Microsoft Corp. is joining the Mobile DTV Alliance as a founding member. The new organisation was created to promote the growth and evolution of the open standard for broadcast digital TV on mobile devices, Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H).
Microsoft joins a group of mobile industry companies including Intel Corporation, Modeo LLC, Motorola Inc., Nokia and Texas Instruments Inc. (TI).
As part of the Mobile DTV Alliance, Microsoft will help promote DVB-H best practices for delivery of premium-quality broadcast media to mobile devices for the North American market.
DVB-H technologies enable consumers to receive live TV-like experiences directly on their mobile handset and other DVB-H-based devices. In addition, operators will benefit from increased revenue opportunities while preserving cellular network bandwidth for voice and other data services.
Mobile-optimized Microsoft Windows Media technologies from Microsoft such as Windows Media Audio Professional, Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Windows Media Video (Microsoft’s implementation of VC-1) have already been deployed for use in mobile broadcast solutions, including Modeo’s pilot of its DVB-H mobile broadcast network during 2005.
