Grab a Dongle and Take Local TV With You!

Local TV stations from coast to coast are presenting more exciting ways viewers can enjoy broadcast TV on the go! Mobile TV (a service offered by local stations that uses the TV airwaves, not streaming over the Internet) gives you the option of taking your favorite morning show with you, watching TV instant replays while you’re sitting in the stadium or keeping your children occupied in the back seat of the car on long trips – and all without taking a bite out of your monthly data allowance!

By using the TV airwaves, local stations send content to your tablet, laptop or smartphone without the need for WiFi (so no annoying buffering!) But you need to be sure your device is mobile TV ready. Some phones and tablets have this built in. If you are an iPhone or iPad user, you just need a dongle (a small unit that plugs into your device to pick up the service).

Many viewers are already experiencing the benefits of TV on the go, and just recently it was announced that more cities will have mobile TV service in the very near future. Get ready Baltimore, Jacksonville, Fl. and Salt Lake City, you’re next! To find out if mobile TV service is already reaching your area, check out this coverage map.

On the West Coast, Seattle broadcast station KOMO-TV recently released the MyDTV app for iPad and iPhone users. Free through iTunes, this app allows users to receive KOMO-TV and other local TV stations, as well as record their favorite broadcast shows from channels available through the app. App users are then able to enjoy their recorded show at a later time, even if the device is no longer in the area where the show was recorded.

Broadcast TV continues to adapt to meet the changing needs of its viewers. So grab a dongle and get ready to enjoy your favorite shows anywhere, any time!

The Future of TV was on Display at the 2013 NAB Show!

More than 92,000 media and entertainment representatives were in Las Vegas last week for the 2013 NAB Show. This annual conference is the premiere event for content and communications professionals from around the globe, especially those anxious to see what new technologies are on the horizon.

Among other things, attendees learned more about how they can watch their favorite local news and TV shows on the go without the need for WiFi or buffering at The Mobile TV Pavilion. Broadcasters are using their traditional airwaves to send content to  cellphones, tablets, in-car entertainment systems and more. The top mobile TV companies demonstrated the technology, including explaining how a dongle can turn your iPhone or iPad into a traveling TV. Broadcasters’ mobile TV service is already available in half the country, and just last week 25 more stations announced they will deliver mobile TV in some of America’s largest cities.  

4K TVs, the next generation HDTV, were also on display at the NAB Show. The screens on the exhibit floor were some of the largest available on the market – the image size is 3,840 by 2,160 compared to 1,920 by 1,080. 4K TVs boast the best picture quality, making them one of the most coveted items of TV loving Show attendees.

8K video (with 22.2 channel sound) was highlighted in the NHK exhibit at the NAB Labs Futures Park during the show in the “Super Hi-Vision” (SHV) presentation format. Continuous showings of SHV content were presented throughout NAB Show on a 300-inch screen in an 80-seat theater. NHK also showed a new SHV studio camera that captures images at a 120 Hz frame rate, along with a 60 Hz portable SHV camera. There was also an historic 8K event at the Show: For the first time in the world outside Japan, 8K video was transmitted and received over the air at the 2013 NAB Show, using two terrestrial TV channels.

Did you attend this year’s NAB Show? If so, you know that broadcasters in the U.S. and across the globe are constantly exploring innovations to better serve viewers. The future of TV is the content you want, when and where you want it.

Is A “Dongle” On Your Holiday Wish List This Year?

The holiday season is officially upon us! Before you pack up the kids to go over the mountain and through the woods to grandma’s house, make sure you can make the car ride even more enjoyable for everyone by having free TV on your iPhone or iPad!

The Elgato mobile TV dongle plugs into your iPhone or iPad turning it into a portable television, without the worry of data charges since it relies on signals directly from your local TV stations.

This first of its kind device in the U.S. market can connect to Apple devices and is available in all markets where TV stations are transmitting mobile TV signals.

Mobile TV allows you to stay informed and entertained on the go with the same local and national broadcast news and entertainment programming that you receive on your TV at home. This is live TV, not streaming. And because it uses the broadcast TV airwaves, not the Internet, an unlimited number of viewers can watch on their iPhones and iPads at the same time without buffering.

Dongles have been extremely popular since their debut in early November. In fact, dongles are so popular they are flying off the shelves, making it challenging for the manufacturers and retailers to keep up with demand.

Whether waiting to board a plane or driving to see loved ones over the holidays, users are able to watch their favorite broadcast TV programs live and on the go – for free – with the Elgato mobile TV receiver. With all the expenses that are rung up during the holidays, this is something all consumers can cheer about!