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 theatres with large LED screens and quality sound systems and on the other hand the convenience of having visual entertainment inside one’s pocket is appealing. While the big TV required a consensus among the viewers as to what program should be watched at any particular point of time, the mobile TV enabled viewing of favorite channels without competition. There are two ways of delivering mobile TV, one being through two-way cellular networks and the other being one-way broadcast network.
A major reason for the popularity of mobile TV is that it enabled people to use their travelling 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 the case of mobile TV, it is possible to deliver content based on individual viewer preference. This opens up a huge market for electronic media and possibility of revenues through paid subscriptions.
Mobile TV technology
Mobile TV technology, in general refers to all technologies that enable viewing of TV channels on a mobile phone. It is an attempt to combine the best of media and communication technologies in a single device. Using mobile TV 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 basically two ways of realizing mobile TV. One way was to use the two-way cellular network and the other way was to use 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. Broadcast technology used 1Seg, DMB, DVB-H and MediaFLO. 1 Seg used 12 segments for HDTV and balance 1 segment for mobile reception out of 13 segments 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, much 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.
History of mobile and TV technologies
The mobile TV technology has been made possible only because of the developments in both TV and mobile communication technology. The invention of mobile phone can be attributed to Motorola engineer, Martin Cooper 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 pager, E-mail, keypad, calendar and provision for handwriting on the screen. Camera phones became a reality when Nokia 7650 and Sanyo SPC-5300 with built-in cameras were introduced in 2002. Blackberry 6210 introduced in 2003, offered E-mail, texting, web browser, and Blackberry messenger service for web-based communication between Blackberry users.
A major revolution in cell phone technology was ushered in when Apple launched its first iPhone in January 2007. It combined an iPod, a mobile phone and a wireless communication device and featured a nine-centimeter display which could be used for watching movies and television. The most revolutionary feature was that the device could be commanded by using fingers on the touch screen and text input could be done through a touchpad keyboard (“5 major moments in cellphone history,” 2013.).
Since then many companies like Sony, Samsung and LG have come up with different sleek models of smart phones. Along with the hardware development of smart phones, innumerable application software were also developed, which gave the smart phones their real power. Mobile applications started with things like simple snake games on Nokia 6110 phone. When Apple launched its application store in 2008, there were 500 applications. Currently there are thousands of applications which are available free or for small payments in Google play store and Apple store, covering many addictive games and other useful software. Application developers now have to make their offerings compatible on any device connected to the internet as these are used on desktops, laptops, tablets and smart phones (Strain, 2015).
In addition to entertainment, applications on smart phones also provide for shopping, payment of bills and banking transactions to be done online. Mobile phone has become the best medium for catching the attention of individuals. It is no wonder that all product suppliers and service providers have shifted their focus to the small screen. Advertisements and offers on mobile phones can be customized to target specific categories of customers. Viewing, surfing and purchasing habits of individuals are tracked by many business groups. TV broadcasting industry and the advertising industry which supports it are also forced to migrate to the mobile screen.
The TV technology has also made great strides since its invention by John L Baird in 1929. It took many years for TV to become an affordable and appealing mode of entertainment and enlightenment. Gradually, it has become the most indispensable part of every home across the entire world. The landing of man on moon in 1969 and the fall of the twin towers in 2001 were all viewed on television by millions. The television has been influencing fashion trends and culture in addition to providing authentic report of happenings around the world (Anthony, 2013).
The TV technology has changed from CRT display to LED back-lit LCD display. 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. This is a clear indication that the technology is orienting towards streaming over the internet (Perry, 2015).
People tend to spend more and more time looking into their smart phones and the recent trends show that they spend lesser time watching TV. Time spent on TV viewing has almost become constant, but time spent on mobile has increased sharply in 2013 and is still on the increase (Brustein, 2014). This has implications for the advertising industry, which is still focusing on TV ads. Though there is a definite market for the large screen TVs for home entertainment, there is also a growing demand for getting all utilities on a single device, viz. the mobile phone. This is where mobile TV technology comes in. With TV broadcasting becoming digital, it is becoming increasing easier to provide TV programs on the mobile. If the programs are made available through the cellular network, the customers have to incur huge data charges. The alternative is to provide features on the mobile phone enabling it to capture the broadcast signals directly, so that the TV channels can be obtained at low cost.
Advantages and disadvantages of mobile TV technology
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, user can get a better viewing experience. The user is able to 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 own making. In the case of the big TV, there is scope for the members of a family to sit close and watch programs of common interest. 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 big 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 a negative impact on the overall development of the child.
Future of mobile TV technology
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 analogue signals over 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 on a single platform.
The customer will be able to watch the same program on any of the devices, whether the content is video on demand or a general broadcast. It may also be possible to interact through 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 specific 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 in terms of quality and quantity. As such there is no dearth of quality content on the net. Going forward, 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 smart phone.
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 large number of subscribers at the same time. Ads tailored to individual users are also in 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 in favor of the mobile. Actually 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 popular expectations. From the advertisers’ point of view, mobile TV could be a platform to send out individualized offers. It meant immense commercial possibilities, in terms of subscriptions and air time charges. With mobile 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 internet. 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 smart phones. 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 basically 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, text books 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 higher subscription for that.
References
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Maradia, V.J. (2011). Mobile TV technologies. InternationalJournal of Electrical and
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Montpetit, M.J., Klym, N & Blain, E. (2014). The Future of Mobile TV: When the Mobile
5 major moments in cellphone history. (2013). Retrieved from:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/5-major-moments-in-cellphone-history-1.1407352
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