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MobileVideo posts

mSpot brings new release movie streaming to major US carriers

by Darren Murph posted Sep 30th 2009 @ 11:34AM

mSpot has been streaming full-length movies to cellphones for a few years now, but not until this week has the company had a potential customer base of 40 million. As of right now, mobile phone users on Sprint, AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile (yes, that includes the G1, Pre, iPhone and every other smartphone with a half-decent browser) can surf over to m.mspot.com in order to stream major motion pictures, and being that the service is on-demand, you can also pause and restart 'em whenever you darn well please. Deals have been inked with Paramount Studios, Universal Pictures and the Weinstein Company, and we're told that more agreements are in the works. Movie rentals will cost $4.99 per title, and can be viewed from 24 hours to 5 days after they're rented. Naturally, mSpot recommends paying for an "unlimited" data plan, and if you're smart, you won't utilize the service whilst traveling abroad.

Cox Communications set to launch a cellular network

by Laura June posted Apr 8th 2009 @ 3:13PM

Well, it's been a long time coming, and it probably shouldn't come as a surprise at this point, but Atlanta-based Cox Communications, the third largest cable provider in the United States, has announced plans to launch its own cellular network. We heard essentially the same news back in October of last yea r, but the company's reaffirming its commitment to do so by the end of 2009, almost certainly using its portion of the winnings from the 700MHz auction (estimated to be worth around $304 million dollars). Details such as pricing are still a mystery, but Cox's VP of its wireless division, Stephen Bye, said that the network will allow them to offer a bundled television, broadband and wireless service, that it hopes to focus on the burgeoning mobile video market, and that it may launch an app store in order to compete with "what's already out there." We wish them luck.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Softbank's iPhone 1seg tuner / battery charger gets unboxed

by Darren Murph posted Jan 3rd 2009 @ 2:35PM

If you're American, don't even pretend you care about this. 'Cause you don't care about mobile TV at all, and we've got the facts to prove it. For those parked in Japan, though, you have every right to get jazzed. Softbank's 1seg TV tuner / battery charger has finally been loosed on the carrier's home turf, and the lucky cats over at DVICE were able to acquire one and give it a whirl. Setup was said to be a breeze, the 1seg pickup was crystal clear and the device itself was satisfactorily lightweight. As for downsides, the entire app is in Japanese, and even with the extra juice, watching TV on the go zapped the life out in around an hour with brightness maxed. Check the full writeup and unboxing gallery in the read link below.

[Via OhGizmo]

ATSC gives initial thumbs-up to MPH mobile TV standard

by Darren Murph posted Nov 27th 2008 @ 6:59AM

Merely weeks after a handful of TV broadcasters voiced their approval of the MPH mobile TV standard, the almighty ATSC has elevated its specification for Mobile Digital Television to Candidate Standard status. Or it will early next week, based on the futuristic December 1st date on the press release. Anywho, the thumbs-up brings the standard one huge step closer to actual implementation in the United States, though a final standard isn't apt to be agreed upon until late next year. Not that the delay is really a problem -- after all, a grand total of 19 people in this great nation even care about TV on the go, right?

[Via mocoNews]

TV broadcasters pleased with MPH mobile TV test results

by Darren Murph posted Nov 12th 2008 @ 9:41AM

The world needed another mobile TV standard about like it needs another hole in the ozone layer, but regardless of that, we've still got broadcasters backing MPH. We originally heard that said protocol was being tested by Raleigh's WRAL back in July, and since then, a whopping 800 local stations (which make up the Open Mobile Video Coalition) have joined in to work out the kinks. Currently, the general consensus is one of satisfaction, with the group now hoping to "prove the viability of the proposed system before the ATSC." If all goes well, a candidate standard will be ready to present next month, which "would keep handset manufacturers on schedule to have commercial devices available by the holiday 2009 shopping season." OMVC is also planning a multi-station demo at CES in January, so you can bet we'll be there giving it a run for its cheddar.

[Via RCRWireless]

Cricket adds unlimited video clip package for $5 per month

by Darren Murph posted Sep 3rd 2008 @ 1:02AM

While the world still tries to decide if its really into mobile TV or not, Cricket is moving forward with plans assuming that she is. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless has just announced a flat-rate unlimited mobile video service that will enable users with "select handsets" to view one-to-four-minute-long video clips for $5 per month. Watching the clips won't tack on any additional data charges, and as for content, customers can look for clips from FUEL TV, Hollywood Insider and an array of other sources. Nah, there's no live TV (yet), but the pricing sure is admirable.

[Via phonescoop]

DVB-H to become European mobile video standard

by Joshua Topolsky posted Nov 29th 2007 @ 9:38AM

The European mobile phone community was rocked by the news today that DVB-H (or Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) is set to become the new standard for mobile TV across the Union. The technology -- a superset of DVB-T -- has been spearheaded by Nokia, and this move is meant to help widen the system's audience. Though the move has been opposed by some EU states, such as Germany and Britain, the standard is being pushed through. "DVB-H will be published by the Commission in the list of official EU standards," said an EU executive, adding that, "As a result, all EU Member States will have to support and encourage the use of DVB-H for the launch of mobile TV services, thus avoiding market fragmentation and allowing economies of scale and accordingly affordable services and devices." So much for our fledgling standard, DVB-X (the X is for extreme).

Select ABC stations offering free video for mobiles

by Darren Murph posted Jul 13th 2007 @ 11:54AM

Sure, we've seen the local-news-on-your-handset card pulled out before, but unlike similar alternatives, this one should work with any network and on any phone capable of handling the video. A group of ten ABC-owned television stations have announced that they will be offering up "free video content" for cellphones, most of which will consist of ad-supported streaming news clips. The service will be powered by Local Wireless, and will be available to users near WABC-TV in New York, KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WLS-TV in Chicago, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, KGO-TV in San Francisco, KTRK-TV in Houston, WTVD in Raleigh-Durham, NC, KFSN-TV in Fresno, California, WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan, and WTVG in Toledo, Ohio. You know the drill: give it a go, and post your adoration / gripes below.

[Via Textually]

Adobe Flash Lite 3 adopts video support

by Brian White posted Feb 22nd 2007 @ 9:05PM

Have Adobe Flash Lite installed on your mobile? If so, you'll be glad to know that a near-future upgrade will support video soon. Adobe's Flash Lite 3 is due out sometime before July and will natively have video support built in. The format, you ask? Well, naturally, Adobe's native video support in Flash Lite 3 will be its own Flash video format (FLV) that is used for videos all over the web these days (yeah, that goes for ads, too). Flash Lite 3 will be available on S60, BREW, and Microsoft Windows Mobile 5 (most likely WM6 as well). Don't fret, though, if you don't have one of these mobile OSes at your disposal -- Adobe Flash Lite 3 will also be available on embedded operating systems from many OEMs.

Sling announces Symbian SlingPlayer, partnership with 3

by Ryan Block posted Nov 16th 2006 @ 3:36AM

Believe it or not, in some countries personal broadcasting to mobile video is actually encouraged, and Sling's about to capitalize on that more democratic "wireless dialtone" trend. (Verizon, Cingy, we're looking at you.) Paired up with 3, they've announced their SlingPlayer Symbian client for UIQ and S60 alike. At least the N73 and W950 have officially now been shown running the new client it as a part of 3's X-Series initiative, aimed at making mobile internet, well, useful to customers without fear of reprisal for data usage. (Verizon, Cingy, we're still looking at you.) UK residents will be able to get their hands on X-series gear come December 1st, but the rest of us may have to wait some undetermined amount of time before the Symbian client is released for mass consumption.

YouTube coming to a cellphone near you, next year

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 2nd 2006 @ 3:05PM

You can already upload videos from your cellphone to YouTube, but that's just the beginning. According to the recently-Googlefied company's chief executive and co-founder Chad Hurley, you'll soon be able to view videos directly on your mobile device as well. Reuters is reporting that Hurley recently told an advertising conference that he hopes to have a mobile YouTube service of some sort ready to go "within the next year," adding that it's a natural transition for them and going to be a huge market. Not surprisingly, he didn't spill any further details, so you'll have to keep on doing your time wasting the old fashioned way in the meantime.

[Via The Wireless Report]

Stream MythTV content to any 3G phone

by Evan Blass posted May 16th 2006 @ 4:30PM

When a person is on a mission, he/she can accomplish anything, no matter how Rube Goldberg-esque the solution turns out to be, so you can forgive Gary Lerhaupt's rather complicated how-to on streaming recorded programs to any 3G-enabled cellphone. Far too detailed to go into the specifics here, Lerhaupt's method basically programs your MythTV box to send recorded TV shows to a computer running Apple's open source Darwin Streaming Server software, which sets up dedicated URLs for each file and allows you to stream from your handset's browser at will. Those without pretty decent tech skillz should probably not attempt this one, as even the how-to assumes some knowledge of 3gp video conversion, script running, and something called an rtsp streaming protocol; instead, you're probably better off spending a few extra bucks on that Windows Mobile phone and employing the no-brainer solutions that the good folks at Orb and Sling Media have already come up with.

YouTube enables uploading from cellphones

by Evan Blass posted May 10th 2006 @ 5:07PM

If you're a fan of watching shakey videos of teenagers fighting each other and illegally racing cars, then you'll be pleased to learn that YouTube has just launched a new service allowing members to upload videos directly from their cellphones. Compatible with all four major carriers, the upload service requires users to set up a mobile profile in order to generate a unique email address that all videos must be sent to for posting. What a great world we live in, where you can happy slap a stranger in the street and almost immediately broadcast your crime to millions of eager voyeurs.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

NFL draft on Sprint could indicate new trend

by Evan Blass posted Apr 21st 2006 @ 9:03PM

Because missing even a second of this year's football draft could wreak havoc on your performance in the coming season's fantasy leagues, Sprint is thoughtfully broadcasting the "action" live to subscribers of their Sprint TV NFL Mobile package. While this news in and of itself is rather mundane (especially to us non-football fans), the fact that Sprint has exclusive wireless rights to the draft while Monday Night Football rights-holder ESPN is barred from streaming the broadcast to its Mobile ESPN subscribers is rather interesting, and could be indicative of future trends. Although the demand for mobile TV is still definitely up in the air, might there be a day when enough rabid football fans have 3G-enabled cellphones to make it profitable for wireless carriers to bid against traditional networks on the games themselves, and broadcast them exclusively to a mobile audience?

[Via Moco News]

Nick Mobile brings SpongeBob to Sprint

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 18th 2006 @ 10:16AM

Nickelodeon just announced their new Nick Mobile deal for Sprint TV subscribers. The new service, presumably pumped out by MobiTV, delivers more of those two minute video clips Sprint TV subscribers are accustomed to, only now from the Nick Jr. library which features kid faves such as Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, SpongeBob, and so on. So at least your little'ns will be entertained, albeit for a mere two minutes at a time, should you need to hunt 'em down.