Once again the International Consumer Electronics Show (January
7-10, 2010, Las Vegas, Nev.www.cesweb.org)rang
in the new year with the latest and greatest in consumer gadgets
and technology. Two of the most exciting digital TV technologies
at this year's show were ATSC Mobile DTV and 3D HDTV. In both
cases, devices that will be commercially available this year were
on display. These and some of the other developments from last
week's show are highlighted below.
Mobile DTV TechZone - this special exhibit area, located
in the Central hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC),
was sponsored by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC,www.omvc.org),
to highlight new developments and devices in the mobile DTV technology
area. The OMVC is a 29-member organization of broadcasters representing
more than 800 local TV stations, plus NAB and MSTV. Using the
ATSC's mobile digital TV broadcasting standard, OMVC plans to
launch a customer trial in Washington, D.C. in early 2010. Most
prominent in this exhibit were a number of exciting pre-production
ATSC Mobile DTV receivers including the following:
Tivit - this is a mobile DTV receiver that is being manufactured
by Korean company Valups. Originally developed for use in Japan
for their "One Seg" mobile DTV system, OMVC provided partial funding
for Valups to adapt the product for U.S. viewers using the ATSC
mobile DTV standard. The Tivit enables the viewer to watch a mobile
broadcast via a notebook, netbook, personal mobile device or smart
phone which doesn't have a built-in mobile TV receiver. By installing
dedicated application software "Tivit Mobile TV Viewer" on a smart
phone or PC, ATSC Mobile DTV channels are received on the Tivit
and then transmitted from the Tivit via a Wi-Fi connection to
a smart phone or PC. Shown in the photo is the Valups booth in
the TechZone as well as the device itself which is about the same
size as an iPhone. Tivit is reportedly going to be available later
this spring for a suggested retail price of under $120. See Valups
Web site at
http://www.valups.com/TivitMobileTVViewer/ for additional
information. 
USB "dongle" receivers - a family of receivers by DTV Interactive
(www.dtvinteractive.com;see
photo) were on display that consist of a USB flash drive-like
housing with a telescoping antenna on one end and a USB connector
on the other end. Dongles that are compatible with Apple Macintosh
computers as well as with Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, and Windows
7 were on display.
Cell phone receivers LG was displaying some prototype cell
phones with ATSC Mobile DTV capability in both the Mobile DTV
TechZone and their own exhibit in the LVCC Central hall. The photos
shown here are from the LG booth. Samsung showed a mobile DTV-enabled
version of their Moment cell phone using their own mobile DTV
receiver IC. Also on display were (non-cell phone) receivers from
Winegard, iMovee, Pixtree, WITHUS and Crestech;
Mobile DTV test equipment - Sarnoff Labs, Lumantek, Rohde and
Schwarz and Axcera were displaying test and measurement equipment
with ATSC Mobile DTV capabilities.
Comprehensive information on exhibiting companies and the program
schedule for CES Mobile DTV broadcasts are available in the "CES
2010 Demo One Sheet" document located in the OMVC Digital Media
Room on the Internet at www.tinyurl.com/OMVConesheet.
Sezmi/OMVC demonstration - a compelling demonstration
of the versatility of the ATSC DTV system and the efficient use
of DTV broadcast spectrum was offered at a press conference held
at the Bellagio hotel on Friday, jointly sponsored by NAB, Sezmi
Corporation, and the OMVC. Introduced by NAB TV Executive VP of
Television Marcellus Alexander, speakers included NAB President
and CEO Gordon Smith, OMVC Executive Director Anne Schelle, ION
VP of Technology Brett Jenkins and Sezmi CEO Buno Pati and co-founder
Phil Wiser, shown in the photo next to an HDTV displaying one
of the Sezmi program selection menus. As part of the demonstration,
local DTV broadcast signals consisting of HDTV, multicast channels,
Sezmi subscription channels, and ATSC Mobile DTV channels were
shown, with the multicast and Sezmi channels being demonstrated
with the Sezmi user interface and the mobile DTV channels being
demonstrated on an LG prototype cell phone with ATSC Mobile DTV
capability. Mr. Pati indicated that the Sezmi service, which is
currently undergoing a consumer trial in the Los Angeles, Calif.
area, will be introduced into select U.S. markets later this year.
3D HDTV for the home - with the James Cameron 3D-blockbuster
"Avatar" still number one in movie theaters, 3D HDTV for the home
took CES by storm. Every major DTV set manufacturer was showing
off 3D-capable products including LCD and plasma flat-panel 3D
displays, 3D Blu-ray disc players, 3D satellite DTV receivers,
and of course thousands of pairs of 3D glasses! Here are some
of the CES 3D HDTV highlights:
3D content - a number of announcements were made regarding the
availability of 3D content in the home for cable and direct-to-home
satellite subscribers. The ESPN 3D network will premiere in June
at the FIFA World Cup, and will carry at least 85 live events
in the first 12 months, with Sony as a key sponsor. Discovery
Communications, Sony and IMAX will jointly launch a 24-hour linear
3D service to launch in 2011 with movies, documentaries, children's
programming and other content; and, DirecTV plans to debut three
3D channels in June that use RealD's video-encoding format and
will be sponsored exclusively by Panasonic (who were showing live
3D signals from DirecTV in their booth).
Displays - 3D HDTV technology was being implemented in LCD,
plasma and Texas Instruments DLP-based sets. While most 3D sets
were utilizing so-called "active" 3D glasses, with lenses that
are switched on and off under control of the 3D HDTV or set-top
box, some were also using the less expensive "passive" glasses
technology that have lenses with orthogonally-oriented polarizing
lenses (and used in movie theaters). NAB President Gordon Smith
is shown in the photo (at far right) as he samples some of the
3D offerings in the Panasonic booth;
Conversion technology - in the Toshiba booth, a demonstration
of Toshiba's "Cell TV" processor included an impressive real-time
conversion of 2D images to 3D. Toshiba anticipates that its Cell
TV will be available for purchase in the August 2010 timeframe.
Skype for HDTV - Internet video calling service provider
Skype (www.skype.com) announced
support for Skype video calls on PCs in 720p HD, as well as Skype
software embedded into Internet-connected widescreen televisions
from its consumer electronics manufacturer partners LG and Panasonic.
The latest version of Skype for Windows will deliver up to 720p
HD-quality video calling at 1280 x 720 resolution, at up to 30
frames per second. To make an HD video call, users will need a
high-speed broadband connection, a new HD webcam, a PC with a
1.8 GHz dual-core processor and Skype 4.2 Beta for Windows.
Skype-enabled HDTVs were being demonstrated in both the LG and
Panasonic exhibits at CES. Skype software will be embedded into
Panasonic's line of 2010 VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs and LG's 26
new LCD and plasma HDTVs with NetCast Entertainment Access. Both
lines are expected to be available in mid-2010. Both LG and Panasonic
will offer specially-designed HD webcams that are optimized for
Skype video calls as separate accessories that can be plugged
into the televisions. These webcams support 720p HD and include
special microphones and optics that can pick up sound and video
from a couch-distance.
Display technology - LED-backlit LCD displays were dominant
in every display manufacturer's exhibit, resulting in more power
efficient and slimmer-than-ever flat-panel HDTVs. LG was showing
what they claim is the "world's slimmest" LCD display at 6.9 mm
thick. Organic LED (OLED) displays were being shown by Sony, LG,
and Samsung but were not nearly as prominent as were the LED-backlit
LCD models. In the Sharp booth, a new four-color LCD display technology
was being shown, adding yellow to the standard red-blue-green
color matrix found in other LCD sets.
Combination ATSC Mobile DTV/HD Radio receivers - two manufacturers,
Cydle Corporation and Kiryung, showed prototype receivers supporting
both ATSC Mobile DTV and HD Radio reception. HD Radio in-band/on-channel
(IBOC) digital radio technology was developed by iBiquity Digital
Corporation (Columbia, Md., (www.ibiquity.com)
and is in use by over 2,000 radio stations throughout the
U.S. (see this week's Radio TechCheck (http://www.nab.org/xert/scitech/pdfs/rd011110.pdf)
for more on HD Radio technology developments at the 2010 CES).
Shown in the photograph at right is the Cydle receiver (designated
P29A) - note that the second and third icons in the top row are
"HD Radio" and "ATSC," respectively. The P29A is reported to be
available in the second quarter of 2010 for a suggested retail
price of $199.
Nominate the Best -- NAB Seeks Nominations for 2010 Engineering
Achievement
NAB is looking for nominees to consider for the prestigious NAB
Engineering Achievement awards. Separate awards will be given
for achievements in radio and television at the Technology Luncheon
at the NAB Show on April 14, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The qualifications
for nominating someone and the nomination form are downloadable
on NAB's
technical resources Web page. You may also request a nomination
form by calling NAB Science & Technology at (202) 429-5346. The
deadline for nominations is January 18, 2010.
ATSC Digital Television 8-VSB Transmission System Fundamentals
& Measurement Seminar
January 20-21, 2010
Milwaukee Area Technical College
A 2-day seminar will be presented on the ATSC's digital television
(DTV) vestigial sideband (VSB) transmission system fundamental
concepts and measurement methodologies by Gary Sgrignoli, of Meintel,
Sgrignoli & Wallace. This seminar is a combination of the original
VSB fundamentals and the VSB measurements presentations. This
updated seminar will help you develop an understanding of the
8-VSB transmission system basics as well as measurement techniques
in the laboratory, at a transmitter site and a remote field test
site. To sign up or if you have questions contact Kevin Kukowski,
MPTV, (414) 297-7576, kukowskk@matc.edu
or Gary Sgrignoli, (847) 259-3352, gary.sgrignoli@IEEE.org.
