Mobile TV Interoperability Problems

A very good article published yesterday by the EE Times discusses the current issues which are holding back global deployments of mobile TV, in particular those based on the DVB-H standard. Fragmentation in the media codecs, electronic service guide and service protection mechanisms are the main problems, causing the industry to speed up the creation of interoperability guidelines and certification mechanisms.

BT Movio and Virgin Mobile Launch DAB-IP Commercial Mobile TV Service in the UK

BT Movio will launch the world's first mobile TV service based on the DAB-IP standard on October 1st, 2006. Virgin Mobile will be the first retail provider of the service, but others are expected to follow. The service will offer 4 TV stations - BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4 and E4, and 30-50 UK DAB radio stations. The service is supported by the Virgin Mobile Lobster 700TV phone (previously code-named "Trilogy"), which is designed and manufactured by HTC. The phone cost £199, and the service cost is £5 a month following a 3-month free trial period.