Samsung Electronics has taken the wraps off a prototype cellular telephone capable of receiving satellite TV and radio broadcasts.
The phone's unveiling at the Wireless Korea 2004 exhibition in Seoul follows Samsung's announcement earlier this year that it had created a chip to enable just such a feature. The chip, which is used in the prototype phone, uses a core from ARM and can decode the satellite broadcasts and handle functions such as billing for pay-per-view services.
Testing, 1, 2, 3
The phone is compatible with a satellite service currently being planned by TU Media in South Korea and Mobile Broadcasting in Japan. Unlike conventional satellite TV, the new service won't require large dish antennas. Instead it will be capable of sending programs directly to mobile terminals equipped with small antennas, such as cell phones. This is because it will use higher power/lower frequency signals. It will broadcast around 2.6 GHz, close to the 2.1 GHz band used by third-generation telephone services and much lower than the 11 GHz frequencies used in current satellite broadcasting.
The satellite that will broadcast the programs, MBSat, was launched in March this year and test broadcasts are already underway. The satellite will have two beams, one covering South Korea and one covering Japan. Both TU Media and MBCO are also constructing a network of gap-filler transmitters that will enable smooth reception in areas that don't have line-of-sight view to the satellite, such as behind large buildings in cities.
Pocket Full of Media
Samsung's prototype handset is a twist on the "candy-bar" form-factor cell phone. The main display on which TV programs can be viewed and which acts as a viewfinder for the camera function is usually hidden away in the back of the phone's body but can be twisted into position when needed so that it sticks out of the left-hand side of the phone. On the front of the phone above the keypad sits a smaller display that is used for other functions.
The main display is 2.2 inches in diagonal width, has a 262 pixel by 144 pixel resolution and can support 260,000 colors, said Eric Kim, a spokesman for the company. Samsung didn't specify the size of the front display although it has a lower resolution and supports 65,000 colors.
The phone will be compatible with South Korea's Code Division Multiple Access 2000 1x Evolution Data Only networks, and also has a 2-megapixel camera with flash, support for video-on-demand services, an MP3 player, and a slot for a Reduced Size Multimedia Card memory card, said Kim.
Finding a Signal
Samsung's commercialization plan for the phone isn't fixed yet, said Sophie Kim, a company spokeswoman.
"We have a plan to commercialize the phone, however it's highly dependent on the service schedule. Right now the service is expected to launch in late September, in the third quarter of this year," she said.
Details of the services to launched by both companies have been outlined. TU Media will broadcast around 40 channels in South Korea and MBCO says it is planning to transmit 38 channels initially to subscribers in Japan. They will consist of 30 audio, 7 video, and 1 data channel. Audio channels will include pop, rock, jazz, classical, world music, and several overseas FM radio stations while the video channels will carry news, financial news, sports, music, and kids shows.
SK Telecom, which is a shareholder in TU Media, also showed a prototype cell phone for the service during the same exhibition.
