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Leno and Letterman never looked so small. That's why the cell phone in your pocket is highly unlikely to ever replace the HDTV in your home theater.
And yet I do expect more folks to watch regular TV shows on wireless phones, whether waiting for a taxi, killing time at the airport or eating solo in a hotel coffee shop.
Those were scenarios in which I found myself testing Verizon's Wireless's new V Cast Mobile TV service here at the big CTIA Wireless industry trade show. Orlando, Fla., is one of about two dozen cities where Verizon has rolled out V Cast Mobile TV, with more on the roadmap.
I tested the service with Samsung's $150 (after rebate, with two-year contract) SCH-U620 handset, one of two current compatible phones. LG's $200 (again after rebate and two-year contract) VX9400 model is the other.
When it worked as advertised, the video quality on V Cast Mobile was surprisingly fluid. Still, the cell phone TV can be maddening at times because of the relatively puny display, a so-so battery and spotty reception.
Verizon isn't the first U.S. carrier to take a crack at small-screen TV. More than three years ago, I got a taste of mobile channel-surfing testing a Sprint cell phone with MobiTV. Back then, the service crawled along more like a slide show. Suffice to say, MobiTV has gotten a lot better.
More recently in Manhattan, I tested cell TV service from a company called Modeo. That service is based on a competing mobile TV standard. It worked OK. But Modeo hasn't been able to attract a U.S. wireless carrier.
For its part, Verizon is delivering TV via Qualcomm's MediaFlo network, making it the first in the United States to distribute broadcast-quality programming without straining traditional cell phone networks. MediaFlo will launch later this year with AT&T. You'll have to be within reach of MediaFlo's network to watch TV, no matter what kind of phone coverage you have.
Here's a closer look at this promising but imperfect service.
- A shaky start. For decent reception, you must pull out a concealed antenna. But the antenna juts out awkwardly and seems flimsy. It strikes me as an accident waiting to happen, especially if you're watching and walking at the same time. That's not ideal, anyway, especially since I had trouble making out the screen in the Florida sun.
Coverage was hit or miss in and around my hotel room and the Orlando convention center. I sometimes couldn't access the service at all. A few other times, the screen froze, but I still could hear sound.
- Flipping channels. The service excels at changing channels, especially compared with rivals. It takes about two seconds to go from one channel to another, compared with 7 or 8 seconds in my Modeo tests, and sometimes well north of 20 seconds using MobiTV.
- Small screen blues? A tiny display isn't bothersome if you're just watching talking heads. Classic boxing matches on ESPN didn't look half bad either. On the other hand, you'll practically need X-ray vision to make out the CNBC stock ticker scrolling at the bottom of some shows. You can press a button to change the display's orientation and watch full-screen.- Finding something to watch. Verizon struck deals with CBS, Fox and NBC, among others, so you can watch such prime-time shows as "Bones," "Heroes" and "CSI: Miami" - along with the commercials, of course. You can consult a programming grid to see what's on. Some shows are broadcast when they air on regular TV (in Eastern and Pacific time zones). Others are time-shifted. I watched "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Show with David Letterman" in their normal time slots, then caught up on rebroadcast Leno segments come morning.
I liked having a TV phone with me to get the latest on the attorney general scandal and other breaking news. I suspect soap fanatics will happily catch up on "The Young and the Restless" or "Passions" and sports fans, the Final Four. I'm not certain you want your kids hogging "your" phone to watch Nick Jr.'s "Dora The Explorer." The service includes parental controls.
Mobile TV is here to stay even if it remains a work in progress. I think most folks will digest cell phone TV in bite-size chunks. For now, Verizon is charging $15 a month for basic service, maybe a tad too high. Just the same, the picture for mobile TV is beginning to get a whole lot sharper.
Verizon Wireless V Cast Mobile TV
Web site: www.verizonwireless.com/mobiletv
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 4)
Price: $15 to $25 for service plan; compatible phones start at $150 with 2-year contract, after rebate.
- Pros: Video quality is surprisingly fluid. Decent selection of programs.
- Cons: Coverage can be spotty (and is still available only in limited number of cities). Battery is fair. Antenna on test Samsung phone is a little awkward. Watching on small screens is still limiting.
E-mail: ebaig@usatoday.com
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