Qualcomm (they probably made the chipset you’re using in your phone) is working on bringing a new type of product to the US, the FLO TV. Roughly the size of an iPhone, the FLO TV is intended to allow you to watch digital TV broadcasts on the go.
Because this is a rumor, we don’t know much right now. Will it be a stand alone unit? Will it be an add-on to standard phones? Will the iPhone get a tuner? No idea. What we do know is that it’s been incredibly successful in South Korea and Japan, so Qualcomm is looking at releasing it here.
We’ll keep you informed as more information becomes available.
[via gdgt]
Its going to be much more difficult here to get a proper viewing-worthy signal. Most people need an antenna the size of a basketball just to get a proper signal. Great for small countries like japan, but not so much for the US, especially at the size of “an iphone”. Maybe give it a subscription service or something, thats the only way I see it working.
What’s been incredibly successful in Kora and Japan? Qualcomm has no D2C products that I’m aware of, do they?
I think the implication was that dtv on portable devices has been incredibly successful in Korea and Japan, not that Qualcomm specifically has been successful with it there.
Another product on the market to make people squint.
It is real! The system is being released and will be in best buy this November. It is a terestrial based antenna system. Reception is limited to covered markets, and is a subscription service. 20 -25 channels, top rated content, and the picture is great. It transmitts on the old UHF channel 55 band, but is now digital. So basically if you could use a portable TV and receive the signal, you will get this signal. No sat or line of sight issues.
Flo lives…….