Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Sprint offers Mobile TV

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 11:13:16 -0500

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/11/13/biz_cellphonetv.html

Sprint offers TV-on-the-go for new-generation cell phones 

By Bruce Meyerson
The Associated Press
NEW YORK - Sprint Corp. is adding a television service for cell phones with
real-time programs, albeit somewhat choppy, from cable networks including
CNBC and ABC News. 
The new MobiTV service, available starting today, will cost $9.99 per month
in addition to the monthly fee of $15 that Sprint subscribers pay to use the
Internet data connection on their mobile phones. Other networks featured on
the service include MSNBC, Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel. 
Although the audio for MobiTV programs will play in a continuous stream, the
cell phone screen will not display the equivalent of full-motion video like
that seen on a real television. Instead, the video will play at a rate of
one or two frames per second, as compared with more than 20 frames a second
for real TV. 
The programs on most of the MobiTV channels will be identical to the actual
programs playing at that hour oncable,although with a lag of perhaps a
minute.. 
The announcement brings at least one cellular carrier a step closer to
transforming the over-hyped concept of next-generation wireless services to
reality. 
Multimedia services such as Web browsing, music and video have been held up
by limitations in the capabilities of both handsets and wireless networks.
But ongoing improvements in the phones and network technology are now
enabling richer content. 
Still, both Sprint and MobiTV provider Idetic Inc. were careful to not to
set expectations for the new service too high. 
"This isn't the kind of thing where you're going to watch a movie, but it is
the kind of thing where the frame rate is fine" for viewing a program such
as a newscast, said Paul Scanlan, a co-founder of Idetic. He also cautioned
that normal limitations of mobile phone use will still apply. 
"It's still cell phone technology, so just like you may get disconnected on
a phone call, you could lose the program. If you don't have good reception
for a phone call, you're not going to be able to get good reception (for
MobiTV)."

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/