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Published on: 6/5/2008
Last Visited: 6/5/2008
Presented by Magid's Hague last month, the online seminar also included Angie Kucharski, vice president of media strategies for CBS Television Stations, and Dan Hsieh, consultant with MTC Services LLC, who is working with the Open Mobile Video Coalition trade organization.
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Turning the presentation over to Hsieh, we learned that the year-old OMVC trade association is a proponent for using some of the newly available digital spectrum to launch mobile video channels.Open to any U.S. broadcaster, the organization currently has 20 member companies representing over 800 U.S. TV stations, including 14 of the top 20 station groups by revenue, and 15 of the top 25 station groups in terms of household coverage.
Hsieh began by clarifying that, as a trade organization, he wasn't here to sell anything, but rather the organization is working on a common set of technical and business issues in hopes of facilitating a workable model for accelerating the development and deployment of mobile DTV services.The OMVC is working with the AFTC, encouraging mobile DTV product manufacturing, conducting consumer research - two trials in Chicago and Dallas will track actual consumer behavior when empowered with mobile video devices and real content - and research into the ad-supported and/or pay-per-view and VOD business models and economic returns of a fully operational mobile video structure as well as serving as a liaison with broadcast, regulatory and government agencies.
And while Hsieh expressed his association's excitement regarding the sheer number of devices that are nearly already deployable as mobile video devices, having a screen and video player and lacking only the necessary TV, Hsieh reported that there are already 200 million portable video devices, including cell phones, iPods, MP3 players, laptops and portable game players, that with the addition of a simple plug-in tuner could grow the audience for mobile video nearly overnight.
"We don't have to wait for the devices to be manufactured and sold," said Hsieh."With a plug-in over-the-air receiver, we could reach 200 million devices, all potential audience for DTV.It's a big opportunity that's just waiting for video."And that's not even considering the 10% of new automobiles that come factory-equipped with entertainment systems and/or GPS devices.
Hsieh then shared data that showed that of the 19.4 Mb/s DTV spectrum per station, 10 Mbps could be used for a high-definition primary network feed; 3 to 5 Mbps allocated to high-end, high-definition broadcasts or additional standard-definition multicasts; 1 to 2 Mbps for data or ancillary services, and the local station would still have 4-6 Mbps for operating 2 to 4 mobile video channels of high-quality video for viewing on mobile devices.And with an investment of $100,000 to start up the mobile video operation, it also represents greater value for spectrum.
Making his pitch even stronger, Hsieh went on to say that the OMVC is currently conducting research with three different systems - Samsung, LG and Thomson - with Samsung and Thomson already demonstrating viability.The trials will conduct head-to-head comparisons of all three systems (taking place in San Francisco and Las Vegas) to devise a standard by the end of this year for deploying devices.Hsieh said the full results of the study should be reported by May 15.
When asked for her insights into the digital transition, CBS' Kucharski said: "It's a new frontier for each of us and I don't think anyone has figured everything out yet.
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