Harris, LG to roll out new mobile video technology for over-the-air DTV reception

For years one of the top complaints regarding the digital television
transition was that it would leave over-the-air broadcasts unable to
distribute signals to mobile receivers. But that will change at NAB
when Harris and Zenith roll out MPH or Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld
technology.

Harris and LG say the potential to create new markets and revenue streams for TV broadcasters, will be prominently featured in two high-profile NAB exhibits: the Harris booth (N2502, Las Vegas Convention Center) and the Advanced Television Systems Committee “Hot Spot” (South Hall upper lobby). The robustness and reliability of the new system also will be showcased in live, mobile demonstrations throughout the NAB convention.

“MPH is designed to deliver the Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld applications that digital TV broadcasters are seeking,” said Dr. Jong Kim, president of LG’s Zenith R&D Lab, which collaborated with the LG DTV Lab in Seoul and with Harris Broadcast Communications Division on the development of the system. “We believe broadcasters will appreciate both the superior performance and unparalleled flexibility of our MPH system.”

Tim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications said, “The results of our joint development with LG Electronics are in response to our customers’ interest in a compelling, in-band mobile solution. The versatile, robust MPH system is the first that strikes the right balance for broadcasters looking to deliver both high-definition programming to fixed receivers and standard-definition programming and datacasting to mobile and handheld devices.”

The MPH system is a multiple-stream approach, with the main service stream for existing DTV and HDTV services, and the MPH stream for one or more mobile, pedestrian and/or handheld services. Key attributes of the MPH system include:
Backward compatibility with the existing ATSC 8-VSB transmission and receiving equipment; Capability to receive broadcast signals at high (mobile) speed with a single antenna; Use of practical, small handheld receivers without the need for multiple antennas; Power savings in handheld receivers; Flexibility in both data rates and robustness; Data-rate efficiency, and; Use of advanced video and audio coding in the MPH stream.

The MPH system has the additional advantage for broadcasters of involving neither outside service providers nor spectrum-pooling arrangements.