Mobile broadcast TV, new devices, technology demos @ 2013 CES

2013 International CES, USA: The latest developments in live mobile broadcasting, which brings popular TV shows to mobile devices, will be highlighted next week in the Mobile TV TechZone (Central Hall 14340) of the International CES.

Consumer demand for live, on-the-go TV content is driving new products and services coming from broadcasters and device manufacturers, many of which will be on display at CES.

With more than 130 local broadcasters now on-air, Mobile TV is both a growing service in more than three dozen broadcast markets nationwide and a platform to demonstrate future capabilities in mobile emergency alerts and 3D broadcasting.

The chief advantage of Mobile TV is its use of over-the-air broadcast signals, which are ideal for delivering video. Wireless cell phone networks, on the other hand, are susceptible to congestion and users subject to costly data charges, particularly when accessing video content.

The 2013 Mobile TV TechZone at CES will include new products and demonstrations from Mobile Content Venture (MCV), the Mobile Emergency Alert System, the Mobile500 Alliance, and the ETRI research center from Korea:

* Building on its earlier introduction of the Samsung Lightray smartphone and Elgato Apple iOS adapter compatible with Dyle mobile TV, the Mobile Content Venture will be showing the first tablet integrated with Dyle mobile TV technology – the RCA 8” Mobile TV Android tablet. Dyle mobile TV will also announce that Rentrak has been selected to provide the first-ever, mobile-broadcast TV measurement for local markets. Lastly, ESCORT Inc., will also announce plans to expand its Dyle mobile TV service to Android tablets and smartphones in 2013.

* Mobile TV is an ideal method to keep viewers informed during emergencies, and the Mobile Emergency Alert System will demonstrate how consumers can avoid cell phone congestion by tuning to Mobile Digital TV broadcasts for video, audio, photos, maps, and other vital information.

* The Mobile500 Alliance plans to showcase its MyDTV application for the iPad and iPhone demonstrating enhanced functionality at CES in 2013. The MyDTV application, which the Mobile500 Alliance first introduced at CES in 2012, will continue to offer live television recording, fully integrated social media, audience measurement and interactive advertising. The Mobile500 Alliance is made up of over 400 television stations from around the nation, all with the common goal of bringing broadcast television to consumers on their mobile devices.

* Mobile TV could also serve as a method for broadcasters to distribute 3D TV signals, with both stereoscopic signals sent through a single radiofrequency channel -- with one “eye” using the standard ATSC stream and the second “eye” transmitted using the Mobile TV stream. Korean research institute ETRI, LG Electronics, and DTVInteractive will demonstrate terrestrial broadcasts of 3D TV in the Mobile TV TechZone.