Posts tagged ‘Future’
Mobile TV is here!
Samsung and MetroPCS unveil new smartphone with live, local TV!
An exciting development in the future of TV occurred last week when wireless carrier MetroPCS and Samsung Mobile unveiled the new Samsung Galaxy S® LightrayTM 4G*. This Android™ smartphone is the first in the U.S. to offer live, local broadcast television with Dyle™ mobile TV.
Now consumers can stay informed and entertained on the go with the same local and national sports, news and entertainment programming on your mobile phones as you receive on your TV at home. This is live TV, not streaming. And because it uses the TV airwaves, not the Internet, it does not count against your data cap. Also, unlike streaming video over the Internet, an unlimited number of viewers can watch on their smartphones at the same time without buffering.
This service is currently available in 35 markets, reaching over 55 percent of the US population. Additional markets and stations will be added in the future.
Mobile TV can be used anywhere that the TV spectrum can reach, no need for an Internet connection or WiFi access. So where will you watch mobile TV? On your commute to work? Waiting to pick the kids up from school? At the stadium during the big game? Tell us in the comments below!
Latest Mobile TV Devices Will Bring Your Favorite Content to You Anywhere, Anytime
Wouldn’t it be nice to take your favorite morning show with you on the commute to work – not missing a minute of the breaking news or local weather?
With more than 120 stations across the country broadcasting mobile television signals, the future of TV is here – and it’s mobile. With numerous local broadcast stations transmitting mobile TV signals, and more consumer devices and adapters coming to the market, soon it will be very easy for consumers to get free mobile broadcast television on their laptops, tablets and smartphones. Best of all, the service does not require a data plan or hefty mobile data charges, because the signal is sent for free over-the-air.
Check out our new video that features mobile television providers Dyle mobile TV and the Mobile 500 Alliance demonstrating the devices and adapters built by manufacturers like Samsung and Belkin that run their mobile TV services. Watch the video below to see how you can get your local news, sports, weather, entertainment and lifesaving emergency information anywhere, anytime:
Mobile DTV from NAB Studio on Vimeo.
Hold onto your hat – hurricane season is on the way
The bad news is that June 1 marks the start of hurricane season. The good news, however, is that you can stay safe by tuning in to your local TV and radio stations to get critical emergency information. And many of you can tune in on the go using your smartphone or tablet, even if power lines are down and cell networks are congested.
How is that possible? More stations than ever before are broadcasting mobile channels. Mobile TV is delivered from your local stations to your mobile device using over-the-air technology, not wireless networks. Not only does that mean you can still receive local emergency information even when cell towers are down, but it also means there are no additional data streaming charges.
Your phone will need to be enabled with a chip – check here to see if your device already has those capabilities built-in. If it is not, consumers in many areas can purchase a USB flash drive-sized mobile TV receiver for their laptop or tablet, like the DTV111 from Coby Electronics. Watch this short video to get a glimpse of how this technology works.
Radio-enabled mobile phones provide another way for consumers to get vital emergency information when storms are looming. Again, even when cell towers are down or congested, radio-enabled phones are able to receive local broadcasts over-the-air, keeping you informed and safe. For a list of radio-enabled phones from major wireless carriers, click here.
Broadcasters take their role as first informers very seriously and local stations around the country are innovating to keep viewers safe and meet your needs of on-demand information.
Remember, when the storms roll in your local broadcasters will help you stay safe and stay informed!
Mobile DTV front and center at ATSC
Last week’s ATSC Annual Meeting featured discussions of mind-blowing future broadcast innovations such as UltraHD and broadcast 3D TV, but much of the attention of the meeting was focused on the emerging innovation of mobile DTV. This means live, local TV on the go straight from your local stations with no data streaming charges!
Following the event, we caught up with a variety of featured conference speakers, including:
- Mark Richer, President, ATSC
- Kelly Williams, Senior Director, Technology, NAB
- Erik Moreno, Dyle Mobile TV
- Jay Adrick, Vice President, Harris Broadcasting
We asked each of them about the impressive adoption of mobile DTV by broadcasters and the various consumer devices that are coming to market later this year that allow viewers to get over-the-air broadcast TV signals on their mobile devices without any hefty mobile data charges. I think you’ll be amazed at what mobile DTV has in store for viewers now and in the very near future:
More broadcast innovations on the horizon
The Future of TV certainly looked bright at this week’s Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Annual Meeting. The meeting attracted the television industry’s premier broadcasters, engineers and other revolutionary leaders who are charged with developing the standards for broadcast innovations now and in the future. This year’s meeting included deep discussions on exciting broadcast innovations like improving mobile TV, incorporating standards for UltraHD and setting standards for broadcast 3D TV.
Early in the day, Leonardo Chiariglione, chairman and co-founder of the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), delivered a keynote address on the innovations and standards that will help shape the future of HDTV. Other panels took a closer look at some of the broadcasters who are already achieving great things with mobile TV – like equipping city buses with transmitters to help get the technology into consumers’ hands.
Throughout the day it was clear that viewers’ interests were at the forefront of everyone’s minds. This wasespecially evident in the concluding panel, which touched on the importance of allowing smartphone and tablet users to access high quality video programming, including live, local TV, without having to incur hefty mobile data charges.
Check back soon for more posts on the ATSC meeting, including interviews and video highlights featuring the latest trends and innovations in broadcasting for viewers like you.
Stay safe out there!
In times of weather emergencies you need immediate access to information that will keep you and your family safe. And more than anywhere else, Americans turn to their local TV and radio stations to keep them informed.
Broadcasters understand better than anyone that seconds count when a storm is approaching. As first informers, local TV stations around the country are innovating to keep viewers safe and meet your needs of on-demand information.
One station, KWCH in Kansas, is an excellent example of the hard work of stations to deliver critical information in emergency situations. Incorporating Facebook, Twitter, mobile apps for news and weather, and of course over-the-air AND live-streaming free and local TV, KWCH brings information to viewers in numerous ways to keep people safe and save lives.
Watch what it takes to quickly pull all the information together in real time and keep viewers up-to-date on changing weather conditions.
Tell us—how do you stay informed during times of an emergency? Have local radio and TV been a lifeline for you?
Summer 2012 – a blockbuster for consumers
Free, local television on the go. Tablets and other mobile devices with built-in TV tuners and antennas. New ways to avoid huge monthly data bills from wireless companies. The Future of TV blog has been keeping you apprised about new developments in mobile DTV technologies and now it’s time for consumers to start taking advantage of free, local TV in the palm of their hand!
At the NAB Show this week, broadcasters, vendors and technology organizations have been out in force… demonstrating the technology and new devices.
Some of the great new innovations include:
- Consumer electronics manufacturers are bringing new mobile DTV-capable devices to market and developing external devices that will allow existing iPads and smart phones to receive live broadcast signals.
- The Mobile500 Alliance is demonstrating its solution that offers live TV, DVR-type functionality for recording live TV, on demand programming, social media integration, closed captioning and interactive advertising.
- New tuner devices, which are small adapters/dongles for iPads and iPhones will be available through online retailers this summer.
Read more about what broadcasters are doing to deliver the entertainment you love and the information you rely on to your mobile devices!
And now for the weather
Your great-uncle may always know it’s going to rain because of the twinge he gets in his knee, but broadcasters need to take a little more scientific approach to the daily weather report.
New technologies are being debuted at this year’s NAB Show, many of them inspired by viewers just like you! These weather technology innovations include:
- More realistic 3D and virtual graphics.
- Closer integration of graphics engines with speedy data analysis.
- Improved speed and resolution of mapping and radar data.
- Hyperlocal and social media features added to storm tracking systems.
- A new product that combines traffic and weather visuals.
Read more about how local viewers helped broadcasters innovate their local weather reports.
What do you think? Which one of these new technologies interest or intrigue you the most? Is there anything you would add?
Your local TV and radio broadcasters take their role as first informers very seriously – whether that’s alerting you to take an umbrella when you head out of the house, or alerting you to take cover because a tornado is fast approaching.
Stations are constantly innovating to deliver the critical information you need… anytime and everywhere you are. Stay tuned as the future of TV unfolds!
Bounce TV – History in the making
It was mentioned in a recent blog post that three new multicast broadcast networks have launched in the past year to serve the African American community. We have introduced you to two of the three – KIN TV and Soul of the South TV. Rounding out our introduction of each of these trailblazing networks that are bringing valuable new (and free!) programming to viewers, here is an overview of Bounce TV, which made history by becoming the first multicast network focused on the African American community.
Launched in September of 2011, the founders of Bounce TV include Martin Luther King III, former Atlanta mayor and former Ambassador Andrew Young, and Rob Hardy and Will Packer, co-founders of Rainforest Films.
In honor of February’s Black History Month, the network is debuting its own original documentaries, “Our History,” covering topics from slavery to the Civil Rights movement to the explosion of Hip Hop each Wednesday night during the month (check here for the schedule).
Said Ambassador Young, “At Bounce, we believe we celebrate the African American community every month, every week, every day. Yet it is important as the country focuses on the contributions of African Americans to the advancement of civilization that we participate in a significant and meaningful manner. I strongly encourage people of all races and all ethnicities to watch Bounce TV every day, but particularly Wednesday nights in February.”
Bounce TV airs twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week on the digital signals of local television stations. Click here for broadcast information in your local area, and visit our content page to learn more about the numerous new channels available for free to viewers with a digital antenna.
Congress Protects Viewers in Spectrum Legislation
Recently, Congress voted on legislation extending the payroll tax cut, which included language authorizing a voluntary spectrum incentive auction. Viewers and broadcasters alike should be pleased with the outcome of this legislation that contains vital viewer protections, ensuring local over-the-air TV stations have the ability to innovate and provide viewers like you with the news, emergency information, sports and entertainment you expect and deserve. This result is due in large part to the advocacy of viewers who took action on this website to make their voices heard in the halls of Congress.
This is a great accomplishment, but our work is not finished. It is now up to the Federal Communications Commission to implement the legislation and conduct a spectrum incentive auction. We will continue working with Congress and the FCC to ensure that free and local TV is able to operate and innovate in a marketplace free of unnecessary regulation, preserving local television’s ability to provide viewers with the great services you currently receive and those on the horizon.
Continue visiting our website and blog for more information on how you can help to ensure an even brighter future for free, local television. And don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay updated on the future of TV.
Together, we are securing a vibrant and robust future for free, local over-the-air TV.
