The mass-production of the chip will begin almost at the end of the year, leading to produce some applications by early next year. The multi-mode TV chip can be incorporated into any digital devices such as phones, laptops, car navigators, PDAs, memory sticks, and even in a wrist watch. Even a 300 kilometer per hour running train can't outrun the speed of receiving signals.
Automatic roaming is no longer a surprise for mobile phone users who are well adapted to third-generation handsets. And when those 3G phones are combined with these multi-mode TV chip, the Worldwide Mobile TV Period will come," Rhee Dojun, vice president of mobile solution team at Samsung stated during a presentation.
According to vice president Rhee, the new chip supports three of four major mobile TV standards -- T-DMB for Korea, ISDB-T for Japan and Brazil, and DVB-H for Europe and other parts of the world. Most of those services are free, allowing customers to watch local TV channels as long as the chip is in a device.
The only missing technology in the Samsung chip is the MediaFlow platform. Here the vice president Rhee explained that Samsung can add the MediaFlow function to the multi-mode chip at any time, once Qualcomm, the owner grants its use.
According to Strategic Analytics, a market research firm, the mobile TV market is expected to reach 12 million units in 2007 and will increase gradually over the next four years. But different interests of firms and nations are hindering the formation of an incorporated market.
A few other companies have introduced similar multi-mode TV receiving units but the new Samsung chip is so far the smallest and the most efficient one, the company proudly introduced. It further noted that the chips will be produced in large quantities at Samsung's cutting-edge 65-nanometer line.
