Belkin Releases Dyle Mobile TV for iPad/iPhone

By Doug Lung
published

Belkin is now offering a Dyle mobile TV receiver for $130 on its website. The company first showed a mobile TV dongle at CES in 2012. The new device uses a Dyle interface similar to the one on the Samsung Lightray phone with mobile DTV.

The only review I was able to find was from Jeremy Horwitz at iLounge.com. He has a nice review of the device itself with pictures of the different screens in the Dyle software, but unfortunately he tested it in one of the areas where Dyle had no stations so there are no pictures of off-air reception.

You might want to check the coverage map on www.Dyle.TV to see what's available at your location. I had an opportunity to test the device and found it provided good reception in most areas around Los Angeles on both VHF and UHF channels. VHF performance is amazing, considering the small antenna employed.

The Belkin device faces competition from the lower cost Elgato eyetv mobile, which lists for just under $100 on Elgato's Website, and as low as $84 on Amazon. Belkin's Dyle software has more features--notably a program guide delivered via the Internet when an off-air guide isn't available. The software also provides preloading of Dyle stations for your location, reducing the time required for a channel scan.

If you use an Android device, don't worry--at the NAB Show we saw an Elgato eyetv mobile with a micro-USB connector for Android devices with USB OTG (host) capability. I'm hoping this device will be available soon. I tested a prototype and found it worked on my inexpensive Chinese Ainol Novo7 Fire tablet. I'm also waiting for the RCA Android tablet with both ATSC mobile and conventional ATSC reception that I wrote about after CES. There are other devices in development that could make it easy to get mobile DTV on any device.

Stay tuned.

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.