Introduction
Mobile TV technology enables viewing of TV channels on hand-held devices so that people may watch their favorite programs, wherever they are; outdoors or inside speeding vehicles. On one hand the fixed TVs inside homes have evolved into home theaters with large LED screens and quality sound systems. The idea of having visual entertainment inside one’s pocket is appealing. A home television requires a consensus among the viewers on what program should be watched at any particular point in time, a mobile TV enabled viewing of favorite channels without competition. There are two ways of delivering this invention, one being through two-way cellular networks and the other being one-way broadcast network.
One reason for the popularity of mobile TV is that it enabled people to use their traveling time in airplane, train or car for watching their favorite programs or getting news updates. People with busy schedules could watch mobile TV during lunch or coffee breaks. The broadcast TV catered to the general viewing interests of a large segment of the population. However, in this case, it is possible to deliver content based on individual viewer preference. It opens up a huge market for electronic media and possibility of revenues through paid subscriptions.
History
Mobile TV technology has been made possible only because of the developments in both television and mobile communication technology (Brustein, 2014). Motorola engineer, Martin Cooper, is credited with the invention of a cell the phone when he made a call from a one and a half kg gadget 40 years ago. The first commercial cell phone, Motorola’s DynaTAC came in 1984 after a decade. In 1993, Bellsouth and IBM announced Simon personal communicator phone with features like a pager, E-mail, keypad, calendar and provision for handwriting on the screen. Nokia 7650 and Sanyo SPC-5300 pioneered the establishment of built-in cameras in 2002. Blackberry 6210 introduced in 2003, offered E-mail, texting, web browser, and Blackberry messenger service for web-based communication between Blackberry users.
Apple ushered its first iPhone in January 2007 that changed cell phone's history. Since then, companies like Sony, Samsung and LG have come up with different sleek models alongside hardware development to Smartphone. The application is now developed to be compatible with any device connected to the internet.
The TV technology progressed since its invention by John L Baird in 1929 evident by documentation of events as the first the landing of man on the moon in 1969 that was viewed by many people. It has influenced fashion trends and culture in addition to providing an authentic report of happenings around the world (Anthony, 2013).
The TV technology has changed from CRT display to LED back-lit LCD. Now LG has launched its OLED TVs in the market. They are currently too expensive, but with time things are bound to change. Broadcasting technology has also improved picture definition to match the large screen sizes. HDTV is giving way to upcoming 4KUHDTV which will require high bandwidths. It is a clear indication that the technology is orienting towards streaming over the internet (Perry, 2015).
Current Development
There are various developments that have taken place in regard to the design and use of the mobile TV technology. Whereas there are such multiple changes, several of them can be identified as landmark developments. To start with, in 2005, two fundamentally critical inventions were developed in South Korea. Essentially, these inventions included the S-DMB and the T-DMB. In this regard, the T-DMB was provided as a free service whereas S-DMB was offered on subscription basis since it utilized the TU media technology. The media technology is designed in such a way that the cell phones and computers are equipped with receivers. The same technology has been developed to fit into the contemporary Smartphone whereby the DMB services are provided through internal applications.
Four years after the invention of DMB technology, Blackberry introduced six mobile-based stations in 2009. The company has worked to build on its technological infrastructure to accommodate a total of 27 channels. At this point in time, the company still had ambitious plans to increase the total number of channels to 50. In the course of the same year, Julius Genachowski announced the anticipations to redesign the wireless network services in a way that could expand the use and architecture of mobile TV spectrum. In addition to this, a different invention was realized whereby a DTV mobile tuner designed for automobiles was introduced and used for the first time.
The year 2012 saw an additional milestone being introduced in the mobile Television technology. In particular, a company by the name Scripps developed an app that could be installed on an iPhone or an iPad allowing users to access critical information such as weather forecast. In this light, Samsung responded to the invention by developing an Android compatible app to serve the same purpose. The entire development process has culminated into a more robust use of mobile TV technology. As such, new options such as TV streaming and the use of platforms such as Youtube have become popular in the modern society.
How It Works
Mobile TV technology, in general, refers to all technologies that enable viewing of TV channels on a cell phone. It is an attempt to combine the best of media and communication technologies in a single device. Using TV mobile phone, people could enjoy real-time news, sports and weather forecasts. A variety of other services like video-on-demand and live TV programs were also envisaged. There were two ways of realizing mobile TV. One way was to use the two-way cellular network, and the other way was to use the one-way dedicated broadcast network. The cellular technology used 3G, MBMS or TDtv. HSDPA, an evolution of 3G technology was capable of extending the bit rates to enable DVD-quality video for the small screen. MBMS used multicast distribution instead of point-to-point links for each user. TDtv used a combination of IP Wireless commercial UMTS TD-CDMA solution and 3GPP release 6 MBMS. The broadcast technology used 1Seg, DMB, DVB-H, and MediaFLO. 1 Seg used 12 segments for HDTV and balanced one segment for mobile reception out of 13 others into which a channel was divided. DMB, short for Digital Media Broadcasting, used audio and video encapsulation in MPEG-2 TS. DVB-H means Digital Video Broadcasting for Terrestrial, modified for handheld devices. MediaFLO was a technology offered by Qualcomm especially for transmission to portable devices. In the case of terrestrial broadcast, digital or analog signals sent out by a transmitter could be received on any mobile handset with proper tuner arrangement. MBSAT and S-DMB (Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) were two systems which used satellite broadcasting to send signals to the mobile phone directly or through base stations (Mardia, 2011).
The challenges faced by mobile TV technology were the requirement of high speeds to handle video signals, higher memory capacities to store more data and the battery capacities to cater to higher power consumption. The latest models of mobiles are coming up with huge memory capabilities, many improved displays, and higher battery capacities. The new generation mobiles also have high-resolution cameras and high screen resolutions to display video with clarity. Also, the data speeds have improved tremendously, and the technologies used for providing mobile TV have been changing constantly.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Mobile TV is very personalized. A person can watch whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. It gives the user a sense of control. With personalized settings, a user can get a better viewing experience. The user can carry the device with him, wherever he goes and make optimal use of leisure time. This is especially true during travel by airplane or train. Another significant advantage is that a person can get to know the latest news and happenings around the world at any time of the day.
The main disadvantage is that people get addicted to their personal devices. It reduces social interaction and in extreme cases, people tend to withdraw into a shell of their making. In the case of the big TV, there is scope for the members of a family to sit close and watch programs they all agree to watch. It can also be an occasion for a family meeting. Mobile TV takes away this opportunity by providing all entertainment to individuals in the privacy of their rooms. Another serious problem is viewing of inappropriate content by children. For the large tv, parental controls are possible, but in the case of mobile TV, there is unrestricted access to all content online. Also spending too much time on the mobile has an adverse impact on the overall development of the child.
Future Prediction
Mobile TV started as a standalone technology for delivering content for people on the move. However, it is gradually evolving into an integral part of an eco-system which offers multiple types of video offerings, which can be viewed across all devices; TV, PC, tablet or smart phone. TV broadcast has mostly shifted from sending analog signals over the air to digital transmission, which happens via satellite and reaches the end-user through cable networks and operators. With the advancement of internet and availability of 4G speeds, all content can be integrated into a single platform.
The customer will be able to watch the same program on any of the devices, whether the content is a video on demand or a general broadcast. It may also be possible to interact with the social network and share what one is viewing. Ultimately it will be the quality of the content that will matter as no content will be intended for any particular device (Montpetit, Klym& Blain, 2014).
Mobile TV is yet to become popular in many countries of the world. In the meantime, the content available over the internet has improved tremendously regarding quality and quantity. As such there is no dearth of quality content on the net. It is unlikely that customers would like to pay extra money for some content exclusively made for the mobile. So the concept of the mobile TV itself will be changed. Customers will pay for content, but they will have the freedom to access and view it from anywhere and from any device, interchangeably. In short, all content may be viewed on any or all of the three screens; TV, PC, and smartphone.
The latest in mobile TV technology is the LTE broadcast, which is based on evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS). This enables the same content to be sent to a large number of subscribers at the same time. Ads tailored to individual users are also on the agenda. And there is the possibility of streaming radio, podcasts, and many other data. It is yet to be seen whether this technology will survive. However, as mobile TV technologies evolve, it is unlikely that TV will be discarded for the mobile. Tv has proved to be very resilient and is adapting itself splendidly to new technologies. From black and white TV to color TV broadcast, from analog to digital transmission, from reception through the traditional antennas to satellite and cable network, TV has come a long way. TV is now poised to use the internet and its unlimited possibilities.
Conclusion
Mobile TV technology attempts to bring the best of media, viz. the TV on the tiny screen. For the users, it means they can watch their favorite programs on the move. However, none of the technologies tried out created any sensation, as they all fell short of modern expectations. From the advertisers’ point of view, mobile TV could be a platform to send out individualized offers. It meant immense commercial possibilities, regarding subscriptions and air time charges.With cell phones TV, every individual is a prospective customer requiring personalized content. Both the mobile and TV technologies have advanced far. With the advent of 4G technologies, data speeds are sufficient for fast transmission of video content. Digitization of TV signals enables transmission of these signals through internet protocol.
So, it is now possible to receive the TV signals or other video signals through the web. Conventional TV reception through cable network requires only payment of periodic subscription charges and the charges are not related to the amount of content viewed. In the case of mobile TV accessed through the internet, every MB of data received is chargeable. So it is not likely that mobile TV will be used very widely. However, with free Wi-Fi hot spots strewn all over the city, people may be tempted to use mobile TV more.
Given the volatile nature of the technologies, it will be hard to predict accurately what the fate of mobile TV will be after 5 to 20years. However, there has always been a demand for entertainment which could be obtained on call, and this is likely to continue. What is demanded may vary according to popular trends, but people are likely to be using their smart phone for longer periods in a day, on an average. Improved technologies will be developed to deliver maximum content to the smartphones. As in the past, no technology is likely to endure for long. The emphasis is now more on developing applications and content which can be delivered across all platforms. The user should be able to access the same content on any device by paying one subscription.
A likely future scenario may be described thus: All content, data and means of entertainment including news, articles, music, film, research papers, textbooks, etc. will be stored in servers which could be accessed through free or paid subscriptions and downloaded and viewed on any device.
A person may prefer to download and read the morning newspaper on a Kindle, watch a video clip about meditation on his mobile and enjoy a football match on an HDTV screen. Whether a person views content on his mobile, tablet or PC, he would be choosing what to see. No content will be thrust on anybody because it will be treated as equivalent to spamming. Ads would reach prospective customers, packaged with free subscriptions. Some people may prefer ad free content and pay a higher subscription for that
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