Most of the time, if you want a feature your phone or PMP doesn’t have, you buy a new phone or PMP that does have that feature. However, if you’ve fallen in love with an iPhone or iPod Touch, you may be more reluctant to leave that Apple goodness behind, despite the feature lure of other devices. Instead, you get creative with your solutions, and PacketVideo have come up with a stonking idea for those who want mobile TV access but lack a compatible device. Basically, the Mobile Broadcast Receiver (the white matchbox-sized lump in the photo below) picks up mobile TV and then squirts it out as a streaming video over WiFi.
That means rather than needing a specific mobile TV tuner, all your handset has to have is the far more common WiFi connection. PacketVideo are promising versions of the receiver which will be compatible with all major broadcast technologies, including TDtv, DVB-H and MediaFLO as well as WiMAX. The system automatically converts the video into a streaming format the connected device can display, for instance QuickTime for the iPhone.
A secure connection between the phone and the tuner means that premium channels can be purchased, and the hardware itself is relatively straightforward with only one control – for power on/off – surrounded with a colour changing halo that indicates the li-ion battery status. It measures 6.4 cm wide by 1.8 cm high x 4 cm deep and will be available later on in 2008, likely branded through a carrier.
how much is this thing?