mobileTV News Circa 2007

Envivio introduces new 4Stream IP Gateway for Mobile TV services providers

May, 2007 – Envivio has introduced its 4Stream IP gateway for IPTV and mobile TV service providers.

The 4Stream IP Gateway is part of the Envivio all-IP Convergence Generation video headend.  Announced in March of 2007, the headend also features the 4Caster C4 IP video encoders and the 4Caster M2 Mobile TV encoders both with IP input, as well as the 4Manager network management and redundancy system. 

Supporting an all IP infrastructure, the headend solution claims to provide a multi-service platform capable of addressing the key devices targeted by service providers who control both fixed and wireless networks.  The solution offers routing, simplified management and redundancy, requires less space and is easier to manage and deploy than today’s traditional IPTV and mobile TV headends. 

Julien Signès, President and CEO of Envivio Inc. said: “The Convergence Generation headend with the new 4Stream IP gateway provides a full end-to-end IP architecture from video reception to subscribers’ TVs or mobile devices.” “The IP headend architecture is a fundamental milestone for the video compression industry as it meets the challenges posed by network convergence towards IP and the demand by merged fixed line and mobile carriers for multiservice platforms.”

Update 20022
Where is Envivio today?
Founded in 2000 in San Francisco by Julien Signes, Envivio was a software-based video processing and delivery company. In 2015, the company was acquired by Ericsson. In 2019, Ericsson sold its television business unit to One Equity Partners, the resulting company is named MediaKind, a global leader in media technology and services. They offer media solutions for contribution and direct-to-consumer video service distribution, as well as advertising and content personalization solutions, TV and video delivery platforms and high efficiency cloud DVR.
To learn more about MediaKind go to their current website: https://www.mediakind.com/

Irdeto to secure T-Mobile Hungary and Antenna Hungaria DVB-H Trial

May, 2007 – Irdeto has been selected by Hungary’s mobile operator, T Mobile Hungary and broadcast-service provider, Antenna Hungária to provide its Irdeto Mobile Broadcast content security solution for DVB-H end-to-end technical trial.

Conducted in in Hungary’s capital city, Budapest the trial will test interactive services, technical capabilities and performance of the DVB-H solution. Located on Budapest’s Széchényi Hill, Antenna Hungária will use a 130W transmitter for transmitting programming from four Hungarian public TV channels to Samsung SGH-P910 and Sagem “My Mobile TV” mobile phones. Subscribers will have access to a SMS-based TV program reminder service aas well as use a built-in electronic programming guide (EPG) to scroll through programming options.

"AH enjoys the main position in the Hungarian broadcasting market where the key opportunity is the forthcoming digitalization. AH aims to be the main digital technology service provider, offering services also for mobile operators. Consequently, entering the mobile TV broadcasting market via DVB-H is one of the most important strategic initiatives for the company," said Mr. András Tóth, director of Communication and Marketing for Antenna Hungária.

The trial is expected to end in late July. In the fall, Antenna Hungária will present its findings to Hungarian lawmakers hoping to prove that mobile TV has a viable future in the country. The Hungarian Parliament will initiate plans to sell digital spectrum space to operators interested in the distribution of mobile content through the DVB-H network if the trials are successful.

Graham Kill, CEO of Irdeto says: "Irdeto has been developing and deploying mobile TV content security solutions for nearly four years now. Our implementation experience, our support of every major mobile standard including DVB-H, T/S-DMB and MediaFLO and the outstanding availability of Irdeto-integrated handsets will continue to make Irdeto the provider of choice for mobile TV operators worldwide."

Update 20022
Where is Irdeto today?
Irdeto continues to provide services and solutions that protect revenue, enable growth and fight cybercrime in video entertainment, video games, as well as, in protecting assets in transport, health and infrastructure.

IRDETO SUPPORTS THE HUMANITARIAN RELIEF EFFORTS IN UKRAINE
Irdeto has made donations to relief agencies and will continue to support humanitarian efforts to reduce the suffering of those affected.
To learn more about Irdeto go to their current website: https://irdeto.com/

Arqiva captures the Cricket World Cup for TWI and the BBC

April, 2007 - Arqiva has secured a contract with TWI, the sports production arm of IMG Media, to provide production support for the BBC's coverage of the Cricket World Cup.

Arqiva will provide both Occasional Video (OV) and studio production facilities to enable the quick turnaround of the highlights packages, broadcast each night for the duration of the tournament.  The Cricket World Cup highlights will be broadcast on BBC1 until 28 April 2007.

Simon Wheeler, Executive Producer at TWI, said: "The Cricket World Cup has a huge following and it's important that cricket fans don't miss out on any of the action from the tournament.  Arqiva's expert technical support means that the daily programmes can be packaged as quickly as possible to make for great viewing."

Stan Hollins, Head of Studios at Arqiva said: "Given the high volume of footage coming through from the West Indies, we've worked closely with TWI so they can isolate the best moments from the Cricket World Cup and facilitate a seamless production for the highlights programme."

Update 20022
Where is Arqiva today?
For nearly 100 years Arqiva has been at the heart of the industry, trusted by broadcast and media brands across the globe. Arqiva continues to provide critical data, network and communications services in the UK and abroad by building and operating the complex ecosystems and infrastructures through which data and content moves securely, effectively, and sustainably at scale.

To learn more about Arqiva go to their current website: https://www.arqiva.com/

BBC trials 3G mobile syndication with Orange, Vodafone and 3

March, 2007 - The BBC has started a trial to syndicate a range of its television channels and radio networks via 3G to mobile phones with mobile operators Orange, Vodafone and 3. Wanting to expand their audience, the BBC believes that the mobile platform is a great opportunity to reach existing users in a new way and connect with people who are not currently big users of the BBC.

The trial will extend for 12 months during which the BBC will conduct extensive and unique research into consumer behaviour and experience. Subscribers to Orange, Vodafone and 3's TV packages can take advantage of the one-year trial to watch BBC One, BBC News 24 and BBC Three streamed on their mobiles. There are exceptions including some premiership football, some films and cartoons, and some acquired programmes like Neighbors.

Subscribers will also be able to listen to up to eight BBC radio stations including Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, 6 Music, BBC 7 and Asian Network.

Ashley Highfield, BBC Director of Future Media and Technology, states, "By making a range of television channels and radio networks available to 3G mobile phone subscribers, we hope to test, not only the effectiveness of 3G as a means of distribution, but also how audiences respond to the BBC's linear services on their mobiles."

GlobeCast to manage MobiTV content ingestion

March 20, 2007 –GlobeCast is selected by MobiTV to manage content ingestion to support the delivery of live television to MobiTV’s mobile and broadband platforms in North America.

Globecast, a subsidiary of France Telecom, transports and manages millions of hours of video and other rich media each year. GlobeCast operates 15 teleports and technical operations centers worldwide.

For North America GlobeCast is furnishing channel ingest via satellite, signal encoding, monitoring and connectivity of live channels for delivery into MobiTV’s proprietary technology platforms. 

Kay Johansson, CTO for MobiTV is quoted: “By centralizing our channel ingestion, MobiTV is now able to easily ingest and move channels on a global scale across GlobeCast’s worldwide network of teleports, satellite capacities and a global fiber ring”.

Update 20022
Where is GlobeCast today?
GlobeCast has developed a comprehensive set of media services that fit together to solve any media distribution challenge. Globecast is the ideal partner to help with launching a new channel or taking an existing one to a new market. Globecast can manage can complex requirements, from production to contribution and international distribution for any major event coverage requires flawless organization and experience.

To learn more about GlobeCast go to their current website: https://www.globecast.com/

About MobiTV, Inc
MobiTV was a privately held, venture-backed company. MobiTV provided live and on-demand video delivery solutions. By 2021 MobiTV, the app-based platform provider for pay TV services, had voluntarily filed for relief under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Although in a letter to MobiTV’s partners, CEO Charlie Nooney assured that the bankruptcy process did not mean that his company was going out of business, it in fact did go bankrupt. Later in 2021, with a winning bid of $18.5 million, TiVo acquired MobiTV's assets at auction, including MobiTV's intellectual property and patent portfolio. TiVo also gained MobiTV's pay-TV business that supplies white-label apps for a wide range of streaming platforms and additional infrastructure and transport rights to dozens of operators.

Telefónica Trials Mobile TV with Alcatel-Lucent

February 9, 2007 - Alcatel-Lucent and Telefónica have announced that they are conducting a pilot project for Mobile TV in Italy, Spain, and France.

The first phase of the trial running from December 2007 March will take place in Turin.

The Spanish trial starts in early October 2006 and is scheduled to run for 6 months. The trial, based on Alcatel-Lucent’s Unlimited Mobile TV solution, uses a multi-layer DVB-SH terrestrial network blending low-power transmitters from a mobile operator and medium-power transmitters from a broadcaster.

According to Alcatel-Lucent, using its Mobile Interactive TV solution, Telefónica will be able to create interactive television services, allowing mobile end-users to watch TV channels, consult an electronic program guide (EPG) in a preferred format, rapidly change channels or content, as well as use contextual interactive services, such as ordering content associated with a TV program.

Cayetano Lluch, General Director of Technology, Telefónica Móviles España pointed out: “We want to offer our customers the most complete personalized best-in class multimedia experience, that brings the full benefit of interactivity and excitement into their everyday lives. ”

In the framework of this multi-faceted trial, Telefónica Móviles España is eager to cooperate with Alcatel-Lucent and test its end-to-end solutions portfolio covering mobile TV, radio and music service delivery.

In addition Alcatel-Lucent and Telefónica will preform market testing.

Update 20022
Where is Telefónica today?
Telefónica is celebrating 98 years in telecommunications. Their mission is to make our world more human by connecting people's lives. Telefónica provides solutions to help businesses grow efficiently and speed up its digetal processes. They strive to offer the best connectivity, entertainment and service in peoples' lives by building reliable, resilient, and secure networks.

To learn more about Telefónica go to their current website: https://www.telefonica.com/en/

Orange, Texas Instruments and Viaccess Collaborate to Protect Mobile TV Content

February 9, 2007 - Texas Instruments has announced that it is working with mobile operator Orange and Viaccess to provide content and access protection for Mobile TV.

The product is powered by Texas Instrument's OMAPTM processor with its integrated M-ShieldTM system-level security technology and integrated with Viaccess' Conditional Access which claims to provide the secure environment for Orange to deploy its protected mobile TV content over the wireless network.

Loic Hamon, Strategic Marketing Director of TI's Wireless Terminals Business Unit is quoted: "Effective, flexible security is essential to the successful deployment of Mobile TV, TI's M-Shield security framework, integrated into our OMAP application processor platform, provides the robust, flexible, system-level security solution required to safely ensure the content protection necessary to enable mass deployment of mobile TV."

Yves Cristol, Director Device Development, Orange Devices is quoted: "Mobile TV is a core element in the convergence of media over IP, DSL and phone networks. The performance and flexibility of Texas Instrument's OMAP processors and M-Shield security framework will allow Orange to expand the flexible usage of its services, achieving its objective of total media convergence anywhere, anytime."

Update 2022
About Orange
Orange is a leading network operator for mobile, broadband internet, and fixed line telecommunications. It has a presence in 27 countries, with enterprise IT and communications services extending to 220 countries and territories under the Orange Business Services brand. Orange S.A. rebranded as Orange, is a French multinational telecommunications corporation. Orange has been the company's main brand for mobile, landline, internet and Internet Protocol television (IPTV) services since 2006.
To learn more about Orange go to: https://www.orange.com/en

About Viaccess
Viaccess is a conditional access system edit by Orange S.A. In 2008, Viaccess acquired Orca interactive and in 2012 they merged under the name Viaccess-Orca. Viaccess-Orca provides OTT and TV platforms, content protection and advanced data solutions for a personalized TV Experience.
To learn more about Viaccess go to: https://www.viaccess-orca.com/

Mobile TV Trial Launches in Malaysia

February 9, 2007 - 3 Italia, Maxis Communications, Astro have announced the launch of a 3 month DVB-H Digital Mobile TV trial in Malaysia.

The trial will launched mid 2007. Those chosen to partake in the trial will be issued with DVB-H mobile phones provided by Samsung and LG.

Involving only Maxis' customers in Kuala Lumpur, the trial is set-up by 3 Power, which provides specific DVB-H equipment, DVB-H network design & planning, handsets & USIMs, ESG, integration with CRM Conditional Access and Digital Right Management, as well as billing in cooperation with its leading international partners, 3 Italia and Astro.

3 Italia was the first in the world to launch the DVB-H Digital Mobile TV service with a wide coverage.

Previously in 2006 Vincenzo Novari, CEO, 3 Italia states: "Our 'world-first', with the launch of DVB-H Digital Mobile TV in June 2006, has been a success with over 250.000 customers in the first six months. We are now very excited to provide Maxis our DVB-H expertise"

Following its success experienced in Italy, 3 Italia is now sharing by 3 Power its experience with other companies launching or planning to launch DVB-H commercial services worldwide.

In 2007 the DVB-H technology (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) was the latest digital broadcast technology which enabled TV content to be broadcasted directly to mobile phones. It offered audio, video and multimedia contents to a large number of users in optimal technical and cost effective conditions

Update 2022
About Maxis Communications
Maxis Communications (Maxis Berhad) continues to be a mobile communications service provider in Malaysia. It is one of the oldest and largest telecommunications companies in the country.

To learn more about Maxis services and mobile plans go to: https://www.maxis.com.my/en/home/

About 3 Italia
3 Italia is the Mobile Media Company 3 or Three. It is part of CK Hutchison Holdings, a renowned multinational conglomerate committed to innovation and technology. They offer customized global mobile communications and data solutions creating new digital value and unprecedented opportunities to business in a collaborative approach.

To learn more about 3 Global go to: http://three.com/

3GSM World Congress to go Live on Mobile TV

The 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona next week will be on the air through mobile TV. A DVB-H mobile TV network, operated by Abertis Telecom and provided by technology company SIDSA, will cover the Congress.

3GSM TV will offer the latest news on the Congress with contents specifically dedicated to this event. According to 3GSM, the aim of the demonstration platform is to show interoperability among the different DVB-H enabled devices that are going to be shown during the 3GSM Congress and to make clear that DVB-H mobile TV transmissions are currently a reality. This experience comes at a time when Italy has recently seen the successful roll-out of two DVB-H services and when other countries, such as Finland, Germany, the Russian Federation and the US, are preparing for the launch of DVB-H commercial services.

Mobile TV World Forum and Digital Radio Show Announce Collaboration

February 6, 2007 - Junction, the leading digital media events specialist announced that two of its most successful events, the Mobile TV World Forum and Digital Radio Show, were joining forces on June 11-12 at Olympia, London. (www.mobiletv-forum.com, www.digital-radio-show.com). The show will host a free exhibition and is expecting over 1000 attendees.

Early confirmed speakers include:
• Ed Candy, Chief Technical Officer for Hutchison Whampoa Europe
• Gian Paolo Balboni, Senior Programme Manager TV and Multimedia for Telecom Italia; Nicholas Wheeler, Managing Director of ITN On
• Christoph Urban, Head of Mobile/Business Development for MTV Networks Europe
• Peter Davies, Director of Radio and Multimedia for Ofco
• Melissa Goodwin, Head of Mobile for ITV; Henrik Rinnert, Managing Director of MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland GmbH
• Quentin Howard, President of WorldBAB
• James Cridland, Digital Media Director for Virgin Radio.

Ian Johnson, Managing Director of Junction, Ltd, commented; “Visual Radio looks like a killer application, especially for those targeting youth markets. This, along with mobile TV, is an example of the power of mobile phones as radio and television devices. The Digital Radio Show and Mobile TV World Forum have combined in order to provide a detailed overview and address the potential power of these two markets.”

About Mobile TV World Forum and the Digital Radio Show

The Mobile TV World Forum aims to provide the discussion forum, networking opportunities and exhibition space that this new digital TV platform needs. It will address key issues surrounding consumer attitudes and behaviour towards video on mobiles, service propositions and content offerings, business models and value chains, transmission technologies and standards, content production, interactivity, advertising, regulation and much more.

In 2007 the Digital Radio Show took a detailed look at the emergence of Visual Radio as a potential threat to digital radio and as a model that could be replicated on digital radio platforms. Radio was not only becoming just an interactive medium, but also increasingly visual. Platform operators and supporters of DAB or DMB broadcasting had to address the threat of Visual Radio on mobile phones, which could receive ordinary FM signals into the handsets and synchronise them with WAP/GPRS connections via the mobile network thus delivering enhanced data including colour images of artists, station logos or advertised products.

In 2007 Mobile TV World was a departure from the traditional television model. It presented great opportunities and challenges to all players within the content-to-consumer value chain. The Mobile TV World Forum was designed for content aggregators and channel owners, content owners and distributors, free-to-air broadcasters, traditional TV multiplex operators, playout service providers, Pay TV network operators, broadcast transmission network operators, mobile phone service providers including Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), cellular network owners/operators, mobile phone and other receive device regulators, investors, manufacturers, and analysts.

In 2022 everyone can get a number of Mobile TV apps from the google store.

Successfully Adding Mobile TV to a Handset

By: Phil Spruce, Handheld Marketing Manager, Microtune, Inc.

Mobile TV is gaining a lot of media and consumer attention. Including mobile TV functionality in a handset isn't just about squeezing in more circuitry. It is critical that handset designers understand the impact of tuner performance on service availability and quality. Unfortunately, there are no universal global standards and only basic performance specifications as of now. Until Mobile TV is deployed in a real mobile environment, it will be difficult to tell if a device or handset will measure up. Service and picture quality will be the main design aspects that early adopters will notice and remark upon. If mobile TV devices are not rigorously tested or the environment in which they will need to operate is not fully understood, handsets could easily fail when a user is watching TV. That could be a disaster for the market place.

In 2007 the dominant global standard for mobile TV is Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H), and there is no analogous certification process in place.

In 2014 the Media Daily News reported a study that said LAS VEGAS -- New research shows that more than half of consumers believe mobile devices will replace television sets by 2022. A rebuttal to that news from Michael Greeson in the comments section of the article: Smartphones are IDEAL for filling that hole and what better to fill it with than some form of video. But to assume that usage growth means the death of traditional 'lean-back' TV (which by virtually every believable research source is still eking out slight growth - it already takes up around one-eighth of our day) says more about the lack of understanding of the human psyche and our diurnal round by the researcher/pundit than anything else. And I have to agree. A small format screen is convenient in many circumstances and fine for some viewing, but nothing beats watching a sports event or movie on a large TV screen! The big screen is not going away.

Update Spring 2022
T-Mobile Offers Free MLB.TV Subscription Ahead of 2022 Baseball Season
Beginning April 5, 2022 T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro by T-Mobile customers can receive a free one-year subscription to MLB.TV, the company announced Tuesday. For baseball fans it is right in time for Major League Baseball's Opening Day on April 7, when the New York Yankees face off against the Boston Red Sox to kick off the 2022 season.

SIDSA Launches New DVB-H Mobile TV Platform

January 29, 2006 - SIDSA, technology provider for Mobile TV, has launched a compact and fully integrated DVB-H mobile TV platform, POLAR PLUS.

The platform is commercially available and is giving service to the first commercial DVB-H mobile TV network in the Russian Federation to be launched in April in the region of Sverdlovsk with 15 TV channels.

SIDSA will give real and live demonstrations of DVB-H mobile TV transmissions at the 3GSM World Congress.

New Protus Ph.C From Snell & Wilcox Said to Improves Image Quality for Mobile TV

January 23, 2007 - Snell & Wilcox is a provider of image processing, conversion and compression products for the professional film and television market. Recently they announced the introduction of the Protus Ph.C, a new video image conditioning system. Providers of mobile TV services will be able to dramatically increase picture quality and/or reduce bandwidth requirements for delivering content to Internet, wireless, &Web delivery platforms.

By applying a series of image conditioning tools to video content prior to its compression and distribution over any type of platform, the Protus Ph.C will improve the image quality. These tools were derived from high-end broadcast and digital cinema applications, including motion compensated deinterlacing, noise reduction and scaling converting video to the correct scanning format, picture size, and aspect ratio required by computer screens and mobile devices. One of the most significant features of the Protus Ph.C system is its motion compensated deinterlacing. Protus Ph.C uses Ph.C motion estimation technology to deinterlace video images at a quality level that had previously been unachievable. This feature significantly reduces artifacts, enabling compression encoders to perform significantly more efficiently. Another benefits of motion compensated deinterlacing of the Protus Ph.C’s powerful noise reduction tools enables additional bandwidth savings.

Joe Zaller, vice president of marketing at Snell & Wilcox. is quoted as saying "With the explosive growth in new mobile and IP platforms for TV, content delivery and streaming media service providers have become extremely aware of the impact on picture quality and bandwidth usage of sub-optimal deinterlacing, noise reduction, and other video processing steps. By performing these steps prior to video compression, Protus Ph.C helps any encoder to do its job better, which translates into maximum flexibility, higher quality, and bandwidth savings for operators."

About Snell & Wilcox
Snell & Wilcox was founded by Roderick Snell, in 1973. Branded as Snell Advanced Media or SAM, the company designed and manufactured digital image processing technology for the broadcast, television and film industries.

Industry Giants Collaborate to Reach Breakthrough Milestone in MBMS Mobile TV Technology

January 23, 2007 - Huawei Technologies, provider of next generation telecommunications network solutions, has announced that along with QUALCOMM, it has completed the commercial MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service) mobile TV interoperability testing (IOT), a mobile TV solution based on 3GPP Release 6.

The interoperability testing was performed on Huawei's UMTS/HSPA network with handsets based on the Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) MSM7200™ chipset solution from QUALCOMM. During the IOT, MBMS technology was used to transmit TV programs at 256 Kbps. According to Huawei, the success of interoperability testing demonstrates that MBMS is on-track for large-scale commercial deployments in 2007.

Yu Chengdong, president of Huawei Wireless Network Product Line, states: "MBMS service will be widely adopted by operators this year, with more and more equipment and terminal suppliers supporting MBMS service. Our CMB commercial deployment in Hong Kong in May 2006, followed by the industry's first commercial launch of our MBMS mobile TV solution will help operators stay at the forefront of multimedia mobile broadband market. "

Luis Pineda, senior vice president of marketing and product management for QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies, commented: "QUALCOMM's successful testing with Huawei is a significant milestone in the commercialization of MBMS technology, which gives network operators the ability to offer real-time infotainment to wireless users over their UMTS networks. We remain committed to working closely with the entire wireless industry in bringing new mobile capabilities to market around the world."

Update 2022
About Huawei Technologies
Huawei, founded in 1987, is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart device. In 2021, Huawei invested even more in research and innovation. Huawei Technologies works openly with the global scientific community to explore new theories, architectures, and technologies, which will support the ongoing development of the digital industry.

To learn more about Huawei Technologies go to: https://www.huawei.com/en/