Be Smart

The European Commission has attempted to streamline the roll-out of mobile TV by backing the DVB-H standard; however while this might be good news to Nokia, who were petitioning for DVB-H, some operators are accusing the Union of deciding too quickly.  EU member states will now be required to "encourage" the use of DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld) in new implementations, based on the standard being the most widely used in Europe.  Sixteen countries either have trial or commercial launches of DVB-H based mobile TV services.

"An official endorsement does carry weight but it's not clear if DVB-H is necessarily the best standard" GSM Association spokesman

However, other formats have been adopted in South Korea, Japan, the United States and China, and broadcasters are more interested in whether subscribers will be willing to pay for the small-screen TV experience.

"How do you design a compelling service that people will want? Even if it's free and financed by advertising, how many ads do people want to see on a small screen?" Ross Biggam, director general of the Association of Commercial Television, Europe

The Commission hopes that backing the standard will be the boost mobile TV needs to flourish in Europe.

[via picturephoning]