Gray Television, Inc. Launches Mobile Digital Television
03 September 2009 - 9:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
ATLANTA, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gray Television, Inc.
(NYSE: GTNNYSE:andNYSE:GTN.A) introduces the future of television
with Gray's first successful launch of a "Mobile DTV" signal. Gray
Television's NBC affiliate in Omaha, Nebraska, WOWT, unleashed
ground breaking technology July 24, 2009 with the television groups
first "mobile DTV" signal, giving viewers within the station's
coverage area a signal that can be received on mobile devices,
directly from the transmitter. Vice President of Technology for
Gray Television, Jim Ocon is working with WOWT and the Open Mobile
Video Coalition on a pilot test, making WOWT one of the only
stations in the country with the technology. Mobile Digital
Television transmits WOWT's live signal, to hand-held devices. The
catch, there needs to be a receiver chip built-in. "The chips
themselves, the little tuners, are actually being built as we
speak," said Ocon. "This is the future of the television industry,"
said President and General Manager of WOWT, and Gray Regional
Vice-President, Charlie Peterson. She had borrowed one of the few
tuner based cell phones in the country for the station launch. "The
quality is really unbelievable!" The video can be received
virtually anywhere within WOWT's coverage area. "It's designed to
work on the go, with a DVD player, a cell phone, a navigation
system, the possibilities are quite tremendous," said Ocon. With
Mobile Digital Television, it's like having a television in your
pocket. Imagine the possibilities during a storm. From an emergency
alert perspective, I think it's going to be a must," said Ocon. "I
think this technology is going to save lives." Best of all, it's
completely free. It's not offered through a cable or cell phone
provider, so it does not even use cell phone minutes. "Once you see
it working, you're going to want to have it," said Ocon. The
technology is expected to be available to consumers early next year
or possibly late this year. About Open Mobile Video Coalition In
2007, transmission of full-motion digital television signals to
mobile and handheld devices was proven technically feasible.
Leaders of the broadcasting industry came together to make mobile
digital television a reality; they formed the Open Mobile Video
Coalition (OMVC) to accelerate the development and rollout of
mobile DTV products and services, maximizing the full potential of
the digital television spectrum. For more information on the Mobile
Video Coalition, visit their website at
http://www.omvc.org/media-relations. About Advanced Television
Standards Committee The Advanced Television Systems Committee is an
international, non-profit organization developing voluntary
standards for digital television. Over 195 ATSC member
organizations represent the broadcast, broadcast equipment, motion
picture, consumer electronics, computer, cable, satellite and
semiconductor industries. For the latest ATSC news, press releases,
visit the ATSC website at http://atsc.org/. About Gray Television,
Inc. Gray Television, Inc. is a television broadcast company
headquartered in Atlanta, GA. Gray currently operates 36 television
stations serving 30 markets. Each of the stations are affiliated
with either CBS (17 stations), NBC (10 stations), ABC (8 stations)
or FOX (1 station). In addition, Gray currently operates 38 digital
second channels including 1 ABC, 4 Fox, 7 CW and 16 MyNetworkTV
affiliates plus 8 local news/weather channels and 2 "independent"
channels in certain of its existing markets. DATASOURCE: Gray
Television, Inc. CONTACT: James Ocon, Vice President-Technology for
Gray Television Group Inc., +1-402-233-7829; Charlie Peterson,
President and General Manager of WOWT, and Gray Regional
Vice-President, +1-402-233-7845 Web Site: http://www.gray.tv/
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