Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Washington, D.C. First to Get Free Mobile TV

by Terrence O'Brien on April 20, 2009 at 02:23 PM

D.C. The First to Get Free Mobile TV
Mobile TV has been struggling to get off the ground here in the U.S., despite enjoying widespread success in Asia. Verizon and AT&T have each experimented with a subscription-based solution using a technology called Media-Flo, but neither companies have been able to get much traction in the states. Much of this is due to a lack of support from broadcasters, which have thrown their weight behind a competing technology called MPH (Mobile Pedestrian Handheld) TV.

MPH TV will have soon have its big debut, getting a full deployment in Washington D.C. this summer. According to the Open Mobile Video Coalition, the nation's capital will serve as a perfect test market for the new technology, due in no small part to its abundance of tech-savvy citizens and policy-making politicians. Although there is currently little hardware available to take advantage of the service, a number of companies may soon be jumping onboard. Dell has said it will include MPH tuners in upcoming netbooks, Samsung and LG will be hocking MPH-enabled phones, and Kenwood has said it will develop in-car entertainment systems that make use
of the new technology.
Programming will initially be limited to D.C.'s local PBS, FOX, CBS, and NBC affiliates, but choices are likely to expand if the D.C. program is successful. Other major cities -- including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston -- are expected to announce launch plans soon as well.

What exactly gives MPH a leg up on the failing AT&T and Verizon options? The answer: It's free. MPH gives you broadcast channels for nothing, unlike Verizon's VCast and AT&T's Mobile TV, which could set you back up to $30 a month. [From: Yahoo! News, and Engadget]

Tags: free, mobile pedestrian handheld, mobile tv, MobilePedestrianHandheld, MobileTv, mph, top, washington dc, WashingtonDc

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular