Deborah D. McAdams / 12.05.2012 11:35AM
Mobile DTV Group Envisions NRT Use Cases
Devices would require storage
BALTIMORE--
Clipcasting, VOD, microsites, upgrades; apps,
M-EAS, commercial and signage… these are a few of their favorite things—an Open
Mobile Video Coalition’s technical advisory group, that is. The ad hoc group on
non-real time mobile DTV came up with a series of “use cases” for content not delivered in real time. A non-real
time, or NRT, standard was recently finalized by the Advanced Television
Systems Committee.
“NRT transmissions are file-based content designed to be stored in the
consumer’s device until the consumer chooses to access them,” the OMVC’s use-case
document states. “NRT content types can be video, audio, text, web content,
etc.”
Clipcasting, for example, could consist of short-form videos delivered like a
podcast. The service would show up in a preference menu, with alerts for most
recently downloaded content. Both subscription and ad-supported content could
be sustained, as well as audience metrics and targeted advertising. Possible
applications include news, weather or sports segments, (illustrated by the image at right, showing a video
highlight icon in the upper right corner of the screen, which leads to the menu
shown below) radar images, sport scores, financial data,
school closings and traffic information. Metadata sorting would enable the end-user
to set content preferences.
With video-on-demand, content could be pushed based on user selection,
subscription, or their previously entered information. VOD could comprise
anything from short-form content, like YouTube videos; TV programs or movies;
even print articles, e-books or video games. “Gadgets” or “widgets” related to
the selected content could be inserted, as well as targeted interstitials for
channel changes.
“The user’s device would require sufficient storage for the content, and would
need to be in a receiver power-on mode when the content is delivered,” the
document says. “The device battery life may be affected by these requirements.”
There are no such devices now available, an OMVC spokesman confirms, but rather
a “roadmap for the future.”
With regard to micro websites, pre-defined content would be downloaded and
delivered to the screen with low latency, with graphics tailored for the
display size (illustrated below, left).
The digital signage
opportunity might consist of live simulcasts of a mobile DTV channel, as well
as NRT-delivered news and advertising—for display on public transportation, for
example. As with typical digital signage, elements could include JPG images,
animated GIFs, text tickers, even VOD or a video loop.
Apps and firmware upgrades might also be delivered in non-real time “since
they both use large data files and would have to be sent to a large number of
devices,” the document states. “The use of a broadcast medium would thus be
more efficient than using a multitude of carrier based downloads. For example,
even with a transmission frequency of only once a week consumers could always
have the latest version of software.”
On the commercial front, the OMVC group said mobile DTV transmissions
would be well-suited for moving big data. Electric companies already use FM
transmissions to control HVAC systems during peak usage times. ATSC M/H, the
mobile DTV standard, would provide even more bandwidth for power grid
management, the group said.
“While
Mobile DTV would provide greatly increased available bandwidth to the utility,
the data requirements are still small compared to audio or video thus resulting
in a very profitable business on a dollar per bit basis,” the document states.
The final NRT case involves the Mobile Emergency Alert System, which can
support rich media messages that include text, video, graphics and audio. The
group said many of these components could be delivered using the NRT standard.
~ Deborah D. McAdams
See… “OMVC
Non-Real Time Mobile Use Cases”