it’s not meant to replace cable TV because I think that for certain types of people, it will replace cable TV. The question is how large an audience will ditch cable TV for mobile TV.
If Smart chooses channels wisely I’m sure there will be people junking their cable TV subscriptions and choose the company’s Mobile TV instead. These are people who are always on the go, with substantial income, and single.
Young people nowadays are different media viewers. They watch YouTube videos as much as the older generation spend time in front of the boob tube.
CHANNELS. Come to think of it, ask yourself: of all the channels offered by your cable TV provider, how many do you actually watch on a given day? I watch probably less than 10: BBC, Hallmark, Discovery, National Geographic, Travel Channel, Fashion TV (once in a while but only the Midnight Hot portion), and Crime and Suspense.
Smart’s Mobile TV is currently broadcasting CNN, BBC, CNBC, MTV, Fashion TV, Jack TV, and Basketball TV. It will add more on the commercial launch of the service. Raymond Miranda, head of media content of NBC, said there is a technical limit to the number of channels that can be offered over the network.
This limit has to do with the frequency used for the broadcast. But they can offer up to 15 channels without sacrificing broadcast quality.
What’s good about the service being offered by a telecoms network is the possibility for micro payment of “snackable” and made for mobile content. Yes it means a new revenue stream for the company but more importantly, it offers independent TV producers a new avenue to showcase their work and make money.
Smart, based on their presentation, recognizes that mobile TV isn’t just regular TV shrunk to fit smaller screens. While they currently offer just your regular TV channels right now, the company says they will be airing made for mobile episodes later.
