We Want Our Phone TV...

The challenges of developing live mobile TV -- and other alarm:clock news from the land of private venture funding.

With the rapid rate of technology innovation in recent years, it's a bit surprising that one still can't yet watch live TV on a cell phone or laptop (see article in the November 2004 Technology Review issue). A recent investment by Intel and other major investors in a French semiconductor maker reminded us of the promise of live mobile TV.

DiBcom has just raised a large $24.5 million euro round of late-stage capital. The company successfully demonstrated mobile TV back in 2002 and is now moving forward with companies, particularly in Europe and Asia, to bring live mobile TV to market. Intel will introduce mobile TV using DiBcom chips with its Xscale handheld and Centrino notebook platforms. Other uses of the chip will follow in auto and cell-phone TVs.

Live mobile TV carries a number of challenges. Video is a battery drain and most portable devices cannot run for long with video siphoning off their power. Not surprisingly, then, chip makers like DiBcom are focused on being frugal in energy use.

The other main challenge is that signal processing must be miniaturized. Cell phones must have much of the same signal-processing technology found in larger TVs. Early users of live mobile TV have complained that it's like watching a slideshow.

Finally, market studies do not show pent-up demand for live mobile video. Carriers will have to charge extra for mobile video and many are uncertain that it will pay off.

On the chip side, the primary competitors at this stage appear to be Intel/DiBcom and Texas Instruments. TI plans to introduce a chip, called Hollywood, which will display digital TV reception using mobile versions of digital TV broadcast standards. The company expects to launch the chip in 2006.