Daryl Gray
June 2nd, 2005, 01:24 AM
The days of taking the family for a road trip and hearing "Are we there yet?" is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. More and more SUV, Van and truck owners are installing multi-media systems in their vehicles. As North America's thirst for consumer electronics grows, new technologies are emerging.
Small flat screen LCD video monitors have been available for a number of years. The cost of them is also rapidly coming down. A number of years ago, you would have to dish out $2000+ for a mobile video system with a DVD player. Today, you can install one for far less than $1000. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and features, including dash flip out models, which replace your stereo deck, as well as overhead mount that are usually designed to replace your overhead console. There are also head rest monitors and more recently, visor monitors as well.
Mobile DVD players have also shrunk in size and price in recent years, shrinking from a cumbersome VCR-size to small satellite receiver size, perfect size to fit under your seat or in another inconspicuous location. If you live or travel in large centers, you may opt for a TV tuner add-on, which will allow you to tune into the 2-69 analog TV band. These however will be obsolete in a few years as analog TV stations begin to drop off the air. You will then need a digital mobile tuner to continue receiving your morning news on the way to work.
Dish Network recently announced plans to release a mobile PVR recorder, allowing you to download your favorite shows from home and plug them in to watch in your vehicle. Tivo-to-go already allows you to download our favorite shows to your laptop or other media device. If you have a big budget and take your mobile entertainment seriously, you can opt for a onboard mobile satellite system, capable of receiving Directv, Dish Network or Expressvu satellite signals. The catch is that you will need a special bulky, high-end tracking dish, such as the KVH Trac-Vision, which have recently shrunk in size and price, however you can still expect to shell out over $2000-4000 just for the dish.
Future technology may make such technology more affordable in the near future. Main-stream satellite providers, such as Dish Network and Directv, require a minimum dish size of 12" in order to be viewable. This means that if you want to bring your satellite with you, you will be stuck, at least for the moment with a fairly noticeable bulge and expensive on the top of your roof. However main-stream satellite radio providers such as Sirius radio are currently working on a feasible way to deliver video content to subscribers.
The pros to satellite radio/video, would be limited video channels on a small and discrete satellite antenna, no larger than your hand. If would also likely be affordable, requiring a additional fee on top of your satellite radio subscription costs. The cons will be quality and quantity. Both XM and Sirius satellite sacrifice bandwidth for brute broadcasting power, meaning they would need to compress video signals substantially in order for it to be feasible for them to deliver video signals as their bandwidth capacity is already crammed with audio content. This means that channel offerings in the beginning will be limited as will be the quality, which is expected to be somewhere in the range of streaming video over internet quality, at least at first.
Video over wireless networks will likely be the option that becomes mainstream for mobile video delivery. Mobile phone companies are already licking their lips at the prospect of being able to tap into the video delivery market. Technology and video mobile compression are two of the biggest hurdles that they need to jump over. As technology improves, look for these big players to lobby heavily for establishment of a common standard that will push towards replying on their wireless backbone for delivery.
In Europe, this war is already waging with European satellite broadcasters and cellular wireless companies duking it out over dominant standards. The current traditional wireless technology, that employs a Uni-casting method that forces a broadcast out that is then directed to a particular user. This method is not feasible for high quality video transmissions as it would require bandwidth of up to 150kb/second per user. This would limit the number of subscribers that a mobile over cellular company could have, as well as making it a money loser as it would not be cost effective to reserve bandwidth for a subscriber that may or may not actually use it.
At the moment, there are 2 new and developing mobile video standards being hammered out in Europe. One is DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld), which uses a satellite delivery system. The problem with this standard lies in the fact that it cuts out the wireless companies altogether, as the video is delivered via satellite to your cellular phone or portable multi-media device. Wireless operators have threatened to refuse mobile subsidies for handsets offering these features. This alone could work to crippling this standard as the bulk of all mobile sales are through low cost mobile handsets when signing on for a wireless service. While DVB-H make it feasible to deliver high quality video to mobile subscribers, it also places a large demand on the operating system, meaning a more robust mobile OS would be required than the majority of wireless handsets now employ. The major advantage is that it allows subscribers to tune into an existing signal, allowing hundreds of thousands of video subscribers without depleting the network of available bandwidth.
The second European technology is MBMS(Multi-cast Broadcast Multimedia Services), which is the most feasible for video delivery over wireless networks. It enables high quality streaming wireless video delivery using a using a conditional access scheme. This would allow subscriber to pick and choose when and where to watch a video program, which they could pay for on a per use basis or on a monthly subscription fee. It allows a much higher subscriber to network ratio than current uni-casting standards, however it is still limited to a ceiling of tens of thousands of subscribers as opposed to hundreds of thousands as DVB-H can deliver. Although it makes the wireless companies happy by relying on their networks for delivery, it also will require large network improvements to make it a possibility.
Clearly, MBMS is still in its infancy. An Israeli company known as Bamboo Media Casting is already providing MBMS services. The technology allows video delivery on a shared bandwidth scheme, meaning a limit of subscribers per area. The more subscribers that use the mobile video, the less the quality of the broadcast, similar to a shared cablevision internet scheme. Bamboo has developed two different methods of delivery. The first one is known as BlueFountain and is a shared bandwidth multicasting service delivering live video feeds. The second is known as SilverStripe and allows background downloads of a program for later viewing, similar to downloading a video file to a computer. SilverStripe allows for video to be downloaded even if a subscriber is on the phone. The subscriber can pick and choose what to download, which is stored in the phones memory. This method has advantages as it would allow you to initiate a download at work for viewing on the dreary commute home. The video content is encrypted and protected, disallowing un-authorized distribution, which puts copyrights holders at ease.
There are also a number of other standards as well, such as S-DMB(Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcast), which is a hybrid satellite/terrestrial system. As these new technologies emerge in Europe, North American companies are keeping a watchful eye on them as well. This allows North American companies to base their service on successful European platforms, allowing them to avoid some of the early pitfalls. Such techniques have proven lucrative in the past, such as the Directv digital satellite venture, whose business model was based in part on the highly successful European DBS ventures.
© 1997-2005 Digital Insurrection
Small flat screen LCD video monitors have been available for a number of years. The cost of them is also rapidly coming down. A number of years ago, you would have to dish out $2000+ for a mobile video system with a DVD player. Today, you can install one for far less than $1000. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and features, including dash flip out models, which replace your stereo deck, as well as overhead mount that are usually designed to replace your overhead console. There are also head rest monitors and more recently, visor monitors as well.
Mobile DVD players have also shrunk in size and price in recent years, shrinking from a cumbersome VCR-size to small satellite receiver size, perfect size to fit under your seat or in another inconspicuous location. If you live or travel in large centers, you may opt for a TV tuner add-on, which will allow you to tune into the 2-69 analog TV band. These however will be obsolete in a few years as analog TV stations begin to drop off the air. You will then need a digital mobile tuner to continue receiving your morning news on the way to work.
Dish Network recently announced plans to release a mobile PVR recorder, allowing you to download your favorite shows from home and plug them in to watch in your vehicle. Tivo-to-go already allows you to download our favorite shows to your laptop or other media device. If you have a big budget and take your mobile entertainment seriously, you can opt for a onboard mobile satellite system, capable of receiving Directv, Dish Network or Expressvu satellite signals. The catch is that you will need a special bulky, high-end tracking dish, such as the KVH Trac-Vision, which have recently shrunk in size and price, however you can still expect to shell out over $2000-4000 just for the dish.
Future technology may make such technology more affordable in the near future. Main-stream satellite providers, such as Dish Network and Directv, require a minimum dish size of 12" in order to be viewable. This means that if you want to bring your satellite with you, you will be stuck, at least for the moment with a fairly noticeable bulge and expensive on the top of your roof. However main-stream satellite radio providers such as Sirius radio are currently working on a feasible way to deliver video content to subscribers.
The pros to satellite radio/video, would be limited video channels on a small and discrete satellite antenna, no larger than your hand. If would also likely be affordable, requiring a additional fee on top of your satellite radio subscription costs. The cons will be quality and quantity. Both XM and Sirius satellite sacrifice bandwidth for brute broadcasting power, meaning they would need to compress video signals substantially in order for it to be feasible for them to deliver video signals as their bandwidth capacity is already crammed with audio content. This means that channel offerings in the beginning will be limited as will be the quality, which is expected to be somewhere in the range of streaming video over internet quality, at least at first.
Video over wireless networks will likely be the option that becomes mainstream for mobile video delivery. Mobile phone companies are already licking their lips at the prospect of being able to tap into the video delivery market. Technology and video mobile compression are two of the biggest hurdles that they need to jump over. As technology improves, look for these big players to lobby heavily for establishment of a common standard that will push towards replying on their wireless backbone for delivery.
In Europe, this war is already waging with European satellite broadcasters and cellular wireless companies duking it out over dominant standards. The current traditional wireless technology, that employs a Uni-casting method that forces a broadcast out that is then directed to a particular user. This method is not feasible for high quality video transmissions as it would require bandwidth of up to 150kb/second per user. This would limit the number of subscribers that a mobile over cellular company could have, as well as making it a money loser as it would not be cost effective to reserve bandwidth for a subscriber that may or may not actually use it.
At the moment, there are 2 new and developing mobile video standards being hammered out in Europe. One is DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld), which uses a satellite delivery system. The problem with this standard lies in the fact that it cuts out the wireless companies altogether, as the video is delivered via satellite to your cellular phone or portable multi-media device. Wireless operators have threatened to refuse mobile subsidies for handsets offering these features. This alone could work to crippling this standard as the bulk of all mobile sales are through low cost mobile handsets when signing on for a wireless service. While DVB-H make it feasible to deliver high quality video to mobile subscribers, it also places a large demand on the operating system, meaning a more robust mobile OS would be required than the majority of wireless handsets now employ. The major advantage is that it allows subscribers to tune into an existing signal, allowing hundreds of thousands of video subscribers without depleting the network of available bandwidth.
The second European technology is MBMS(Multi-cast Broadcast Multimedia Services), which is the most feasible for video delivery over wireless networks. It enables high quality streaming wireless video delivery using a using a conditional access scheme. This would allow subscriber to pick and choose when and where to watch a video program, which they could pay for on a per use basis or on a monthly subscription fee. It allows a much higher subscriber to network ratio than current uni-casting standards, however it is still limited to a ceiling of tens of thousands of subscribers as opposed to hundreds of thousands as DVB-H can deliver. Although it makes the wireless companies happy by relying on their networks for delivery, it also will require large network improvements to make it a possibility.
Clearly, MBMS is still in its infancy. An Israeli company known as Bamboo Media Casting is already providing MBMS services. The technology allows video delivery on a shared bandwidth scheme, meaning a limit of subscribers per area. The more subscribers that use the mobile video, the less the quality of the broadcast, similar to a shared cablevision internet scheme. Bamboo has developed two different methods of delivery. The first one is known as BlueFountain and is a shared bandwidth multicasting service delivering live video feeds. The second is known as SilverStripe and allows background downloads of a program for later viewing, similar to downloading a video file to a computer. SilverStripe allows for video to be downloaded even if a subscriber is on the phone. The subscriber can pick and choose what to download, which is stored in the phones memory. This method has advantages as it would allow you to initiate a download at work for viewing on the dreary commute home. The video content is encrypted and protected, disallowing un-authorized distribution, which puts copyrights holders at ease.
There are also a number of other standards as well, such as S-DMB(Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcast), which is a hybrid satellite/terrestrial system. As these new technologies emerge in Europe, North American companies are keeping a watchful eye on them as well. This allows North American companies to base their service on successful European platforms, allowing them to avoid some of the early pitfalls. Such techniques have proven lucrative in the past, such as the Directv digital satellite venture, whose business model was based in part on the highly successful European DBS ventures.
© 1997-2005 Digital Insurrection