Philips will roll out a small system board in Q2 2005 to support handset vendors participating in the next phase of DVB-H trials. This will be followed later in the year with a full System-in-Package (SiP) for DVB-H that will offer a reduced footprint and lower power consumption, which is expected to allow consumers to watch TV for over 10 hours before needing to recharge their phone.
With DVB-H, a data transmitting system, operators also anticipate broadcasting mobile phone software updates to a large number of handsets simultaneously, enabling the addition of revenue-generating applications after a phone has been purchased.
In addition, Philips will integrate Silicon & Software Systems’ (S3) onHandTV software into the platform. In return, S3 will join the Philips’ Nexperia Partner Program, an initiative intended to enable Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and Integrators to deliver middleware, applications and reference designs based on the company’s Nexperia family of semiconductors.
Philips new technology is an attempt to enhance the user experience of TV on mobile. The company aims to offer a complete application that supports H.264 video and AAC audio for high-quality viewing and listening. It incorporates the company’s picture and audio enhancement IP, including Natural Motion and smart color mapping, in the hope of playing a critical role in creating sustained consumer demand for mobile TV services.
This is a revolutionary development, integrating all the components of a digital TV receiver into a space small enough to fit into a mobile phone, said Mario Rivas, executive vice president, Communications Businesses, Philips Semiconductors. As a broadcast technology, watching TV on the mobile phone is the natural progression from listening to radio and downloading video clips.
