View Full Version : Verizon kicks off cell phone TV


NatCh
03-01-2007, 09:47 PM
Full story (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2007-03-02T004639Z_01_N01338504_RTRUKOC_0_US-VERIZONWIRELESS-MEDIAFLO.xml&archived=False) at Reuters.
Verizon Wireless, the second-biggest U.S. cell phone provider, said it launched the country's first commercial mobile television service in 20 states with full-length programs and picture quality similar to regular TV.

Azayzel
03-02-2007, 05:31 AM
Of course Japan/Korea has had this around for quite a while longer, though not necessarily the "streaming media" type but the over-the-air variety (and it looked good too). It's and excellent and fun idea, but I wonder how much Verizon is going to rip people for this one?

micro
03-04-2007, 07:44 AM
The korean implementation, DMB seems to work amazing well. So well that people in seoul can travel for over an hour underground on the subway and not have a glitch. The system here is as Azayzel described, its not an individual stream to each handset, but the phone tuning into existing digital TV broadcasts.

I've even seen one or 2 handsets that I believe can tune in to satellite TV.

Its still unnerving seeing people wandering the streets watching TV while walking. Still, would be great for watching sport so you don't miss anything.

The phones themselves are certainly no larger, and probably smaller than most of what is available in the US (the newer ones here that is).

Unfortunately the korean system is developed in korea, and hasn't been adopted anywhere else in the world, so while they've had this tech for quite a while and are still going forward, its not applicable to anywhere else :(