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TV On Cellphones Ever Closer

Yurian writes "Seems that the new breed of cell-phones are being readied to receive digital TV. The standard has been finalized and handsets are in test. The emergence of DVB-H explains a puzzling purchase made last year by Crown Castle of Houston, Texas. The company, which runs the BBC's transmitter network in the UK, paid $12 million for a 5-megahertz slice of coast-to-coast radio spectrum in the US. At the time no one knew why. But Crown Castle transmitters near Pittsburgh are already broadcasting DVB-H to prototype Nokia mobile TV phones. That purchase may turn out to be an amazing bargain, considering other operators paid billions for 3G licenses which were originally meant to deliver video services."

10 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. Obvious questions are... by fembots · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...battery life and practical viewable area on a phone.

    And how about the "roamability" when you're in another country using other standards?

    While it's good to have all-in-one gadgets, there are things that just can't be integrated. I think a make-up mirror is good on a phone so that you can talk while looking/grooming yourself, or maybe a ear-cleaner that cleans your ear while you're on the phone?

  2. Re:Who needs this? by iezhy · · Score: 3, Funny

    watching tv is far more better than playing that damn snake game over and over :-)

  3. Re:Who needs this? by Narphorium · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This could be another great way to stream localised data to cellphones via low power transmitters.
    For example, you could have a subway scheduals when your in the subway, movie trailers when your waiting in line at the theatre etc.

  4. Great by Odocoileus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think this is really good, now we never again need to encounter one of those akward moments wherein we must occupy time with our own thoughts.

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  5. Re:Location by josh3736 · · Score: 3, Informative
    Better yet: how "open" is this system?

    Will I be able to buy/build a device to receive this signal and decode it? Will I have to pay any monthly fees for this?

    It would be great to use my laptop to receive this service. Much bigger screen, better speakers.

  6. Who wants to watch TV on a postage stamp screen? by earthforce_1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And how do you watch the screen with the phone pressed to your ear?

    Some products were not made to be combined. A cell phone iPod combination makes sense, a cell phone TV doesn't. HDTV on your cellphone screen is even sillier. You want a screen at least 5cm square, 10cm for HD.

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  7. What I really need... by StaticFish · · Score: 4, Funny

    When I see the fist wave of 6G phones that have a shaver and toothbrush attatchment - then i'll be impressed

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    - There's no place like 127.0.0.1
  8. TV/movies on phone is going to be big by Raindeer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've seen so many posts of people just not getting it. All seem to concur nobody wants tv on their phone. Well, tests in Korea have shown that it was the first application that overloaded that their 3g network. I think many of us are too big a geek to see through the eyes of a 13 to 30 year old woman with a small, dull job and ditto man. The soap watching type. This is also the type that buys stupid ringtones. Well, they are the ones where the real money comes from and they will buy in to this. I promiss you. Either this or 3G soap of the day on demand.

  9. Re:Who wants to watch TV on a postage stamp screen by RedCard · · Score: 3, Funny

    And how do you watch the screen with the phone pressed to your ear?

    I imagine that a combination of sidetalkin + small mirror would provide an adequate solution...

  10. UK users.. by Gentlewhisper · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Will UK users have to pay TV licensing fees for these TV phones?