11 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Don't you want to watch tv everywhere? In your car, on the train, while you're walking down the street?
Broadcasters and device manufacturers just agreed on a new mobile digital television standard that should make that possible -- and soon.
Manufacturers are promising a whole mess of devices -- netbooks, cell phones, mp3 players -- that will receive live, local television anywhere at anytime.
"In DC, there will be some seven stations on the air delivering 18 different streams of programming," says John Taylor of LG Electronics.
If you take your regular tv and strap it in your car and start driving, the signal will very quickly drop out. Mobile DTV will let you watch television while you're walking down the street, or cruising at highway speeds.
"We've tested it up to 120 miles an hour for bullet train applications, not in your car," says Taylor.
Some of the cell phone companies have been delivering tv programming in limited areas. But they've had to build the broadcasting networks from scratch -- or suck up their own limited bandwidth. And they charge a monthly fee.
Mobile DTV piggybacks on the H-D antennas tv stations have already installed. It will likely be offered at a basic level for free, and a premium level for a fee. The technology also offers the possibility of video on demand and interactive tv.
A coalition of broadcasters -- including WUSA owner Gannett -- was showing it off on a bus touring DC.
13:00 That little square right there in the middle is one chip that pulls the signal from the air and decodes it.
Stations are already broadcasting the mobile tv signal now. And the devices should be available early next year.
So now in addition to texting and emailing and checking the web while you're driving -- you're going to have to worry about people watching tv!
Written by Bruce Leshan
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com
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