HARRIS TO INTRODUCE MOBILE TV PLATFORM

Harris Corp. will introduce what it calls “the first full mobile digital TV transmission platform to meet the new Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) solution” that was proposed Wednesday by LG Electronics, Inc. and Samsung.

Harris said Thursday that its offering, which will be introduced in November, will enable television broadcasters to quickly begin the transition to mobile digital television.

The proposed LG and Samsung mobile handheld solution is based upon elements of the Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld (MPH) technology—developed by Harris, LG Electronics and Zenith—as well as Samsung’s Advanced Vestigial Sideband (A-VSB) system. The development clears the path for electronics manufacturers to begin designing mobile DTV devices, and for local DTV broadcasters to proceed with confidence to build out their new mobile DTV services. 

Since joining forces with LG and Zenith in 2006, Harris said the Harris/LG/Zenith team has successfully conducted extensive field testing to demonstrate and prove the reliability of mobile DTV technology in cities nationwide, under the most challenging broadcast conditions.

Harris Broadcast also announced it will begin shipping its new Apex M2X ATSC exciter in August 2008. Broadcasters with Apex M2X exciters can install field-upgradeable updates beginning in early November to fully support M/H broadcasts, putting into place the final component needed to complete the end-to-end in-band mobile DTV platform.

Harris says the solution’s physical layer is compatible with most ATSC DTV transmitters and supports the management and service elements of most mobile DTV standards, including OMA BCAST. In addition, the solution features an Internet protocol-based transport layer that is critical to the ATSC M/H standard’s future implementation. 

“Harris Corp. has thoroughly tested and proved the in-band mobile DTV platform with the assistance of our technology partners and local broadcasters, and we are pleased to play a significant role in the mobile DTV revolution,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications. “The proposed solution offers DTV broadcasters a proven, reliable solution for local, mobile DTV services.  Broadcasters can count on Harris to provide complete mobile DTV transmission solutions that offer new revenue streams through new multimedia content.”