MICRONAS OFFERS THIRD IN-BAND MOBILE SYSTEM

A third DTV-compatible system for broadcasting mobile video has emerged and will vie to become the U.S. standard at the Advanced Television Systems Committee, TVNEWSDAY has learned.

The new system proponent is Micronas Gmbh, a German semiconductor manufacturer.

Shawn Yang, a Micronas representative, confirmed yesterday that the company would submit a system to ATSC prior to midnight today—the deadline by which all system proponents must step forward.

In the standards-setting contest, the Micronas system will be pitted against two other well-known systems—A-VSB developed by Samsung and Rohde & Schwarz and MPH backed by Harris and LG Electronics

Samsung/R&S and Harris/LG have field tested and demonstrated their systems, most recently at the NAB convention in April.

By contrast, little is know about the Micronas systems outside the small circle of technologists active in the ATSC.

But, like its rivals, Yang said, the Micronas system is designed to operate within TV stations’ digital channels and broadcast one or more low-res video programming channels to cellphones, PDAs and other portable devices or to mobile receivers in cars speeding down the highway.

ATSC President Mark Richer declined to discuss who may or may not be submitting mobile video proposals prior to today’s deadline.

But Richer did allow that he expected several submissions, not only for complete systems, but also for system elements like audio, conditional access and electronic program guides.

“It’s very exciting,” said Richer. “The interest level is this is very, very significant.”

Brandon Burgess, CEO of Ion Media, and head of the Open Mobile Video Coalition, said he was aware of the Micronas system and encouraged by it.

“I guess we are gathering steam here,” he said. “We seem to have more and more people on the bandwagon.”

The coalition is dedicated to bringing in-band mobile video to market as quickly as possible and has been strongly supportive of the ATSC effort.

Burgess said that he expects to announce in the next week or two the names of other TV station groups that are joining the coalition and will double its size.

In addition to Ion, the coalition’s charter members include Belo, Fox, Gannett, Gray, NBC, Sinclair and Tribune.

Burgess said coalition members plan to meet in Washington next week to review the ATSC process and to discuss reaching out to receiver manufacturers for business models for mobile video.

Talk of business models is not intended to lead to a common business plan, but to make sure that the ATSC process stays on track and leads to a standard that does everything broadcasters want it to do, he said.

“We have to figure out what the various applications could be, recognizing that in the end, when the technology is built, the companies will have some decisions to make on how they are going to use their spectrum,” he said.

“I’m not sure everybody’s going to do all local,” he said. “I’m not sure that everybody’s going to do all national. Some may do free. Some may do pay.”

Burgess also said that he does believe broadcasters have to pool spectrum as some have advocated.

Burgess said that the coalition also hopes to bring Qualcomm’s MediaFlo technology into the standards process, even though the system is incompatible with DTV.

Using the same UHF spectrum as broadcasters, MediaFlo is rolling out what it hopes will be a national platform that will handle up to 15 full-motion video channels.

The idea is that devices could be built that receive MediaFlo services as well as the broadcasters’ in-band mobile video services, Burgess said. “Think of it as AM and FM.”

One source predicted that Qualcomm would submit MediaFlo to ATSC today, despite its DTV incompatibility, with the idea of “harmonizing” it with whatever system ATSC eventually chooses as the in-band standard.

Qualcomm has not yet responded to TVNEWSDAY's request for an interview.

According to Yang, the Micronas system makes more efficient use of the digital channel than either the A-VSB or MPH systems.

He also said that the system features lower thresholds and scalable advanced AV coding and that it is “perfect” at not interfering with HDTV or any other services within the DTV channel.

Yang acknowledged that the system is mostly on paper and that it has not been built and tested. “That’s the problem,” he said.

On the other hand, according to Yang, the “main architect” of the system is Richard Citta, one of the Zenith engineers who designed the VSB transmission system at the heart of DTV standard.

Yang said that he and Citta are no longer Micronas employees, but will promote the system under contract to Micronas. Citta had been chief scientist for Micronas.

Citta did not return repeated phone calls to his office.

The ATSC wants to develop the standard as quickly as possible so that broadcasters will be able to offer new services based on it by February 2009 when they make the final leap from analog to digital broadcasting.

While notifications of intent to participate in the ATSC process are due today, detailed proposals are not due until July 6.

Broadcasters have “all figured out that there is no downside” in in-band mobile video, Burgess said.

“The worse thing that happens is nothing happens,” he said. “And the best thing that can happen is technology emerges that is available to everyone. Whether they use it or not is going to be their own decision.”