Mobile Content Issues Resonate

Video and television on mobile devices are pushing into the consumer market, but putting a television in every pocket won't happen overnight. A panel of industry experts examined the complexities at the iHollywood Forum during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 2006 conference earlier this week in Las Vegas.

Issues range from content size and audio quality to video depth for full-length movies and digital rights management <a = "http: www.techweb.com encyclopedia defineterm.jhtml?term="DRM"">(DRM).

Don't forget about variations in phones built on opposing standards, MediaFLO and DVB-H. The cellular phone handsets require chips that enable carriers to deliver multicast TV signals, rather than point to point. The content designed for large high-definition screen differs from that required on a mobile phone. Even if it's the same movie or video game, on HDTV the camera shots are wide. Handsets require tighter angles.