Digital TV for Cell Phones & Handsets from Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments (TI) is developing the wireless industry's first digital TV on a chip, which captures broadcast signals and allows cell phone users to watch live broadcasts.
Code-named "Hollywood," this single-chip will receive live digital TV broadcasts using new television infrastructure that is being developed for cell phones. Subscribers will have access to different types of content including:
- Live television content
- Pay-per view
- Interactive TV
- Packaged services for sporting events
- Music Videos
- Menu/Guide systems
- and more
October 2004 Press Release: Texas Instruments Brings Live Digital TV To Your Cell Phone
October 2004 Archived Webcast: View the Hollywood web cast
"Hollywood" will complement the video processing capabilities that OMAP processors deliver today to enable TV viewing on cell phones with the content streamed over the cellular network. "Hollywood" will take digital TV on cell phones steps further by bringing you the same TV you watch at home - but on your cell phone. Wherever you are, you'll receive live, crisp images at real-time speeds so you don't miss a second of your favorite show.
Inside "Hollywood"
While no single standard will be used worldwide, TI believes that the most prevalent standards will be those that are open and non-proprietary, including:
- Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld (DVB-H)
- Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting - Terrestrial (ISDB-T)
Because the "Hollywood" chip will use a separate air interface, not the cellular network, to transmit the TV signal, this will enable live digital TV to be broadcast in real-time (25-30 frames per second) rather than streamed over the network (1-15 frames per second).
Leveraging TI's revolutionary digital RF processor (DRP) technology, TI will collapse the traditional three-chip solution, which includes a tuner, OFDM demodulator and channel decoder processor, into a highly-integrated single chip for digital TV mobile phones. "Hollywood" will also use TI's advanced 90-nanometer process technology to allow for maximum power efficiency, smaller board area and lower overall system costs. The unique single-chip is designed to interface with TI's widely adopted OMAP processor technology, that handles the multimedia processing of television content, to provide a complete TV receiver system for wireless handsets.
Download the Digital TV for Handsets whitepaper.
Availability
TI expects to provide samples of the "Hollywood" chip to customers in 2006. TI's "Hollywood" offering will also include all needed software for television signal processing. The associated OMAP processor-based development platform will allow handset manufacturers to create customized user interfaces, enhancing the consumer experience. This is expected to enable manufacturers to launch products in conjunction with the first mobile digital TV infrastructure mass deployments in 2007.
