EU tunes in to DVB-H

Mobile TV has moved one step nearer to widespread roll-out as the European Commission officially selects DVB-H as the standard for Europe. Despite opposition from some countries, DVB-H is to be added to the official list of standards whose use all 27 EU Member States have to actively support and encourage. The move gives …

[Alex Rose]

Significant revenues?

"Such a move will be welcomed by mobile manufacturers and operators who expects to see significant revenues from the deployment of mobile TV."

These are the same operators and manufacturers who failed to see that the customer didn't want MMS, didn't want to pay silly prices for data and didn't see that SMS would be the success it is.

[joe]

how hard would it be?

To just integrate a DVB-T receiver into a mobile? Would the power requirements be too high? (Or perhaps you'd need a stupidly long antenna?)

[ton]

what is good for koreans might not be for europeans

maybe you can watch tv in a korean of japanese train/subway but in a european one you need extra healtinsureance to pay for the beatings you will receive when they rob you of your expensive gadget

[Anonymous Coward]

Why???

I can see it now, on the tube/train/bus, a level background noise 10 times greater than any number of mp3/ipod user, plus an equal decrease in people's attention span, therefore an increase in potential Darwin award candidates, so not all bad news then...

[Steve]

Revenue?

Hardly anyone bought handheld TVs when they just needed a one-off payment & being based on simple analogue broadcast would work pretty much anywhere, albeit with a mediocre picture sometimes.

Why do these suppliers think that anyone's going to pay a monthly sub and per-minute charges for a service that offers even less?

[popper]

DVB is good but .....

while its been clear for a while now that DVB is good as is AVC/H264(Mpeg4-part10) WHY are they saying use DVB-H when its far more effective DVB-H2 brother, the latest DVB standard is already defined and matched to the currently used and expanding DVB-S2 standard/markets.

theres also lots of progress from the DVB-T2 and even the DVB-C2 standard is being worked on, even if the ludite UK cable provider Virgin Media (or is it its US based boardroom boys) is still refusing to see the righting on the wall of the EU/world and provide a AVC/DVB-C let alone the newest DVB-C2 capable end user device.

put it simply, the newest DVB-whatever '2' standard is far better at far more in the same alloted space and is available right now so use and standardise on that '2' rather than its older sibling for a far better /advanced long term expansion.and growth.

[Anonymous Coward]

Enforcing standards again?

Yes, everyone in Europe needs to be able to do mindless TV watching everywhere, supporting DVB-H equipment makers in the process. What will they standardize next, the one and only standard for public loos? "We need all EU citizens to be sure they find familiar atmosphere, if they happen to need the public service when abroad."