Asian Mobile TV

Mobile television standards refer to the technological protocols that enable the transmission and reception of TV services on mobile devices. These standards vary around the world based on a country's specific technological infrastructure and regulatory environment.

In 2006, SK Telecom, Toshiba, Glocal Media, and International Mobile Broadcasting formed the Pan Asian Mobile TV consortium to enable digital multimedia broadcasting for mobile operators. Trials began in 2007 when SK Telecom had twenty million mobile subscribers, Toshiba was a pioneer in digital multimedia broadcasting, and Glocal Media was a content aggregator. International Mobile Broadcasting held Asian mobile TV licenses and spectrum. "People can enjoy informative, educational and entertaining live contents from all over the world anytime and anywhere with cell phone most cost effectively by adopting a commercially proven S-DMB system," said Masashi Suenaga of Toshiba.

Key mobile TV standards

1. DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handhelds): Developed in Europe, this standard is an offshoot of DVB-T (Terrestrial) used for regular TV broadcasts. DVB-H adds features to make it suitable for handheld, battery-powered devices, including a time-slicing feature to save power.
2. MediaFLO (Forward Link Only): Developed by Qualcomm in the United States, this system uses a specific part of the UHF spectrum. MediaFLO has been discontinued in the US, but the technology is used in other parts of the world.
3. ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting - Terrestrial): This standard was developed in Japan and is also used in many South American countries. A variant of ISDB-T, known as 1seg, is specifically designed for mobile TV and offers lower resolution broadcasts for small devices.
4. DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting): Developed in South Korea, this standard comes in two versions - Terrestrial DMB (T-DMB) and Satellite DMB (S-DMB). T-DMB is free to receive and is used mainly for domestic broadcasts, while S-DMB is a subscription service that can cover a larger area through satellite transmission.
5. ATSC-M/H (Advanced Television Systems Committee-Mobile/Handheld): An extension of the ATSC standard used for digital TV broadcasting in North America, ATSC-M/H enables broadcasts to mobile and handheld devices. The ATSC 3.0 standard, also known as NextGen TV, supports mobile TV broadcasting more robustly.
6. DTMB (Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast): This standard is used in the People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong and Macau, as well as in some other countries. A variant of DTMB, known as CMMB (China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting), is used for mobile TV services.
7. T-DMB (Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting): This is a South Korean technology, and the standard was accepted by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute).

Each of these standards has its own advantages and drawbacks in terms of image quality, power consumption, signal robustness, and coverage area. With the advent of 5G technology, there's an ongoing shift towards convergence, where traditional broadcasting will be integrated with broadband networks to provide seamless services. Mobile TV is expected to be a key part of this converged landscape.