Review: Mobile TV from O2

18-05-2007

by Emmet Ryan

O2 is trialling mobile television across Dublin and ENN put the service through the wringer for a month to see if it'll catch on.

It wasn't quite the 10 tasks of Hercules but ENN tested O2's trial service of mobile broadcast television in as many feasible scenarios as possible to see what it could do.

The signal was variable, going from a perfect and relatively crisp image to a helpful screen saying 'No content available for this channel' at a moment's notice. For the most part the coverage was solid, but there were several periods throughout ENN's month-long experiment where no television service would be available for the best part of a day.

The service fared surprisingly well in transit. O2 have indicated that commuters will be a prime target if and when the service becomes commercially available. The signal and picture stayed strong travelling via car, Luas, Dublin Bus and Dart. The Dart was a particular surprise given the route I commute on includes passing via Seapoint station, a horrid area for mobile coverage at the best of times, but the signal suffered little interference and on some occasions there was absolutely no deterioration in quality.

Mobile TV's surprising reliability while on the move only served to make its failings more infuriating. Given the signal for broadcast was from Three Rock it was more than a bit surprising to find problems encountered while in Donnybrook, a mere stone's throw from the RTE mast.

The channels on offer during the trial included Sky Sports 1 and Setanta Sports. I used the phone at three different sporting events to watch a game on the field and another on the phone. This aspect definitely had an appeal as it meant I could follow two big games at once, something which will definitely appeal to sports fans.

Due to the crowds at the sporting events I was able to gauge the perception members of this potential target market might have. The almost universal view was that they thought it was a great service but were wary that it might come with a high price. As it's still in the trial phase O2 haven't yet indicated what the service might cost or if the phones used will primarily come from the higher end of the price bracket, as more technically advanced phones tend to. Judging by public reaction though it would be wise for the operator to find some way of delivering the service in an affordable manner.

The handset used for the trial, the Nokia N92, is a technically advanced phone which presented its own set of difficulties. It's a clunky monster of a device, probably a necessity given the amount of applications stored. Turning it on seemed to take forever and heaven knows how much power it consumes. In essence this seems like the SUV of handsets, an out-and-out gas guzzler.

The wide variety of complicated functions, including a good quality video camera, was probably partially to blame for the lengthy wait I had to endure to use any of the applications available. The earphones were another problem as, like almost all handsets, it has its own special set which means standard walkman or MP3 player earphones won't suffice.

Overall the service offers something that will definitely appeal to a large chunk of the public but the quality of service needs to improve. If, as is expected, the channels become available on a subscription basis users will have little tolerance for downtime.