BT says ETSI approval of a revised DAB standard now allows radio, TV and other content to be broadcast to cell phones reliably using Internet-based technologies.
The revised standard will underpin the BT Movio service – a broadcast mobile entertainment service to launch in the U.K. this summer.
As part of the revised EN 300 401 specification, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute has included a capability which, using IP to run on a DAB network, allows audio, video and other data to be broadcast efficiently and reliably, according to BT, which believes a combination of 3G, WLAN, DAB, DVB-H and other technologies will combine using the unifying quality of IP to deliver radio and TV to cell phones.
The Movio system uses the new DAB standard with its “Enhanced Packet Mode” for improved robustness, but the codec used for IP-delivered audio and video content is Microsoft Windows Media Series 9, rather than the MPEG-1 Audio Layer 2 codec traditionally used by DAB.
Emma Lloyd, managing director of BT Movio, said: “We will see multiple standards for mobile TV and radio appearing in different markets across the globe. Those adopting a multi-standard approach will therefore emerge as the winners in this potentially lucrative market.”
The BT Movio service will launch commercially in the U.K. this summer. By using the DAB network, BT Movio can also offer access to all of the UK’s DAB digital radio stations, in addition to mobile TV.
RadioScape, which makes DAB receiver chips, worked with BT Movio on the implementation of the DAB-IP platform in the U.K.
Summer Launch Planned for Broadcast to Cell Phones in U.K.
Summer Launch Planned for Broadcast to Cell Phones in U.K.
