Live digital TV arrives on mobile phones

TV addicts need never again be far away from their next digital telly fix, thanks to a chip being developed by Texas Instruments (TI) for mobile phones.

The company has unveiled what it claims is the wireless industry's first single chip capable of capturing broadcast signal and so bringing digital TV to mobile phones.

Codenamed Hollywood, the chip will receive live digital TV broadcasts using new television infrastructure being developed for mobiles.

"TI's new Hollywood digital TV chip will combine the two biggest consumer electronics inventions of our time: the television and the cellphone," said Gilles Delfassy, senior vice president and general manager for TI's Wireless Terminals Business Unit.

"One by one, the industry's most exciting consumer electronics are being integrated into wireless handsets, allowing consumers to get their news and entertainment whenever and wherever they want. With this new chip on the cell phone, users will enjoy digital, high-quality TV in real time."

The chip will support emerging digital TV broadcast standards for the wireless industry. While no single standard is likely to be used worldwide, TI said it believes that the most prevalent standards will be those that are open and non-proprietary.

These include Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld, developed for Europe and expected to extend to North America, and the Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting Terrestrial. The Hollywood chip will support both.

Dedicated wireless networks supporting these standards will feature high-quality live broadcast TV (24-30 frames per second).

The networks also could support services including pay-per-view programming, interactive TV and menu/guide systems.