Handset System Architectures for Mobile DTV

Mobile broadcast digital TV represents the latest grand addition to the mobile handset convergence phenomenon. Even before it began, mobile DTV was likened to the next killer application in the handset-analogous to the camera phone-and it understandably receives great attention with the annual handset market size rapidly approaching the billion unit mark. Arguably, much of this appeal stems from the opportunities for so many players in an expanded value Web, especially involving the entrance of the broadcast and entertainment community's content, aggregation, and distribution providers into the conventional mix of the cellular communications community's technology, system, and handset providers, and network operators. In this paper, we present an overview of the mobile DTV landscape. We also focus on the architectures for mobile DTV within the cellular handset from the systems perspective, with emphasis on the architectural implications for the handset designer and across market segmentations from the higher-end multimedia phones to the mid- and lower-range feature phones where many believe mobile DTV will ultimately shine as does the camera today