TV on the move

I found an article from Times online about a mobile phone network giving customers the chance to trial the concept of television on the mobile phone. The O2 network are letting UK customers in Oxford the chance to watch BBC and BSkyB channels from mobile phones.

The technology has been avalible for a while as mobile customers could download clips from shows like Big Brother and 24. Coverage for the trial consists of a continuous broadcast from the networks. The participants in the trial will be given a Nokia 7710 smartphone which has DVB-H (direct video broadcasting - handheld) transmission technology. The technology allows for the continous broadcast.

Mobile networks believe that the technology will be popular and many mobile users will become regular users of the technology. However the entertainment industry are not convinced that continuous broadcasting will be popular. Bruno Maglione, president of the film company Marvel Enterprises, says that It’s a mistake to take one form of media and put it onto another," and "I don’t believe in the idea of looking at a phone monitor for 30 minutes."

I do not believe that broadcasting television networks onto mobile phones will be very popular. Personally I would not want to be looking at my mobile phone for a great length of time. I do think that it is a excellent idea however, for people to keep up-to-date with programmes while still being able to do things that they want and not have to be at home in front of the TV screen.