April 13, 2010

Mobile DTV Consumer Showcase All Summer in D.C.

In just a few short weeks, TV viewers in the nation’s capital will be able to watch local DTV broadcasts on a variety of mobile devices, including specially equipped cellphones; netbooks; portable media players; and a unique adapter that can send mobile DTV to laptops, iPhones and the new iPad.

The Open Mobile Video Coalition’s Mobile DTV Consumer Showcase will begin on Monday, May 3, and it will run all summer. This collaborative effort is backed by nine Washington-area TV stations and coordinated by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC).

Representing nearly 900 TV stations across the country, the OMVC is a voluntary association of television broadcasters “whose mission is to accelerate the development of mobile digital television in the United States.”

According to the group, "The Consumer Showcase will demonstrate how the U.S. digital TV system allows each TV station to deliver a primary HD channel and multiple additional digital multicast channels to homes as well as multiple mobile digital television channels.

Mobile DTV devices that will be used by consumers during the Showcase include:

• A specially modified, non-commercial version of the Samsung Moment handset built on Google’s Android platform and sold by Sprint. The modified units can receive live DTV with the built-in Samsung receiver chip;
• Inspiron Mini 10 Entertainment prototype netbooks from Dell equipped with a HD display, mobile DTV circuitry and a reception antenna;
• Mobile DTV/portable DVD player combos from LG Electronics, which incorporate LG’s most recent mobile DTV receiver chip;
• Tivizen mobile DTV receivers from Valups, which receive over-the-air mobile DTV and beam it to a Wi-Fi device (allowing mobile DTV on products like the iPad, iPhone, laptops and other devices).

• Local NBC affiliate WRC (NBC Universal);
• Local Fox affiliate WTTG (Fox) and local My Network programmer WDCA along with the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network;
• MSNBC, CNBC and other premium programming to be announced on WPXW (ION Media Networks);
• Univision, with additional premium programming to be announced and sent from facilities of WFDC (Univision);
• WHUT (Howard University);
• Local CBS affiliate WUSA (Gannett Broadcasting);
• WNVC (MHz Networks);
• WNUV (Sinclair Broadcast Group)