LG, Samsung pitch mobile DTV spec for North America

South Korean firms LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics will submit a proposal for their jointly developed technology as the North American technology standard for mobile DTV.

Both companies agreed to cooperate in order to assure rapid adoption by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) of a single common in-band mobile DTV standard.

Technology for the jointly proposed system will reflect the findings of the Independent Demonstration of Viability (IDOV) conducted by the Association of Maximum Service Television on behalf of the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC). A report on IDOV will be submitted by the OMVC to the ATSC.

The jointly promoted mobile DTV solution uses the existing terrestrial DTV broadcast bandwidth, with no impact on existing DTV and with minimum broadcasting equipment investment.

JongWoo Park, president of Samsung's digital media business, added, "Our collaboration on North American mobile DTV standardization will help accelerate the ATSC standardization of mobile TV technology, which will benefit both consumers and broadcasters."

ATSC is expected to adopt the mobile/handheld DTV standard for the North American market in early 2009 following trials of the technology by OMVC, a group of leading U.S. broadcasters who are vigorously promoting the development and early deployment of mobile DTV.

According to a study commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters, with the adoption of a single ATSC mobile/handheld DTV standard, the U.S. market for mobile DTV phones will reach 130 million units by the end of 2012, with the market for portable media device mobile DTV receivers growing to include an additional 25 million units.