Stations Add Mobile DTV, But Receivers Remain Scarce

By Doug Lung
published


Broadcasters across the country have added Mobile DTV broadcasts to their ATSC streams, but for the most part, they've done so with little publicity. One of the most up-to-date lists is Trip Ericson's Mobile DTV Service List.

At the end of the year, a limited assortment of ATSC Mobile DTV receivers were available on line. Many RF Report readers got their first opportunity to view Mobile DTV signals when Decontis released software that allowed viewing ATSC MH signals with a conventional ATSC USB tuner.

You'll be hearing a lot more about Mobile DTV in 2011, thanks to the Mobile Content Venture (MCV) and the Mobile 500 Alliance. Stations belonging to the two groups have committed to roll out Mobile DTV services. The MCV has committed to rolling out mobile DTV service in 20 markets by the end of 2011, reaching 40 percent of the U.S. population. That shouldn't be too difficult—as mobile DTV signals are on the air in many of those markets today.

These two groups will be able to work with consumer electronic manufacturers on product design, applications and marketing. Look for evidence of this at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

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.