Washington
– A total of 96 TV stations
are using
Mobile DTV technology to broadcast their programming over the air, and the number will
grow to 126 in 48 markets by the end of the year, the
(OMVC) said.
The number
of stations broadcasting Mobile DTV signals grew from 45 in
January, said the OMVC, a broadcaster association charged with accelerating the development of Mobile DTV in the U.S.
To support the rollout, the OMVC plans in the fall to launch a conditional access system in the
Washington D.C. market to help CE companies test Mobile DTV tuners that
incorporate conditional access technology. Conditional access is designed to
facilitate audience measurement and support the eventual launch of subscription
programming, the coalition said.
Later
this summer, the coalition’s Mobile DTV Forum plans to complete
baseline technical guidelines that will give CE suppliers details about how
broadcasters will implement new services, enabling suppliers to build CE
products that receive those services. The forum consists of TV technology
companies, CE companies, and broadcasters.
In another announcement,
the coalition said the
, managed by Neustar, is up and operating and is already working with
several CE
companies developing Mobile DTV products that incorporate conditional
access. CE suppliers will enter into agreements with Neustar to get the digital
certificates and keys necessary to build Mobile DTV products with conditional access.
OMVC represents more than 900 TV stations.
