Frequently Asked Questions

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GENERAL

  1. What is IP Datacasting?
  2. What is the difference between DAB/DVB/ISDB-T/DVB-H/other systems?
  3. Why has Nokia chosen DVB-H instead of DAB?
  4. Will DVB-H be a global standard?
  5. What are the differences between DVB-T and DVB-H?
  6. How does broadcasting fit in with other mobile offerings for audiovisual services?
  7. What are the benefits of mobile phone TV for consumers?
  8. What will make mobile phone TV different from "regular" TV programming?
  9. What will make IPDC successful when portable analog TV failed?
  10. What would a typical revenue share look like?

What is IP Datacasting?
IP Datacasting (IPDC) is an efficient and cost-effective broadcasting technology optimized to bring TV-like services to mobile receivers. Nokia believes IPDC is the best technology choice for delivering the best quality mobile TV.

What is the difference between DAB/DVB/ISDB-T/DVB-H/other systems?
All are standards for digital broadcasting:

DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) is well suited for digital radio broadcast and the audio element is well standardized in DAB. It is also referred to as Eureka -147. DAB operates on different frequencies than DVB-H: these frequencies have capacity limitations compared to DVB-H frequencies and pose difficult demands on the antenna implementations in the devices.

DVB (Digital Video Broadcast) is what brings digital TV to our homes via satellite, cable, and terrestrial networks. The audio, video and data transmission are well standardized, making it an ideal "platform" for IPDC; DVB also offers higher data capacity than DAB because of better frequency allocation.

ISDB-T is the digital terrestrial TV standard developed in Japan and it is used in the Japanese market only.

DVB-H (DVB Handheld) is an extension of the DVB-T standard, enabling service reception in handheld devices using IP data and devices, which have small battery capacity. DVB-H network parameters are optimized for mobile usage and for handheld devices.

Korean Satellite DMB used in Korea (S-DMB) is a further development of DAB targeted for digital mobile broadcasting over geosynchronous satellite combined with repeater stations.

Korean Terrestrial DMB used in Korea (T-DMB) is a further development of DAB from the Korean Electronic and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).

Why has Nokia chosen DVB-H instead of DAB?
One of the main drivers was the future potential availability of frequency bandwidth. The DAB band is very limited and therefore scaling up large amount of services on top of DAB would require frequency reallocation, which is not likely to happen.

Will DVB-H be a global standard?
Yes, Nokia believes so, with the likely exception of Japan. We are delighted that ETSI has adopted the DVB-H standard for Europe and therefore also started the trend for the global adoption of DVB-H.

What are the differences between DVB-T and DVB-H?
DVB-T is the current terrestrial digital television broadcast standard. It was developed with the living room TV in mind, meaning that it best functions with a large rooftop antenna, large TV screen, and a receiver (TV set) connected to a continuous power supply. In contrast, DVB-H was developed with the handheld, mobile receiver in mind.

In particular, DVB-H is optimized for use with battery-powered receivers with internal antennas and small screens. DVB-H supports time-slicing technology, which transmits the broadcast in bursts. The receiver can shut down between bursts, thus saving power significantly.

How does broadcasting fit in with other mobile offerings for audiovisual services?
IPDC over DVB-H and broadcasting in general is complementary to 3G and other cellular technologies as it uses point-to-multipoint distribution rather than point-to-point communication between two individual parties.

IPDC is a one-to-many network that distributes content in a different way. Cellular technologies are for one-to-one, personal communications (such as Internet or email access, downloading and accessing content whenever you want). IPDC is positioned for one-to-many delivery, i.e. the same content delivered to a large number of users at the same scheduled time.

DVB-H is at the final stage of standardization. Standardization will ensure interoperability for device and service offerings.

To achieve this goal we warmly welcome strong co-operation from the players across the media industry, equipment manufacturers as well as from various service and network providers.

Several fundamental standardization activities were initiated in global standardization organizations (such as DVB, IETF -Internet Engineering Task Force) already in 2002 and we expect to see significant progress in the near future.

What are the benefits of mobile phone TV for consumers?
The major benefit is the freedom to enjoy TV-like content on the go. For example, consumers could catch up on the morning news or catch the early morning market reports live during the morning bus ride.

What will make mobile phone TV different from "regular" TV programming?
The major difference is that the screen is smaller (but personal) and the time spent watching is shorter than normal TV, thus the programming will be adopted over time.

Viewers can also be offered the opportunity to interact with programming by SMS voting or chatting, ordering products and services, or following embedded links to websites or other digital content.

What will make IPDC successful when portable analog TV failed?
Mobility is the key differentiating factor. IPDC is optimized for mobile use, including both indoor coverage and true mobile use, such as in cars, buses, trains, etc.

The amount of digital content people want to consume will increase, but the number of devices they want to carry around with them will not. Combining TV with the mobile phone brings added functionality to the one device people have with them everywhere.

Digital delivery with service protection will offer the business potential to the whole value chain and can offer high-value content in the mobile environment. The commerce system itself can also be operated by different types of companies.

What would a typical revenue share look like?
With traditional media distribution methods, the value division between content and distribution costs varies. DVB-H distribution enables lower distribution cost allocation. In DVB-H the suggested division of shares between distribution and content is 1/3 for distribution, 2/3 for content.

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