AP: DTV Transition Could Kill Free Cell Phone TV

By Doug Lung
published

An Associated Press article, Analog TV shutdown kills free cell-phone TV, caught my attention earlier this week. I wasn’t aware there were cell phones that could receive analog TV!

The article talks about a Chinese handset that includes an analog TV receiver. Obviously, this unit can’t be sold in the U.S., but the article uses it to highlight consumer interest in mobile/handheld reception and describe the problems associated with receiving DTV. It also has an interesting discussion on the “very large market” for free, advertiser supported TV programming on cell phones.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.