WTFH: Will DVB-H hit the mainstream?

What the future holds is a column written every Thursday by Adam Berger about the future of technology.

Sony Ericsson and Nokia recently announced their intention to co-operate to achieve interoperability in DVB-H enabled devices and secure multivendor mobile TV services and pilots from 2006 onwards. Sony Ericsson and Nokia recognize DVB-H as the preferred technology for terrestrial digital broadcast mobile TV, with both parties being active in ongoing standardization and technology development to enable an improved mobile TV experience for the consumers.

We have all been talking about video conferencing and digital radio for years before product have finally begun to surface, can DVB-H catch on much quicker? Here in the US Verizon, Sprint, and others are offering music and video downloads as well as streaming content. We know people are buying music, it makes sense to store and listen to music on your phone. Are people buying/watching these videos? How well is the Google or iTunes video store doing? I don’t believe people are really into portable video, recorded or live.

It is not really that people won’t watch, but rather the screens are too small. But here comes the catch 22: if the screens/devices get bigger they are no longer portable but if the screen is on your cellphone you will soon need glasses.

“Sony Ericsson believes that mobile TV will be a key growth area for the mobile phone industry in terms of handsets, applications, content and services. With our unique background in telecommunications and audio visual technology, we are ideally positioned to take advantage of these new exciting business opportunities” said Mats Lindoff, Chief Technology Officer, Sony Ericsson.”

DVB-H technology enables the TV service you are familiar with at home to be broadcast to your mobile device. DVB-H provides the best user experience in the mobile environment with excellent picture and reduced battery consumption. Up to 50 TV channels can be delivered with low cost, over one network.

“Availability of interoperable DVB-H enabled mobile devices is crucial in opening up the mass market for broadcast mobile TV,” says Ilkka Raiskinen, Senior Vice President, Multimedia Experiences, Nokia. “We are confident that DVB-H will be the technology that enables the best broadcast TV experience on mobile devices.”

DVB-H probably is the right option for portable video to your phone or other cellular device…The technology complements existing operator networks, optimizing capacity and quality. It offers consumers the chance to enjoy high quality terrestrial digital broadcasts along with voice telephony and internet access all in a single device…but will people really watch?