DVB-H

[1] For a few months from March 2008, DVB-H was officially endorsed by the European Union as the "preferred technology for terrestrial mobile broadcasting".

[2][3][4][5] The major competitors of this technology were Qualcomm's MediaFLO system, the 3G cellular system based MBMS mobile-TV standard, and the ATSC-M/H format in the U.S. As of 2008[update], the recently introduced DVB-SH (Satellite to Handhelds) and anticipated DVB-NGH (Next Generation Handheld) in the future were possible enhancements to DVB-H, providing improved spectral efficiency and better modulation flexibility.

[6][better source needed] In late 2016, it was acknowledged within the DVB Project newsletter that DVB-H and DVB-SH had been a commercial failure.

In 2002 four main requirements of the DVB-H system were agreed: broadcast services for portable and mobile usage with 'acceptable quality'; a typical user environment, and so geographical coverage, as mobile radio; access to service while moving in a vehicle at high speed (as well as imperceptible handover when moving from one cell to another); and as much compatibility with existing digital terrestrial television (DVB-T), to allow sharing of network and transmission equipment.

[7] DVB-H can offer a downstream channel at high data rates which can be used as standalone or as an enhancement of mobile telecommunication networks which many typical handheld terminals are able to access anyway.

DVB-IPDC (DVB for IP Datacasting) is the specification for broadcasting mobile TV services based on Internet Protocol.

[8] In November 2009, the DVB group made a 'call for technologies' for a new system (DVB-NGH - Next Generation Handheld) to update and replace the DVB-H standard for digital broadcasting to mobile devices.

Network operator Digita was granted to upgrade old DVB-H transmitters to next generation DVB-T2Lite technology which has ability to carry HD, SD and mobile-size picture for TV sets, laptops, pocket-PCs, mobile phones etc.

[14] In August 2008, M1, StarHub, Singtel and Mediacorp jointly conducted a consumer DVB-H trial which lasted three months and limited to 300 customers from the three telco companies.

It is only available on the Nokia N92 and N77 mobile phone due to incompatibility of the current system with other security technologies such as DVB OSF, the one supported by all other handset manufacturers.

[16][17] In the United States, Crown Castle had rolled out a DVB-H offering through a company they created called Modeo in 2006.

At the NAB trade show in April 2006, a second service launch was announced by SES Americom, Aloha Partners and Reti Radiotelevisive Digitali.

O2 Ireland commenced a trial in March 2007 with a single high site 1.2 kW transmitter at Three Rock covering the greater Dublin area.

In Austria DVB-H is available since the start of UEFA Euro 2008 as result of a joint effort between Media Broad and the mobile operators 3 and Orange.

In Germany the future of DVB-H is still unknown due to continuous issues with the license and open questions about the business model, in particular which role operators play in it and if they are willing to do so.

[citation needed] In Estonia, DVB-H service started testing phase in April 2008 with Levira and EMT, offering up to 15 TV-stations.

In South Africa Multichoice launched the public version of its DVB-H service, called DSTV Mobile on 1 December 2010.

[26] On 30 March 2011, KPN announced it was terminating the DVB-H service on 1 June 2011 because of a lack of new mobiles supporting the standard which resulted in fewer users.

[27] In Jamaica, DVB-H service was launched by telecoms provider LIME in 2010 in the capital city Kingston and its Metropolitan Area.

At the NAB show in April 2012, Peter Siebert of Europe's DVB Project Office said DVB-H did not succeed because so few devices were available, mainly because content producers would not subsidize them.

These 1st generation transmissions protocols are not very spectrum efficient, but the fatal problem seems to be the lack of business model for mobile-TV.

As 4G/LTE became standard in most smartphones and used in many countries, it can provide the needed capacity for mobile TV within most people's data allotments.