Another mobile TV acronym: MPHT

Television networks relish the thought of re-engaging viewers who no longer get their TV fix at home. And as technology developers work to deliver on that potential in the mobile environment, the outlets available to programmers and consumers continue to grow.
Thus, Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld technology, or “MPHT,” enters the scene as latest entry in this horse race for eyeballs. Developers of the MPHT in-band mobile digital television system announced it will make its debut at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas later this month.
It’s too soon to say whether this will affect the wireless industry’s recent foray into broadcast mobile television. MPHT enables local broadcasters to expand on the capability of their existing facilities for broadcasting TV signals by delivering that same signal to handheld devices, such as battery-operated TV sets or TV screens installed in the headrests of vehicles.
By contrast, networks like DVB-H or MediaFLO are designed to deliver TV to cellphones.
John Taylor, vice president of public affairs at LG Electronics Co. Ltd., said the new technology is “totally unrelated to anything cellphone” and is “not a mobile phone cellular solution.”
Taylor said “this is a new area for broadcasters” who are “looking for ways to reach more eyeballs with their signals.” He said the mobile solution for broadcasters has been a glaring missing piece of the puzzle. “We need this different kind of transmission technology,” he said. “This is really local, this is the ability to deliver local weather reports, local news.”
Harris Corp., which developed the transmission standard for digital television, joined forces with LG and its U.S. research subsidiary, Zenith Electronics Corp., to develop the new MPHT technology.
The system comprises multiple streams, delivering a main service stream for existing digital television and high-definition television service and a second MPHT stream for one or more mobile services.
The products on which the mobile broadcast service will be delivered will be driven by the needs and wants of the broadcasters, Taylor said. “We expect to have chipsets later this year for the transmission and reception silicon,” he added.
The technology is backwards compatible with existing transmission and receiving equipment.
“The results of our joint development with LG Electronics are in response to our customers’ interest in a compelling, in-band mobile solution. The versatile, robust MPHT system is the first that strikes the right balance for broadcasters looking to deliver both high-definition programming to fixed receivers and standard-definition programming and datacasting to mobile and handheld devices,” Harris Broadcast Communications President Tim Thorsteinson said.
The technology is expected to start rolling out to market later this year through 2008.