Nokia's Answer to iPhone Includes DVB-H Tuner

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Nokia started shipping its N96 mobile phone last week. It has a 2.8-inch display and built-in 3D speakers and the ability to play video and audio files. It also features a camera.

Like the iPhone, it can browse the Internet, but unlike the iPhone, it has the ability to receive live TV using the DVB-H format available in many countries.

"The Nokia N96 is mobile entertainment at its best, a fitting flagship for our Nseries range," said Jones Geust, vice president at Nokia Nseries. "Watch live TV and video, take high-quality photos and geotag them to specific locations or directly upload them online via the fast Internet connection—it is all about taking mobile entertainment and communication to the next level."

Nokia's N96 shows that manufacturers believe consumers are interested in viewing live TV on their cell phone/media player. Demand for this DVB-H device should provide a boost for devices based on the proposed ATSC M/H standard.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.