Cinque nazioni tra cui l'Italia "promuovono" il T-DMB

I rappresentanti di cinque nazioni europee tra cui l'Italia (insieme a Malta, Norvegia, Paesi Bassi e Regno Unito) hanno costituito l'International DMB Advancement Group, un consorzio per la promozione dello standard T-DMB come piattaforma di distribuzione della tv digitale mobile. Non avendo reperito informazioni di contatto su questo consorzio non so dove sia basato ma a farne parte sarebbero DigiBNetwork di Malta (una rete di radiofonia digitale DAB+ che a quanto ne so non è ancora partita), Mobiele TV Nederland (MTVNL), Norwegian Mobile TV Corporation (NMTV), RAI e The Technology Partnership (UK), una società interessata agli aspetti della componentistica e del software. La copertura mediatica che ha avuto la notizia è abbastanza estesa tra i siti Web specializzati ma nel testo che riporto qui da Telecoms.com si dice che la mobile tv ha avuto successo in Corea del Nord... Il che la dice lunga sull'effettivo impatto che certe sperimentazioni hanno sull'opinione pubblica, giornalisti inclusi. Non si capisce bene tra l'altro in che senso il Regno Unito abbia adottato il T-DMB perché la nazione del DAB aveva apertamente polemizzato in Europa con le decisioni favorevoli al DMB prese in Francia. L'ultimo test T-DMB annunciato in Inghilterra risale al 2006 su Londra, in occasione dei campionati di calcio e con tutta probabilità non ha è mai andato al di là di qualche comunicato stampa di aziende (sud)coreane che a quell'epoca ancora non avevano perso troppi soldi con questo giocattolo hi-tech.
Invece il mese scorso in Norvegia - dopo che a febbraio in Olanda ha cominciato a trasmettere in DMB un concorrente di KPN che usa il DVB-H - è stato lanciato un servizio, MiniTV, da una joint venture di cui fa parte anche NRK. Come sempre rimango piuttosto scettico sulle potenzialità di questo mezzo, considerata la scarsità dei ricevitori T-DMB disponibili sul mercato e una propensione da parte degli acquirenti, che a me sembrano a dir poco gelidi su queste tematiche. Questo continuo gioco al rilancio di una tecnologia che sembra interessare solo a un paio di costruttori coreani che in modo del tutto evidente non riescono neppure a presidiare il mercato con un numero e una varietà sufficienti di dispositivi, mi sembra un inutile stillicidio oltre che una solenne presa in giro. Nessuno è riuscito a dimostrare - finora - che la tv mobile ha un mercato sostenibile e tutti questi consorzi "promotori" non hanno mai avuto nessuna utilità.

Europe pushes for DMB mobile TV rollouts
June 12, 2009 Written by James Middleton


Five European countries this week established a coalition to push mobile TV services over the DMB and DAB network standards.
The International DMB Advancement Group (IDAG) was founded by representatives from the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, Malta and Italy, with the goal of promoting TV, radio and data services via DMB, DAB and DAB+ with a nod towards enhanced functionality via other networks, such as 3G and wifi.
The group said it will focus on creating a bigger Pan-European market for DMB terminals through purchasing partnerships, collaborations with other companies and organizations, coordination of technical solutions and the development of business models.
“IDAG helps create a much bigger market for DMB related devices and services across Europe and beyond. The members will support each other’s services, ensure faster experience sharing and save time and money on coordination of systems and processes,” said Gunnar Garfors, president of IDAG and CEO of broadcaster NMTV, one of the members.
Last month Norway’s three biggest broadcasters announced the successful launch of six free-to-air TV channels via DMB.
The service, launched by the Norwegian Mobile TV Corporation (NMTV), is a joint venture between the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), TV 2 and Modern Times Group (MTG).
Licence-funded broadcaster NRK said that DMB is seen as the best technology in Norway due to its cost efficient coverage of large and rural areas. DMB receivers are also compatible with DAB digital radio that is available to 80 per cent of the population in Norway.
By using a MiniTV receiver or compatible mobile handset, the free-to-air channels can be received in and around Greater Oslo while on the move.
The TV channels on offer are NRK1, NRK2, NRK3, TV 2, TV 2 News 24 and Viasat TV 3. A further 15 DAB digital radio channels can also be received by all DMB handsets, and additional services providing interactivity, traffic information and on demand programmes will be offered later in 2009.
NMTV’s DMB licence is valid until July 2011 and may be lengthened if the initial period proves a success. Public service broadcaster NRKs channels will remain free to air throughout the period, while the commercial owners TV 2 and MTG are planning to introduce pay TV channels.
With pricing seen as one of the main obstacles, mobile TV has largely failed to gain traction outside of Japan and North Korea, where the free to air terrestrial TV model has proved popular, so it will be interesting to see how well Norway’s offering is received. The Netherlands and Malta will launch DMB services later in 2009, while Italy and the UK are currently testing DMB on a smaller scale.

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Norway launches mobile TV via DMB
By Robert Briel | May 18, 2009

Norway has launched a mobile TV platform using the DMB system to broadcast six free-to-air channels. The Norwegian Minister of Culture, Trond Giske, opened the MiniTV service.
Launched by the Norwegian Mobile TV Corporation (NMTV), MiniTV is a joint venture between the three largest broadcasters in Norway: the public broadcaster NRK, TV 2 and Modern Times Group (MTG).
By using a MiniTV receiver, the live channels can be viewed in and around Greater Oslo. Last summer, Norway decided to adopt the DMB standard for mobile TV broadcast (see Broadband TV News passim).
“The fact that three broadcasters together are building a new service while competing on content is groundbreaking. NMTV delivers MiniTV on the terms of the users, not only mobile phone TV.” said Gunnar Garfors, CEO of NMTV, in a statement.
The TV channels offered are NRK1, NRK2, NRK3, TV 2, TV 2 News 24 and Viasat TV3. In addition 15 DAB digital radio channels can also be received by all DMB handsets. Additional services providing interactivity, traffic information and on-demand programmes will be offered later in 2009.
NMTV’s DMB licence is valid until July 2011 and may be extended if the initial period proves a success. The NRK channels will remain free-to-air throughout the period, while the commercial owners TV 2 and MTG are planning to introduce pay-TV channels.
DMB receivers are already on sale in a number of stores throughout the city and new products from other brands are expected in the summer.
TV via DMB is currently available in South Korea, China, Italy and Ghana with tests of the technology taking place in many more countries worldwide. Both The Netherlands and France will also launch DMB in 2009. The service in Holland will be launched by Mobiele TV Nederland and will be in competition with the DVB-H platform operated by KPN.