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Video Applications
Open Access building blocks form the foundation for a variety of emerging mobile video and IP video over broadband applications including:
- Multimedia Messaging Service
- Multimedia Content Browsing
- Handset-to-Handset Video
- Extended Video Calling
Multimedia Messaging Service
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) represents a logical service extension of the currently available Short Message Service (SMS) offerings. It allows the reception of full multimedia messages (images, sound, video) by a compatible wireless handset. MMS does not require that the handset has an embedded camera, only the capability to obtain and display the images or video stream.
A typical configuration might look like the following:
Multimedia Content Browsing/Delivery
The combination of multimedia and mobility make a broad range of content browsing and delivery applications possible. The applications described on this page focus on personal entertainment and information services, offerings which, because of the large percentage of consumer wireless demand, may be an important driver for new wireless offerings.
Standard TV Program Viewing
Without considering the interactive aspects, there is considerable value in simply making broadcast TV programming available to wireless subscribers. Rapidly scanning through channels can be as effective a way of providing casual entertainment in a mobile setting as it is in the home. Viewing a sportscast live, even on a small screen, can be more involving than viewing highlights on a large TV after the outcome is already known. And information channels, such as news and weather channels, can be very effective in conveying needed information visually to any mobile location.
Video Recording Features
Local media storage in the video gateway could be dedicated to a given subscriber to support video recording features, such as recording a program at one time for playback at a later time. For example, a commuter could record a favorite TV show that is broadcast at noon each day and view it while going home on the evening train. If such a live broadcast was recorded, but viewing started even as few as ten minutes later, it would be possible to fast-forward over commercials.
Interactive Program Downloading
The success of gaming proves that mobile users may well want to purchase interactive video games to play on their video handsets. Additionally, local gateway storage for each subscriber could include support for other interactive programs, such as memo pad, calendar, and phone book.
Remote Interactive Services
The full promise of interactive TV is realized by using the interaction channel to support complete web browsing. Individual services more tailored to the interactive TV environment, however, are more likely to become best-selling applications. Video-on-demand, for example, has long been recognized as a hot market opportunity waiting to be exploited. A gateway that reserves sufficient media storage for a wireless video subscriber to record a broadcast program has all that is required to instead support a downloaded video recording.
Handset-to-Handset Video
Another application area is what can be thought of as the “video phone.” It features a wireless device with a built-in camera and the ability to send and receive still or moving images across the network. This is similar to current PC-to-PC “webcam” capabilities but with the tremendous advantages of mobility that being able to point a wireless handset like a video camera bring.
Extended Video Calling
An even broader range of connectivity includes being able to communicate in a multimedia session with any peer-to-peer device such as a PDA, desktop computer, or other video enabled device. As a follow-on to instant messaging, with multimedia extensions, extended video calling has the potential to be popular with the most dynamic market segments — teens and young adults. For business applications, the ability to set-up a live videoconference between traditional “room-based” systems and mobile handsets is highly desirable.
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