MocoNews Review With Video: AT&T’s MediaFLO Is Best Chance For Mobile TV To Take Off
The just-launched AT&T (NYSE: T) Mobile TV service is so good I watched the two-hour long 1982 comedy The Toy, featuring Richard Pryor without even really realizing it. In retrospect, I can see why mobile TV has been slow to take off—images are blurry, people are pixelated and lips and actions don’t sync with the soundtrack, and there’s long waits for loading and buffering. But this new service that AT&T has launched changes that because it doesn’t stream it over the cellular network. The service makes me believe that people will eventually watch TV on their mobile phone. Last week AT&T launched Qualcomm’s (NSDQ: QCOM) MediaFlo service, which is already being offered by Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ). The service uses broadcast methods, like the TV in your living room with rabbit ears. It does not use the cellular network. So far, it’s been slow for consumers to take off, but that’s most likely because it’s offered on a limited number of handsets, and it can be argued that up until now, they’ve been less than attractive phones. The cost might be another reason, but at $15 a month, it’s doable.
Video is below. (RSS readers will have to click through.)
Full review at our sister site mocoNews.net...
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Comments (0)
May 13, 2008 9:53 PM
This service will become yet another victim of convergence. AT&T;may have all the might in the world but has failed to realize that convergence is not ingrained into our psyches. The Mobile TV is struggling not for the lack of matured technology but because of the lack of adoption (usage). However, technology over awes us and blinds us from understanding the real reasons.
I foresee people investing on Mobile TV enabled handsets as well subscribing to this service but little using it. Now the writer of the news item has a handset and an access to the service and I would be surprised if he would watch more than 10 minutes a day, over the coming months. I would be happy to receive an advice from him, if he does.
Mobile TV has a future if it is stopped being positioned and run as an extension of the living room TV. A Mobile TV is limited by the screen size and resolution, which limits the value delivered - especially while running the living room TV programs. The loss of the “video” value may be compensated by enhancing the audio value by designing programs for “on the go” needs. I foresee it succeeding as an enhanced radio with a video capability. This is just one part of the story and would be happy to discuss others too and can be contacted on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)