LG, SAMSUNG TO PUSH JOINT MOBILE STANDARD

LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics announced today that they will propose their jointly developed technology as the North American technology standard for mobile DTV.

Samsung and LG held a signing ceremony at Seoul Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Korea, at which the two companies agreed to cooperate in order to assure rapid adoption by the ATSC of a single common in-band mobile DTV standard.

They said technology for the jointly proposed system will reflect the findings of the IDOV (Independent Demonstration of Viability) conducted by the Association of Maximum Service Television on behalf of the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC). A report on IDOV will be submitted by the OMVC to the ATSC.

The jointly promoted mobile DTV solution uses the existing terrestrial digital TV broadcast bandwidth, with no impact on existing digital TV and with minimum broadcasting equipment investment.

"LG and Samsung are already world-class in digital TV and mobile communications, said LG president-chief technology officer Woo Paik. "Through this collaboration, we also have an opportunity to lead the North American mobile DTV market."

Added JongWoo Park, president of Samsung Digital Media Business: "Our collaboration on North American mobile DTV standardization will help accelerate the ATSC standardization of mobile TV technology, which will benefit both consumers and broadcasters."

ATSC is expected to adopt the mobile/handheld DTV standard for the North American market in early 2009 following trials of the technology by the OMVC, a group of leading U.S. broadcasters who are vigorously promoting the development and early deployment of mobile DTV.

According to a study commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters, with the adoption of a single ATSC mobile/handheld DTV standard, the U.S. market for mobile DTV phones will reach 130 million units by the end of 2012, with the market for portable media device mobile DTV receivers growing to include an additional 25 million units.