Watching the footie on a 2-inch screen may not seem like technological progress, unless, that screen is attached to your mobile phone. There are now more than 6 million mobile phone customers – primarily in Japan, South Korea and Italy – using their handset as a mini television. The mobile TV market, which barely existed a year ago in Europe, is set for take-off. According to technology consultancy Screen Digest, by 2011 there could be as many as 143 million mobile TV users, generating more than 4.7 billion euros in revenues. In fact, television could be “the killer app” for the mobile industry, a greater consumer draw than games or music downloads. “While cynics doubt that consumers will be happy watching TV on such a small device, consumers are proving them wrong,” says Screen Digest analyst David MacQueen. But, still, this is TV on a 2-inch screen. Could it possibly stand up to the real thing? This week, I’ve been testing 3 Italia’s mobile TV service, test-driving a Samsung SGH-P910. Launched last June, 3 Italia’s mobile TV service, which operates via the DVB-H broadcast technology (other platforms include DMB and MediaFlo), is Europe’s most advanced. The Hutchison Whampoa unit has signed up more than a half-million subscribers, lured by 15 channels of sports, movies, free-to-air favourites Rai and Mediaset, and the Playboy and Penthouse channels, all available for a flat fee, payable on a daily, weekly or monthly tariff. Because 3 Italia uses a type of broadcast technology, the signal is constant and the picture is about as clear as a regular TV. The sound, while noticeably tinny, is powerful enough to hear from across the room -- not bad for the minute speakers. The biggest problem occurs during fast-action sequences. Quick camera cuts generate a momentary pixelising effect on the screen – not ideal for watching Lara Croft smack around the bad guys. But news footage is crisp as are game shows and sit-coms. Watching sporting events on a mobile TV is a rewarding experience for some types of sport, frustrating for others. For example, trying to follow Serena Williams in her straight-set 6-3,6-3 rout of Shahar Peer in the quarter-finals of the Rome Tennis Open proved to be a vexing affair. The ball is just too small to judge the close calls. I won’t be doing this for Wimbledon. Read page two.

published on 26 May 2007