LAS VEGAS, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- With an eye on the
future for spectrum owners interested in reaching millions of
mobile TV viewers, Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS) today took the
wraps off its latest technological innovation developed with LG
Electronics — mobile digital television delivered in "Scalable
Full-Channel Mobile Mode." The demonstration features
functioning hardware for both transmission and reception of mobile
DTV signals using enhanced technology.
The new system enables as many as 16 different video programs to
be sent in the same 6 MHz bandwidth utilized by a TV broadcaster.
It has been proposed for standardization to the Advanced Television
Systems Committee (ATSC) and is being unveiled this week at the
2010 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention.
Current TV broadcasters are required by the Federal
Communications Commission to offer at least one standard-definition
digital TV program in their 19.4 Mbps broadcast bitstream. Owners
of other 700 MHz spectrum, however, have more flexibility.
The Harris/LG demonstration will show spectrum owners and all
terrestrial broadcasters how to maximize spectrum use with a
greater variety of TV programs to reach mobile viewers "on the go"
as viewing habits change.
This demonstration can be seen in the ATSC-OMVC Mobile Digital
TV Pavilion (Booth SU5217A, South Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center) during the entire
2010 NAB Show.
Multiple Mobile Programs on One
Channel
To achieve its robust approach to Scalable Full-Channel Mobile
Mode, LG and Harris engineers have trimmed the main digital program
to enable a mere trickle of data — enough to advertise available
mobile programs on the service to in-home viewers. Most of
the 19.4 Mbps bitstream in the 6 MHz TV channel is then cleared for
transmission of various mobile programs, which can all be beamed
from the same broadcast infrastructure.
"We realize there are applications for digital broadcasting that
go far beyond the services transmitted by TV stations," said Dr.
Jong Kim, president of LG
Electronics' U.S. R&D lab. "Companies that own 700 MHz
spectrum are beginning to ask how they might put the power of ATSC
mobile digital broadcasting to use, and we're responding by
creating a new method of utilizing digital transmission to transmit
even more programs. With our Scalable Full-Channel Mobile
Mode system, we can offer multiple programs for mobile devices and
a 'barker program' that can be seen by in-home viewers."
The LG-Harris Scalable Full-Channel Mobile Mode is designed to
be compatible with the ATSC A/153 Mobile DTV Standard adopted by
the ATSC last October. It will offer non-traditional
broadcasters an effective way to reach millions of mobile, portable
and handheld devices.
"LG is committed to providing reception chips to equip receiving
devices for Scalable Full-Channel Mobile Mode within four months of
standard adoption," Dr. Kim said. "Co-developed by LG, Zenith
and Harris, this technology shows how Mobile DTV can be applied to
help non-traditional broadcasters reach the viewing public.
We're using commercially available Harris transmission
equipment and LG Mobile Digital TV receivers — such as portable
TVs, netbook computers and prototype mobile phones — to show how
spectrum owners might offer multiple programs of diversified
content."
Significant Progress Toward Commercialization
While the demonstration is a prototype, "the finished product
will require nothing more than a software upgrade" for Harris
Mobile DTV equipment owners, according to Jay Adrick, vice president of broadcast
technology for Harris Corporation.
"We're already working with a customer, and there are others
operating in the 700 MHz spectrum who plan to launch mobile
services that are compatible with the ATSC transmission system,"
Adrick said. "We believe that Scalable Full-Channel Mobile
Mode transmission will come to market rather quickly, once it is
standardized. These are changing times for broadcasters, and they
need every tool that they can get to be competitive and to move
toward the types of services that people want in the future."
"This is an extension of the ATSC A/153 Mobile DTV standard, so
there's a lot of commonality with what broadcasters are already
planning to do," Adrick added. "To achieve the Scalable
Full-Channel Mobile Mode, there are, however, some significant
changes in coding rate and in the block formats that are used to
generate the various segments of the mobile signal."
The technology developed by Harris, LG and Zenith is a leading
contender in the ATSC Scalable Full-Channel Mobile Mode
standardization process. An ATSC "Candidate Standard" could be
adopted in the next several months.
About LG Electronics USA
LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American
subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology
leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile
communications. In the United
States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and
innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home
appliances and business solutions, all under LG's "Life's Good"
marketing theme. Digital television pioneer and long-time consumer
electronics leader Zenith merged with LG Electronics in 1999. For
more information, please visit www.LGusa.com.
About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and
technology innovator in consumer electronics, home appliances and
mobile communications, employing more than 82,000 people working in
114 operations including 82 subsidiaries around the world. With
revenues exceeding $55 billion (2009
global sales including subsidiaries), LG Electronics comprises five
business units: Home Entertainment, Home Appliance, Air
Conditioning, Business Solutions and Mobile Communications. LG is
one of the world's leading producers of mobile handsets, flat panel
TVs, air conditioners, front-loading washing machines, optical
storage products, DVD players and home theater systems. For more
information, please visit www.lge.com.
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information
technology company serving government and commercial markets in
more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has
approximately $5 billion of annual
revenue and more than 15,000 employees — including nearly 7,000
engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing
best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and
services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is
available at www.harris.com.
SOURCE LG Electronics USA, Inc.