Mobile Digital TV Crashing USA in 2012 with Samsung, LG, RCA, and 120+ Channels

• Rob Jackson
• 13 years ago

There are tech lovers all over the world, but we’re often given very different gadgets, services, and opportunities depending on where we live. One key example is Mobile Digital TV which has long been available in Asian Markets but has evaded American consumers for quite some time. This year, the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) – which includes partners such as Samsung, LG, and Dyle – are pushing their Digital TV (DTV) and Mobile Digital TV (MDTV) standard hard in 2012 with a growing number of broadcasters and hardware partners.

You might be surprised to find that MDTV is already available in your area. I checked out their Signal Map and found that Baltimore/Towson was already listed as an available service area; they may only have 1 channel available, but kicking it off is a good start and as products roll out, more and more broadcasters will offer local, live, mobile TV content. With all the smartphones and tablets flooding homes and offices, I can imagine Mobile Digital TV has a perfect opportunity for a coming out party.

One company which looks to be a huge initial player is Dyle who has partnered with 15 major broadcasting groups to offer 72 stations in 32 markets, reaching almost 50% of the entire US population. Actually, Dyle isn’t a single company but a joint venture known as MCV: the Mobile Content Venture. Some of the partners include FOX, ION, NBC, Cox Media, EW Scripps, Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst, Meredith, and Post-Newsweek, indicating that this TV partnership is Ron Burgundy… kind of a big deal.

The first Mobile Digital TV product we saw at CES 2012 was an update to an existing RCA device (video below).  In summer of 2012 expect to see the release of MIT700 adding yet another Android OS device to RCA’s lineup.

This device comes equipped with a 7 inch HDTV touch screen, standard headphone and audio ports along with other standard Android features.  As they were not able to provide what Android OS they are running, I would hope to see RCA keeping this product relevant with providing a more current OS for production.

The highlight to the design of this device is that it has a common folding capability simular to a laptop.  What makes this device stand out is not only can it receive streaming standard ATSC signals but also has built in compadability for digital streams compatible with Dyle Mobile TV.  Currently the MIT700 is set to be released in summer of 2012 with a estimated retail price of $200.00.  RCA currently had no disclosed locations of where this device will be sold but it will be available in the United States.  Stay tuned for updates throughout CES and all of 2012 on RCA’s MDTV and others.

One reason we’re excited about Mobile Digital TV is because it’s adopted/promotion is by a coalition rather than any one company. There’s a much better chance it will grow and thrive as an all-inclusive sort of service that consumers will enjoy rather than a fragmented subset of service providers and broadcasters offering their own live mobile product and content as exclusive and limited.