/ 03.30.2011 12:00AM
Two More Ohio Stations Are Mobile DTV Ready
COLUMBUS, OHIO:
Two more stations are ready to transmit mobile DTV. WSYX- and WTTE-TV are now
outfitted to transmit up to four channels of mobile DTV service. The stations
are run by Sinclair, a member of the Open Mobile Video Coalition and the
Mobile500. Both groups are actively promoting mobile DTV--over-the-air digital
TV developed for transmission by local TV stations.
Sinclair-owned WSYX is the ABC affiliate, with MyNetworkTV
and ThisTV on carried in diginets. WTTE is the Columbus Fox affiliate owned by
Cunningham Broadcasting and operated by Sinclair through a local marketing agreement. Both were retrofitted for mobile DTV transmission by Acrodyne Services,
a subsidiary of Sinclair.
Acrodyne was said to have designed a “redundant, failsafe system”
for the stations that includes real-time monitoring of the main and mobile
signals. Rohde & Schwarz contributed the mobile DTV exciters and emission
multiplexers; Harmonic, the transcoders and Triveni, the ESP and PSIP
generator. Andy Whiteside, general manger of Acrodyne, said the upgrade went
smoothly, with no disruption to normal station operations.
The two Columbus stations now are set to launch mobile DTV
service this year. WBNS-TV, the Dispatch-owned CBS affiliate; and
WCMH-TV, the Media General-owned NBC affiliate, both in Columbus, area already doing so. According to the
OMVC, 52 TV
stations in 27 markets across the country now transmit mobile DTV signals, which can be
picked up with a few handheld and laptop devices such as LG’s DP570MH. A few
USB dongle tuners are available as well. Receivers are still emerging in the market. The Consumer Electronics Association lists a total of 18 of these.
Mobile DTV is expected to be a hot topic at the 2011 NAB
Show in Las Vegas April 11-14. A Super Session on the subject is scheduled for
Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the South Hall, Room 222. Gary Arlen will
moderate a panel that includes Saul Berman from IBM, John Fletcher of SNL
Kagan, Ronen Jashek of Siano Mobile Silicon, Randa Minkarah of Fisher
Communications and Erik Moreno of Fox.
-- Deborah D. McAdams