Fine, I want my mobile TV

WHILE I’m wary of the idea of watching TV shows on my mobile phone, I have to admit I was floored when I saw mobile TV via the digital video broadcasting-handheld (DVB-H) standard in action.

Of course, I’d read our reporter Alex Villafania’s Infotech article on Smart Communications’ demonstration of its upcoming mobile TV service, using the Nokia N92 mobile phone. It’s one thing, however, to read about it; it’s another to actually witness it yourself.

Several executives from Smart Communications’ Public Affairs division, including Wo Rosete, Arlyn Samaniego and Grace Sarmiento-Clavecilla, went to the Taberna Ocho bar last night, and when we started talking about the upcoming mobile TV service, Wo pulled out an N92 test unit from his pocket and showed us the service in action.

The quality was amazing — I mean, I knew it was going to look great because it was digital TV, but I didn’t expect it to look that good, ‘coz you know, you want to take all the hype with a grain of salt. And no, it didn’t look good just because I’d already downed four GranMa Slammers (one order is composed of two shotglasses of Gran Matador and a shotglass of Coke); it takes a lot more than that to get me drunk, heh.

Thanks to Wo, those of us who hadn’t seen the previous demo were able to get a taste of DVB-H in action, as we briefly watched several shows, including CNN, BBC and Jack TV. I jokingly told Wo that I hated him, because now the N92 is another gadget that’s the object of my technolust.

We couldn’t take pics or videos of the demo last night, but here’s a photo of the N92 from the Nokia press site:

Now that this technology is available in the Philippines, I’m even less inclined to watch streaming video of TV shows via 3G, which I honestly haven’t done since those first few weeks when I got a 3G phone and watching TV on my mobile was still a novelty. You quickly realize that the quality of streaming video isn’t that great, plus you’re being offered the same crappy noontime shows you see on local TV, heh.

Smart’s mobile TV test broadcast is scheduled to start on March 11, with the commercial launch slated sometime in the middle of the year. Wo said Smart hasn’t finalized the pricing yet, ‘coz I was telling him that they should just charge a very small flat rate that would cover all the mobile TV shows. I don’t know what Smart will ultimately end up charging consumers, but I do know that in the case of 3G, I hate having to pay transmission fees and a daily subscription fee just to watch a TV show.

Of course, the crucial thing is what kind of content they’ll be offering. I don’t want to just watch the usual TV shows on my mobile phone — they have to offer something value-added, new content that’s tailored for the mobile phone. Even the best technology in the world can’t make your crappy content look good. The other crucial question is: How reasonable will the pricing scheme be?

Wo promised to lend N92 handhelds to INQUIRER.net for review once more test units become available, so stay tuned.

For different takes on the mobile TV service on the blogosphere, check out these posts from Abe Olandres and Mike Abundo.

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