FloTV, as I understand it, is an attempt to provide some "premium channels" behind a paywall like CNN. How useful it is is open to question. In the short term, ATSC is poorly oriented towards mobile devices.
In the medium and longer term, I expect ATSC receiver technology to improve, and it to become easier and easier to make low power HD MPEG2 decoders, eliminating the need to have a "special" version of ATSC. At the same time, license holders will make more use of their digital subchannel capabilities which means a greater choice of free TV options. Right now, in my area, before the switch, I have:
- The major networks, plus ION and MyNetworkTV - The CW (Lifetime/WE wannabe) - PBS's Knowledge and Create channels - Qubo (Nickelodeon wannabe) - RTN (reruns of old TV shows) - Two news and weather stations from NBC and ABC. - Two spanish language entertainment stations (Plus six billion religious channels, but let's ignore those for now.)
Missing right now? A national news station (though we'd expect anything big to be on the NBC/ABC news and weather stations), a classic movies channel, and a home shopping channel. We did have the latter at one point but it's been off air for a while. As for the others, the current news and weather stations strike me as prime candidates to be turned into national stations, and RTN suggests a classic movies station wouldn't be unlikely to happen. And, hey, as it's DTV and there's no good reason not to be, maybe it could be widescreen.
I think Qualcomm will milk FloTV for a few years, but it's not got long, and the future is free.
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There is a add-on to ATSC designed for mobile use called MPH that's being actively rolled out in a number of areas:
http://www.switched.com/2009/04/20/washington-d-c-first-to-get-free-mobile-tv/
FloTV, as I understand it, is an attempt to provide some "premium channels" behind a paywall like CNN. How useful it is is open to question. In the short term, ATSC is poorly oriented towards mobile devices.
In the medium and longer term, I expect ATSC receiver technology to improve, and it to become easier and easier to make low power HD MPEG2 decoders, eliminating the need to have a "special" version of ATSC. At the same time, license holders will make more use of their digital subchannel capabilities which means a greater choice of free TV options. Right now, in my area, before the switch, I have:
- The major networks, plus ION and MyNetworkTV
- The CW (Lifetime/WE wannabe)
- PBS's Knowledge and Create channels
- Qubo (Nickelodeon wannabe)
- RTN (reruns of old TV shows)
- Two news and weather stations from NBC and ABC.
- Two spanish language entertainment stations
(Plus six billion religious channels, but let's ignore those for now.)
Missing right now? A national news station (though we'd expect anything big to be on the NBC/ABC news and weather stations), a classic movies channel, and a home shopping channel. We did have the latter at one point but it's been off air for a while. As for the others, the current news and weather stations strike me as prime candidates to be turned into national stations, and RTN suggests a classic movies station wouldn't be unlikely to happen. And, hey, as it's DTV and there's no good reason not to be, maybe it could be widescreen.
I think Qualcomm will milk FloTV for a few years, but it's not got long, and the future is free.