INTRODUCTION
This book is exclusively dedicated to mobile TV, which is emerging as the killer application of the 21st century. Today over 2 billion mobile phones are in use worldwide. The range of services offered on mobile networks varies from simple voice calls to complex multimedia applications, entertainment, content sharing, and mobile offices. Mobile TV, the newest addition to the mobile services portfolio, is a sunrise technology with a potential user base of over 200 million by 2011. The pace of the industry is unprecedented with an average lifetime of mobile devices of less than 2 years. Countries such as China and India are adding close to 5 million users a month. The industry encompasses everyone.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Even though the mobile TV is slated to grow exponentially in the very near future, the concise information on the subject continues to remain scattered. It is true that many of the technologies have recently emerged from trials but the basic bedrock of the structure on which such services will be based is now firmly in place. No single week passes by when a new commercial launch of mobile TV somewhere in the world is not announced. The standards for the services have the status of recommendations of the ITU, ETSI, and 3G Partnership fora. The implementation is swift and multifronted—in the form of technology itself as well as every other form: handsets, applications, chip sets, software, operating systems, spectrum, transmission technologies, and even content writing for mobile TV.
This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the technological framework in which such services are being provided with extensive clarity on how one type of service differs from another, e.g., a mobile TV service based on 3G (MobiTV, Cingular) and the DMB services in Korea or 1SEG–ISDB-T in Japan. Will it be possible to use one handset for all these services? What types of services can be expected on mobile networks? What are the techniques used for digital rights management on these networks? What spectrum will they use? What limitations do they have and what quality of viewing can they offer?
The new world of mobile multimedia is an extension of digital multimedia delivered today via cable and satellite, DTH and DSL platforms, but with advanced compression and broadcasting technologies. The mobile world is also quite different—carrying with it smaller screens requiring lower data rates to carry the information, but in a much more challenging environment of moving devices and varying signal strengths. Fortunately the technologies for delivery of multimedia not only have been perfected for such an environment but also are being launched commercially. This book seeks to piece together the technologies of video, audio, data, and networks, which make mobile TV possible, and presents an integrated view of the interfaces, services, and applications that will be on the front line of developments of mobile TV in the coming years.
The growth of mobile TV brings challenges for everyone. The users have now a very powerful device in their hands that can do much more than connect calls or play music. Are they ready to use such services? The operators are aggressively launching services. Are the content providers ready for them? Is the content secure? What type of advertising will work on such networks? What are the technology options for operators and service providers and customers? Are the regulatory authorities ready for enabling the environment for mobile TV? What spectrum will be available for such services? What are the limitations for services based on each individual technology?
This book addresses all these questions by laying down the fundamentals that go into the mobile networks. It begins with the basics of digital multimedia and goes on to mobile multimedia and streaming to provide an understanding of what the mobile networks are designed to carry in the new environment. It also gives an overview of mobile networks worldwide as well as an overview of technologies for mobile TV. The new service of mobile TV has successfully completed trials in a number of countries based on different technologies such as DVB-H, 3G, and DMB and made its advent in a number of networks. This book discusses each of the mobile TV technologies in detail, with one chapter devoted to each service. The technology-specific chapters dwell on all aspects of the services, ranging from standards to protocols and capabilities. Interoperability issues between networks and roaming have proved to be very important in the past and they will be more so in the future. This book discusses interoperability issues for mobile TV and multimedia networks. The rollout of mobile TV is also closely linked to the availability of spectrum as a resource. The spectrum for mobile TV services and the manner of rollout in various countries based on these factors are discussed.
Mobile TV has spawned many new industries, and fast-paced developments are happening in operating systems for mobile devices, application software, chip sets, and the handsets themselves. The chip sets, which enable multimedia phones and mobile TV, are discussed in the book along with the progressive developments that are placing complex applications in single chip systems. This book also discusses the software and operating systems going into the mobile sets and making advanced applications possible. Software enhancements possible through middleware and interactive applications are also discussed briefly.
Mobile handsets present the most visible facet of the cellular mobile industry. Continued growth of mobile services has spawned a host of ancillary applications such as FM radio, media downloads, picture and video capture, and transmission of multimedia messaging, video streaming, rich presentations, and video on demand. These are associated with an array of user interfaces on the mobile. Users are increasingly handling memory sticks, Firewire cables, Bluetooth devices, and a host of other accessories that vary in complexity and applications. The growth of cellular networks with varying standards has been very challenging for the handset industry. They need to bring out phones that can operate on a wide array of networks, roam across technologies, and manipulate content among multiple formats. This book discusses the new generation of mobiles as well as the technology that drives these devices.
While mobile TV has its share of live TV channels, a host of new content best suited to viewing on the small screens is already appearing and will be the key to the usage and growth of mobile TV services. Mobile environment needs specifically designed content that can be compelling to watch. The content for mobile TV, already a specialized business, will be more so in the coming years. Along with the content, the delivery platforms for such content are equally important. Mobile TV gives an opportunity to offer interactive services such as synchronized advertising and sale of music and videos and enables powerful mobile commerce platforms. This book also focuses on the broadcast platforms for mobile TV.
Delivery of content needs to be secure in order that mobile networks can be used for content delivery, and the license holders need to be able to exercise rights on how the content is used after delivery. This implies the use of encryption or digital rights management. The topic of content security as applied to mobile content is discussed in this book. The issue of interoperability is of paramount importance if roaming and volume production of handsets are to be considered. An excellent idea of mobile TV services can be obtained from country-specific implementations. These are richly documented.
Finally, this book is exclusively focused on mobile TV and multimedia applications and avoids detailed dissemination of 3G UMTS or CDMA networks or compression, transmission, or broadcast technologies, which are easily available in the literature.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
This book is primarily intended to give a coherent view of the world of mobile TV and multimedia applications on mobile networks. It is meant to give an insight into the maze of technologies, processes, and dimensions involved in providing mobile TV services. The book, while being technical, does not contain any formulae or mathematical calculations that go into the design of networks. It has been planned in a manner to benefit all those in the broadcast and mobile industries, such as professionals, engineers, and managers as well as students and the academic community. The mobile industry directly or indirectly comes into contact with every individual, and extensive work is being done to further the capabilities of the networks. This book is intended to help all those who are in any manner connected with mobile networks and multimedia, as they need to get a complete picture of what is happening in the field and how they can be a part of the momentum. It helps users, content providers, and operators, as well as those who are planning such services, understand the dimensions of this new medium that forms the best possible integration of communication, broadcasting, and multimedia technologies. Understanding the basic technologies and all related developments in the field prepares the ground for an easy introduction to the complex world of mobile TV, which will be essential for success in the coming years.
HOW TO READ THIS BOOK
The content of the book can be considered to fall into four distinct parts.
Part I gives an overview of technologies and networks used for providing mobile TV and multimedia services. It consist of Chaps. 1–5, including Introduction to Digital Multimedia (Chap. 2), Introduction to Streaming and Mobile Multimedia (Chap. 3), Overview of Cellular Mobile Networks (Chap. 4), and Overview of Technologies for Mobile TV (Chap. 5).
Part II comprises a more detailed dissemination of technologies for mobile TV and has five chapters, one each on 3G, DVB-H, and DMB technologies and on interoperability and spectrum.
Part III provides an insight into the receiving devices and related technologies. It consists of three linked chapters, one each on chip sets, software, and handsets for mobile TV services.
Part IV of the book deals with content and services on mobile multimedia networks. Its five chapters cover the services worldwide, mobile TV content, interactivity, security, and future of mobile TV services.
The four parts of the book can be read in any order independent of the other parts, being used as a reference to the technologies or networks in use. However, mobile TV and multimedia networks are characterized by their own file formats, encoding technologies, and content delivery mechanisms; it is useful to read through the book in sequence if time permits. Readers will find some repetitions in the content in some chapters, this was necessary to present the matter in a self-contained format without excessive referrals to other sections or chapters.
The following briefly describes the content in the various chapters:
Chapter 2 provides an introduction to digital multimedia, with special emphasis on the display resolutions, file formats, and video and audio compression techniques for mobile applications (MPEG-4, H.264, AMR, AACplus).
Chapter 3 gives an overview of the streaming technologies and mobile multimedia. This includes the file formats, protocols, and video and audio coding standards as standardized by the 3GPP and 3GPP2 for use on mobile networks. Graphics and animation in the mobile environment are also briefly covered.
Chapter 4 provides an overview of cellular mobile networks worldwide as well as data capabilities of these networks.
Chapter 5 gives an overview of technologies used in mobile TV and multimedia broadcasting applications. It also lays down the framework in which such services are being provided and the operation of unicast and multicast networks. All technologies for mobile TV and multimedia are briefly covered, including 3G, DVB-H, DMB, MediaFLO, 1SEGISDB-T, and WiMAX.
Chapter 6 is a detailed presentation of mobile TV using 3G cellular network technologies. The chapter discusses the protocols for 3G network-based services such as video streaming, video calling, and media downloads. It discusses both 3G-UMTS networks and 3G-CDMA networks, such as CDMA2000 and 1×EV-DO. Broadcast and multicast services are also discussed.
Chapter 7 is on mobile TV using DVB-H technologies. It discusses the functional elements of a DVB-H system, IP datacasting used in DVB-H, IP encapsulation, and DVB-H transmission networks. DVB-H implementation profiles (CBMS and OMA-BCAST) and DVB-H networks with SFN and MFN implementations are also discussed.
Chapter 8 is dedicated to DMB technologies, including both S-DMB and T-DMB. The evolution of these technologies from DAB and the DMB services in Korea are discussed in detail.
Chapter 9 discusses the issues involved in roaming and interoperability when multimedia networks are involved, with reference to the 3GPP architecture. The interoperability of multimedia services such as 3G-324M calling and packet-switched streaming are also discussed, with examples.
Chapter 10 discusses the spectrum requirements for mobile TV and multimedia services and how such requirements are being fulfilled. International allocations for various services such as 3G-UMTS, DVB-T and DVB-H, and digital audio broadcasting as well as the emerging networks of WiMAX are discussed.
Chapter 11 is devoted to chip sets for mobile TV and multimedia phones. It covers the chip sets and reference designs and specifically the chip sets for Eureka 147 DAB, DVB-H, DMB, and 3G based multimedia phones.
Chapter 12 presents a detailed discussion on the operating systems and software used in mobile phones. The roles of the operating system, middleware, and application software are discussed along with implementation examples. Symbian, Linux, Windows Mobile, BREW, and Palm OS are briefly discussed.
Chapter 13 is devoted to handsets for mobile TV and multimedia applications. Mobile phone architecture and handling of video and video through media processors are discussed. The functional requirements of mobile phones for multimedia applications are discussed along with handset implementation examples.
Chapter 14 gives an overview of mobile TV services being provided by various networks across the globe. Included in the chapter are the revenue elements from various multimedia services that are driving the implementations.
Chapter 15 deals with content for mobile TV networks. It goes deep into the mobile TV content, interactive services, and delivery platforms for mobile content.
Chapter 16 is devoted to interactivity in the mobile TV and multimedia networks. Discussed in this chapter are the features that make mobile TV interactive, tools for interactivity, and examples of interactive end-to-end applications.
Chapter 17 is exclusively on content security for mobile TV and multimedia services. Both the conditional access systems and digital rights management are discussed, with implementation examples.
Chapter 18 gives some thoughts to the future of mobile TV and multimedia services. It outlines the trends that will govern future developments and gives the strengths of and challenges before the mobile TV and multimedia industry.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Angelina Ward, senior acquisitions editor at Focal press who was instrumental in providing valuable guidance in organization of the book and making it a reality. I would also like to acknowledge the valuable guidance of Doug Shults, assistant editor, González de Mendoza, project manager and the project management staff at Charon Tec for helping out through various stages of production and their valuable guidance at throughout the process of publication. I would also like to thank my daughter Aarti Kumar for helping in many facets of the book.
The book by its very nature describes a number of third party products and services. The courtesies extended by these parties are thankfully acknowledged.