Tech Shout!

Yesterday, Nokia announced the pilot of Digital Video Broadcast- Handheld (DVB-H) broadcast mobile TV in collaboration with Doordarshan, which is India’s national television broadcaster. This move has been made in an effort to bring living room entertainment a step closer to Indian consumers.

“India becomes one of the leading countries in Asia to deploy live broadcast mobile TV bringing Indian consumers a step closer to watching their favorite programmes on their mobile devices,” said Jawahar Kanjilal, Director, Multimedia, Nokia Asia Pacific. “We are excited to collaborate with Doordarshan to enable their mobile TV services. This is a great opportunity for the vibrant content industry in India to take advantage of bringing television into the pockets of the Indian consumers.”

Mobile TV Broadcasting allows users to watch their favorite TV programmes on their mobile devices. Basically, the service works by receiving a digital TV broadcast signal optimized for mobile devices from the air in the same manner in which televisions do.

During this pilot, Doordarshan will test the reception quality of the broadcast coverage and will also explore such services such as advertising and interactive services. With the launch of the pilot version of the Digital Video Broadcast- Handheld, Doordarshan will also be able to gauge consumer expectations of the service.

Mr L.D. Mandloi, Director-General of Doordarshan said: “Doordashan has taken a lead in adopting DVB-H standards and this was a logical extension of our DVB-T services. DVB-H over IP based on open standards will provide a discerning mobile broadcast experience to Indian consumer and we are confident of its success in our country
which has historically been on the leading edge of broadcast technology and content creation.”

The pilot will use DVB-H technology, a broadcast technology that has been used to support several extensive field pilots globally, chosen based on its merit to support mobility, small screens, indoor coverage, optimized use of battery and in-built antenna that are specific to handheld devices such as mobile devices.

The Nokia Mobile Broadcast Solution will also broadcast channel guides that will allow users to keep abreast of the latest programs on air. The solution is scheduled to be delivered to Doordarshan via Shaf Broadcast in early 2007.