Tue, 05/20/2008 - 20:13
Aigo to launch CMMB-enabled media player in mid-June
Shanghai. May 20. INTERFAX-CHINA - Beijing Huaqi Information Digital Technology Co. Ltd., often referred to as Aigo for its Aigo brand of consumer electronics, will launch a media player capable of playing CMMB (China mobile multimedia broadcasting) TV in mid-June, an official from Aigo said today.
"The product, model CM5210, will first be released to the market in Beijing in mid-June. It will also be used in trials in Shanghai and Shenzhen," Lu Chengzhang, product manager of Aigo, told Interfax.
The retail price of the CM5210 will be within the RMB 2,000 ($286.5) to RMB 3,000 ($429.8) range, he said.
The company will market the product as an "MP5 player" to set it apart from current MP4 and MP3 products on the market, Lu said. The player can play Real Media (RM) format videos, in addition to audio and video playing functions that are already available in MP4 player products.
CMMB is a technology developed by the Academy of Broadcasting Science under the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). In October 2006, SARFT named CMMB an industrial standard for mobile TV broadcasting.
According to industry sources, SARFT kicked off commercial trials of CMMB services in Beijing and Shenzhen about a week ago, and will begin trials in Shanghai at the end of this month. It is SARFT's target to provide CMMB services in 37 cities during the Olympic Games.
"People will be able to receive seven TV channels in Beijing for free using our product. I heard that the number of free TV channels will be increased to 14 before the Olympic Games," Lu said.
The CM5210 will look similar to Aigo's DT5200 digital audio broadcasting (DAB) mobile TV device released last year. However, the CM5210 will not have a camera function, Lu said.
"The CM5210 does not have an Internet capability. Users have to transfer videos from a computer. We are developing an MP5 product with Wi-Fi function, which will enable people to download videos directly to the device," he said.
Talking about the DT5200, Lu said sales will pick up between June and August, driven by the demand for mobile TV services during the Olympic Games.
"DAB coverage in Beijing is currently better than CMMB. Signals can be received clearly both outdoors and indoors within the city's Sixth Ring Road. Beijing Jolon [a mobile TV operator] has been offering DAB-based mobile TV services for more than a year. People can receive six mobile TV channels and 14 audio channels offered by Beijing Jolon, free of charge," Lu said.
Lu said that CMMB and DAB mobile TV services will coexist for quite some time.
Prior to naming CMMB an industrial standard for mobile TV, SARFT gave permission to broadcasters in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangdong Province to conduct DAB-based mobile TV trials. According to analysts, DAB is a backup in case CMMB development is not quick enough to serve the Olympics.
Last week, an official from DAB mobile TV operator Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group told Interfax that the company plans to halt its DAB mobile TV services once CMMB becomes fully operational.
-IH
