BEDMINSTER, N.J.-The ability to transmit video over cellular will give two U.S. television stations the edge in receiving breaking news from remote sites, according to two cellular carriers.
Bell Atlantic Mobile said it has teamed up with cable station Newschannel 8 in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to enable video to be transmitted over BAM cellular frequencies. Camera crews will videotape an event, convert the tape and transmit the footage via the cellular network to a desktop editing system in the station’s newsroom.
Sending the video over cellular will be less expensive than satellite transmission, which costs about $50 per minute, and the cellular call can be placed anytime rather than during a scheduled transmission time, said Bell Atlantic.
GTE Mobilnet Inc. of Tampa has announced it is giving WTVT Channel 13 in Florida first shot at its video-over-cellular capability. GTE has entered into a market-exclusive arrangement with FoNet Inc. to purchase FoNet’s FirstLook portable equipment. FirstLook transmits full-color motion pictures and sound over cellular or landline systems. The digitized video is received at a base site by a host unit, which transfers the information to a computer-based editing and display system.
GTE piloted FirstLook in its Honolulu market earlier this year. GTE said it also plans to provide FirstLook in a number of large markets, offering news stations the exclusive right to the technology.
