Telegent Systems Inc. will join the mobile TV bandwagon with a first-generation, single-chip solution for handset manufacturers in Asia.
The fabless semiconductor firm-the company contracts out to manufacturers to produce the chipsets-this week plans to introduce a hybrid chip designed to support a wide variety of mobile broadcast platforms. Telegent is marketing the chip to handset manufacturers in Asian markets as a way to produce phones that can receive today’s wireless TV offerings without becoming obsolete as new technologies come to market.
“The first thing you see (in the mobile video market) is that there’s just an insane number of broadcast standards that are coming-pick your favorite four letters and you’ve probably got a mobile video broadcast standard,” said Samuel Sheng, co-founder and chief technology officer of Telegent Systems. “You can basically put our chip in your phone and receive whatever broadcast is available over the airwaves.”
Indeed, while the U.S. market is limited to two major mobile TV standards-Qualcomm Inc.’s MediaFLO technology is poised to compete against Crown Castle International Inc.’s Modeo and Aloha Partners’ Hiwire, both of which are Digital Video Broadcast for Handhelds networks-the worldwide market is more fragmented, with standards such as Phase Alternate Line, National Television Standards Committee and Digital Video Broadcast for Television.
And semiconductor companies are increasingly moving toward a single-chip offering in an effort to lower costs, maximize battery life and minimize physical space requirements. Qualcomm in May debuted a single-chip solution that supports three broadcast standards. Texas Instruments Inc. also offers a single-chip solution for wireless TV, as do smaller players including Microtune Inc., ATI and Siano.
Telegent, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is looking to gain ground in more advanced Asian markets before looking to the West. The company is targeting mass-transit commuters in Japan, Korean and China, claiming that its processor is superior at receiving broadcast signals in less-than optimum conditions-on a high-speed train, for instance, or in a weak coverage area.
“This is a very hostile reception environment,” Sheng said of wireless TV. “There are a lot of things that can happen to the signal before it gets to you.”
