17th November 2004 - LG Electronics unveiled worlds
first terrestrial digital multimedia broadcast-receiving
mobile phone, and demonstrated its functions.
The DMB mobile phone adopts the DMB-receiving System-on-Chip
(SoC) that the company developed last month. The chip
enables the user to watch terrestrial broadcasts and
at the same time talk on the phone.
LG Electronics has technologically brought the usual
home TV antenna function aimed at receiving VHF broadband
DMB into the small phone. The handset also adopts
DSP (Digital Signal Processor)-based SoC (System-on-Chip),
mobile phone-fit low power consumption and design
technologies for making the device small.
The terrestrial DMB phone is profoundly significant
in that it has remarkably resolved problems surrounding
the bulky terminal size and power consumption. The
previous terrestrial DMB terminals had no mobile phone
functions, and they took the form of bulky-sized terminal-only
or PDAs.
This breakthrough has proved LG Electronics technologies
in DMB-receiving devices to be the industrys top level
together with its satellite DMB phone "SB-100"
unveiled in May. It has also provided the company
a momentum to lead a new multimedia mobile handset
market combining broadcasting and telecommunication.
Thus, LG Electronics is poised to use its worlds
exclusive, sophisticated DMB technologies, and push
for the development of state-of-the-art broadcasting
and communication devices by reflecting the concept
of 5 anys (anytime, anywhere, any network, any device,
and any service) that the ubiquitous information communication
and broadcasting network pursues, beyond the mere
fusion technologies of broadcasting and communication.
Woo Paik, CTO of LG Electronics, said. "The
terrestrial DMB phone, the first of its kind worldwide,
adopts our own-developed handset design technologies
and terrestrial broadcast-receiving chip, thus giving
it competitive superiority in size, performance, and
convenience in use. This terrestrial DMB phone has
opened up a new world where people can watch terrestrial
DMB TV and simultaneously speak via a mobile phone."
LG Electronics has invested 20 billion won in developing
the terrestrial DMB phone for two years with 130 researchers
(including 90 masters degree and Ph.D holders) engaged
in the project. The company has filed about 150 patents
applications domestically and overseas for technologies
including H.264 video decorder-enabling technology.
LG Electronics, backed by its worlds first DTV technologies,
takes advantage of its technological experience in
integrating DAB(Digital Audio Broadcasting) and FEC(Forward
Error Correction) technologies, and is exerting every
effort to develop various broadcasting-related technologies
such as satellite and terrestrial DMB and DVB-H, and
related handsets.
Starting with the terrestrial DMB phone, the company
will not only introduce related products in time for
commercialized services of domestic terrestrial and
satellite DMB, but also continue to unveil products
with receiving functions and consumption power remarkably
enhanced, thus further stepping up its market leadership.
Also, LG Electronics is set to use its worlds first
terrestrial DMB phone technologies and aggressively
penetrate the global market including Europe, South
America and China with its domestic terrestrial DMB
standard. To respond to overseas terrestrial transmission
methods, it will push to preoccupy and lead the domestic
terrestrial DMB handset market.
Thus, as part of efforts to establish the domestic
terrestrial DMB standard as global standard, LG Electronics
is now participating in activities for enacting domestic
next-generation broadcast forum regulations to affirm
its DMB technology as the domestic standard, and also
is pushing to have the technology adopted as the global
standard by World DAB Forum.
To disseminate its DMB standard worldwide, the company
is currently conducting overseas road shows and participating
in overseas exhibitions for promotion. Such efforts
are winning favorable response from Britain, Germany,
and numerous Asian nations, thus brightening the prospect
that the companys DMB technology is adopted as each
nations standard.
LG Electronics development of terrestrial DMB phone
is the first of its kind worldwide, and has enhanced
the possibility of Koreas commercialized services
of terrestrial DMB. There are reports on DMB test
services conducted aboard a train in Germany, and
in some areas of China. These bids, however, targeted
multiple people-watched TV, while the companys technology
has targeted a personal receiver model.
Also, the terrestrial DMB standard is the first mobile
broadcast standard established by Koreas own design.
Likewise, it is a new standard established by multimedia
technologies, based on the global standard of the
existing DAB system.
Thus, Korea, led by LG Electronics, is expected to
lead the global digital mobile multimedia broadcast
technologies.
LG Electronics DMB SoC is the worlds first to integrate
broadcast-receiving section and media-process (audio-visual
signal treatment) section into one chip. It also adopts
picture-enhancement mobile-XD engine.
Also, the company applied its own-developed algorithms
aimed at enhancing receiving sensitivity, as well
as reduced power consumption through the audio-visual
treatment-enabled platform based on digital signal
processor.
The terrestrial DMB SoC can be applied to mobile
phones, notebook computers, PDAs, and car terminals,
and thus it is expected to greatly activate the domestic
terrestrial DMB services and expand mobile phone market.
As such, the domestic terrestrial DMB standard, which
has a great possibility of becoming the Europes mobile
communication standard, will likely penetrate both
domestic and overseas markets aggressively.
If DMB services go into full swing, this will generate
huge ripple effects in the whole IT industry including
parts, devices, contents and infrastructure.
The galvanization of DMB services will highlight
DMB-related chip-set display, batteries, and storage
devices as core elements, thus helping develop related
industries, and in turn boosting demand for related
terminals, car electronics devices, and new portable
devices. This move will likewise invigorate related
contents, services, and infrastructure, thus having
huge ripple effects on the whole IT sector.
Terrestrial DMB will become a radio-like concept
in the long term and will be available with all IT
devices. According to surveys conducted by Electronics
and Telecommunications Research Institute, and Korea
Information Strategy Development Institute, the market
size will top a huge 8.5 million subscribers by 2010.
DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting): provides CD-quality-level
sounds, data and video services via mobile handsets,
while their holders move or stay in certain places.
It is classified into terrestrial DMB and satellite
DMB according to transmission means.
DSP (Digital Signal Processor): an integrated circuit
that can treat digital signals in the hardware way.
Adopts a circuit that can treat repetitive computation
at high speeds to treat digital signals at high speeds.
DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting): Audio broadcasting
that can transmit not only CD-level high quality sounds,
but also texts, graphics, and videos. The basic standard
is Eureka-147.
Ripple effects of terrestrial DMB production
Unit: 100 million won
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Receiver Market 771 1,562 2,924 5,885 8,619 12,267
32,028
Service Market 74 134 227 548 672 1,202 2,856
Total 844 1,696 3,151 6,433 9,291 13,469 34,884
Market prospect for terrestrial DMB car receivers
Unit: 1,000 units, 100 million won
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
No. of Penetration units 155 270 424 996 1,405 1,910
5,160
Market Size 372 596 860 1,853 2,411 3,015 9,107
Digital broadcast technology patents whose applications
are domestically filed
(in mid 2003)
Company Share
LG Electronics 26
Samsung Electronics 23
Daewoo Electronics 23
Philips 6
Hynix 5
Sony 4
Thompson Licensing 3
Thompson Consumer Electronics 3
Others 7
< Terrestrial DMB phone specification >
Overvi
ew : Worlds first terrestrial DMB
(Digital Multimedia Broadcasting)-receiving phone
Features / Specification
- Large 2.4"QVGA screen, high-definition LCD
- 1.3 Mega Pixel CCD camera
- CDMA mobile service / T-DMB(OFDM) receiving
- High-definition video H.264 CIF 30 fps
- Enabling terrestrial DMB video (H.264)/audio (BSAC)
standard
- DAB-MUSICAM
- Various multimedia-feature broadcast functions -
recording broadcasts, TV-Out
-High-quality audio play MP3 Player
-3D Surround Sound / Dual Stereo Speaker
