[a_ukboy]

Mobi TV is now on Three UK, only works for the Nokia 6630 and 6680, it costs £5 per month and includes 7 Channels

ITN News, Kiss, Cartoon Network, CNN, Bravo, Sports TV and Xtreme

I have installed the driver and tried in on my 6680, have to say the picture quality seems better then i expected

This will keep me entertained on my wat to and from work

Hopefully more channels will soon follow, well done Three.. Looks like you're starting to become a proper network

[getti]

I wonder if its better quality than Orange TV

[a_ukboy]

Don't know, never tried Orange TV.. What channels do they have and how much is the monthy subscription?

[Ben]

OTV is £10 a month and has 15-16 channels, including pretty much all the ones 3 have. It's good in theory but the application is buggy as hell.

[timothythetim]

This is soooooooooo cool!!!!!!!!
The quality seems really good, especially if you are not moving. It seems better quality than the three downloads.
A couple of things though, if anyone knows anything about it.
Is there an option to keep the backlight on and stop the screensaver coming on? There doesn't seem to be one in the TV app (I haven't had a look in nokia settings)
Also the channels arent exactly the same as they are on they telly. Are they delayed or is it a different channel with similiar programmes? What is it like with OTV?
Also, a full screen mode wouldn't go a miss.

[a_ukboy]

Im sure you cant do full screen, but sreensaver and backlight you have to change in phone settings

[Ben]

The maximum you can set the backlight to is 1 minute... it sounds like the 3 application is VERY similar to the Orange one! The same stupid oversights...

[3g-g]

£5 a month, that's pretty reasonable... if they add more channels and keep the same price I would expect Orange to drop their price to compete.

Definately a good move on behalf of Three however, good stuff.

[3GScottishUser]

A good add-on for £5/month. None of 3's doing of course, its a third party service and I suspect all the networks will offer this in time. This will be streaming at 64 Kbs the same as videocalling so it just goes to prove how overpriced the charges are for that.

Not a 'killer' application but I think it has sufficient novelty value to make it real sales winner in the shops (if they know about it!). The price is very reasonable and it looks lke 3's customers are set to benefit from their craving to generate non-voice revenues currently.

[Ben]

A good add-on for £5/month. None of 3's doing of course, its a third party service and I suspect all the networks will offer this in time. This will be streaming at 64 Kbs the same as videocalling so it just goes to prove how overpriced the charges are for that.
The TV services are packet switched, so they're delivered at up to 384kbps. I might try and hunt down an example of 3's implementation in action today so I can compare it to Oranges!

[3GScottishUser]

If they are packet switched then they will not be using anything like 384Kbs, the network would fall over!! This technology is already used in the USA where they dont have 3G so it must be operating at a much slower rate. Worth looking into. Mobi TV pricing still makes a nonsense of the general data charges currently.

[a_ukboy]

I can also confirm, If you're on a Talk Text and Video package that includes a bundle to use on Three services, eg Talk Text and Video 700 comes with £5 inclusive allowence, then they use that to pay your MobiTV subscription with making it even better value in my opinion, whether its ment to or just a mistake on Three's part, will have to see what happens in the following month!

[Ben]

If they are packet switched then they will not be using anything like 384Kbs, the network would fall over!! This technology is already used in the USA where they dont have 3G so it must be operating at a much slower rate. Worth looking into. Mobi TV pricing still makes a nonsense of the general data charges currently.
Yeah, it does work on 2G but it's encoded at a lower rate so appears a bit blocky. When in good 3G coverage, however, it switches to a stream encoded at a higher bitrate giving exceptionally crisp and smooth images that are (goes out on a limb) probably better than a lot of the downloaded video clips I've experienced on Three/Orange. And yes, the network (Orange) does seem to fall over when using OTV :)

Does the Three application 'pause' every 10 seconds or so for a fractional amount of time? Is it made by MobiTV?

[3GScottishUser]

I have been doing a bit of research on Mobi TV and it appears it is a java application that can be offered over GPRS as it requires only about 70Kb/s. Technical details are a bit sketchy but it figures that if Sprint and other US carriers are offering this then there is no reason why it cant be offered on GSM networks also. It's probably better as a 3G application but if take-up is popular, expect to see all the others offering it on just about every java enabled handset.

It costs $9.99/month in the states for about 20 channels - so not too different from what is being offered here in the UK. One would imagine that there will be some revenue sharing between the developer and the networks and apparently one of the key revenue generators will be advertising. TV stations will be happy to pay Mobi TV and the networks to get more folks in front of their programmes..... or adverts really!!

Have to have a look at this in the flesh, looks like a real winnner at the kind of monthly cost on offer.

[bsrjl1]

Tried to install last night, I get Authentication Failed at the end on my v4.04.07 6680 :-(

[getti]

I thought Orange had only 9 stations until i found out you could scroll down to some more :o

Was good last night, i was in bed watching the comedy channel for about 30mins. Quality was ok but could be better. Remember though it is a new service

[Ben]

I went into a Carphone Warehouse today to see if they'd demo 3's implementation of MobiTV for me. The chap didn't know 3 had released it yet as it's not in their literature. Here's the convo we had:

Me> Hi, I want to get a phone on 3 next month.
Guy> You fool!
Me> I heard they have Mobile TV on 3 now so can you show it me?
Guy> No, that's Orange.
Me> It's on 3 as well now.
Guy> Oh ok, well it's all pretty bad at the moment, runs the batteries down too quick.

He was a really nice chap. I was rather impressed that he called me a fool for telling him I was going onto Three :) I'm not, of course, but I wanted them treat me as a normal customer, not like I was 'in the know'.

[Hands0n]

Aha Ben, you got "talked at" by them too...... I really hate that when it happens! Fancy treating you like a m8 when thats the first time he'd set eyes on you. As the late Benny Hill may have said, he was a "sirry irriot".

I'm intrigued at the Mobi TV offering on 3 and wait to read more on this thread. What worries me only is that my Nokia 6680 is 2nd user, bought from someone on eBay who had an unwanted upgrade. If 3 look into their records they'll find I should be on a Motorola E1000. So whats the chances of any kind of meaningful support if something goes wrong like Bsrlj1 has elsewhere in this thread?

It is at times like these where the prospect of facing CS to either (a) get my problem fixed or (b) have the add-on taken off my contract and any refunds processed that I feel the blood pressure rise in trepidation.

I'm running Nokia 6680 firmware revision V 2.04.15 04-03-05 RM-36

Has anyone who has Mobi TV running got the same firmware as me (please do a *#0000# to see what firmware you are on and report back).

[3GScottishUser]

Interesting.

The CPW staff have just had their commission structures changed lately and they get the same commission for every deal instead of the (highly impartial) previous different rates for different products!

I suspect what you got was genuine 'impartial' advice, perhaps the single commission rate will make CPW staff the most honest in the UK, well done I say!

[a_ukboy]

Aha Ben, you got "talked at" by them too...... I really hate that when it happens! Fancy treating you like a m8 when thats the first time he'd set eyes on you. As the late Benny Hill may have said, he was a "sirry irriot".

I'm intrigued at the Mobi TV offering on 3 and wait to read more on this thread. What worries me only is that my Nokia 6680 is 2nd user, bought from someone on eBay who had an unwanted upgrade. If 3 look into their records they'll find I should be on a Motorola E1000. So whats the chances of any kind of meaningful support if something goes wrong like Bsrlj1 has elsewhere in this thread?

It is at times like these where the prospect of facing CS to either (a) get my problem fixed or (b) have the add-on taken off my contract and any refunds processed that I feel the blood pressure rise in trepidation.

I'm running Nokia 6680 firmware revision V 2.04.15 04-03-05 RM-36

Has anyone who has Mobi TV running got the same firmware as me (please do a *#0000# to see what firmware you are on and report back).


I do have that software version too, works a treat on my mobile mate:

So far i have watched 90 mins of TV, to and from work and its only crashed on me once so far :rolleyes:

[Hands0n]

I do have that software version too, works a treat on my mobile mate:

So far i have watched 90 mins of TV, to and from work and its only crashed on me once so far :rolleyes:

Cheers for that, confidence level back up to the upper quartile :)

I was very impressed with OTV (Orange) and so am glad to see something similar make an appearance on 3.

I think that this is the way forward for 3, to buy in services rather than try and be all things to all men - something they tried with not very good results (I really do not like much of their homegrown content). Content is not their forte, they are a mobile operator. What they should be able to do best is deliver services over their network.

A fiver for Mobi TV sounds like a bit of a bargain, especially compared against OTV in terms of price. Will they [3] deliver more channels for the same money? I hope so, but only time will tell.

I hope that this is an indicator that the end is nigh for high-priced content from 3 (referring to the ridiculous 75p/minute Big Borer (sic) broadcasts earlier this year.

[timothythetim]

Aha Ben, you got "talked at" by them too...... I really hate that when it happens! Fancy treating you like a m8 when thats the first time he'd set eyes on you. As the late Benny Hill may have said, he was a "sirry irriot".

I'm intrigued at the Mobi TV offering on 3 and wait to read more on this thread. What worries me only is that my Nokia 6680 is 2nd user, bought from someone on eBay who had an unwanted upgrade. If 3 look into their records they'll find I should be on a Motorola E1000. So whats the chances of any kind of meaningful support if something goes wrong like Bsrlj1 has elsewhere in this thread?

It is at times like these where the prospect of facing CS to either (a) get my problem fixed or (b) have the add-on taken off my contract and any refunds processed that I feel the blood pressure rise in trepidation.

I'm running Nokia 6680 firmware revision V 2.04.15 04-03-05 RM-36

Has anyone who has Mobi TV running got the same firmware as me (please do a *#0000# to see what firmware you are on and report back).
I've got that firmware as well and it works a treat.

[Hands0n]

They already know about the backlight problem ....... culled from the Help page on 3

"The backlight on your mobile screen will need reactivating as you are watching MobiTV. To minimise the need to keep reactivating the light, please set your backlight delay to the maximum possible period for your handset model."

So, they probably are not going to try to do anything about that then!


Charging; I can't quite figure out the subscription/charging model. It looks to me that by downloading the code you automatically set yourself up for a £5 charge via 3. Then after 31 days they ask you to pay another £5 for the next 31 days, and so on ad-infinitum. What happens if you decide to skip a month? Or decide that Mobi TV isn't that great and you want out? Its not entirely clear from what I can read on the handset Help and T&Cs pages for Mobi TV.

This is brand new stuff obviously - checking out http://www.mobitv.com only mentions Orange as its UK 3G pardner.

[3GScottishUser]

I suspect Mobi TV will partner with any GPRS/3G network to gain revenues from the channels it distributes. Pretty neat idea that seems set to expand to all the networks in time.

As Ben has stated it works best on 3G but it's making its presence felt on US networks using GPRS so I expect Virgin etc to offer it here in the UK if it proves to be a popular application, which I think it might be at reasonable prices (£5 - £8 a month).

[Hands0n]

Oh s*d it! I promised myself I'd not keep spending out ..... but this is too irresistable!

On installing the application, and after restarting the phone (power off, power on) I ran the app. MobiTV asks for an access point, select 3. At that point the app asks you to confirm that you will accept a £5 charge to use the service for 31 days. I presume that this will happen on the 32nd day from today.

The quality is good, it looks just like OTV did on a pal's Orange-supplied Nokia 6680 - fair enough as they are the same app. It is very watchable, even with my need to wear reading glasses (I'm long sighted). Some stuttering and pausing of the video is evident, although the voice continues. I'm in a solid 3G area (max bars) so thats a bit of a strange one.

I'm seeing some bugginess at the moment, it could be me fumbling the app, but I've just had Cartoon Network lock up on me and I could not shut down the app any other way than power cycling the 6680.

Its neat, all the same. Definitely an appealing facility. I'll poll around my friends and associates and see if they still think a phone is for phoning :)

[@NickyColman]

Can someone tell me what particular part of the Services page you can download the Tv app from?

[Hands0n]

Its not on the Services page, there is a link to it on the main portal page. Its not exactly obvious at first glance. Scroll down to the "TV" banner, there will be the logos for Cartoon Network, Bravo and Kiss below which it says "NEW - Watch TV programmes on your mobile. Got a Nokia 6630 or 6680?" Click on that link and then you're into the good stuff - you can download the appropriate app, read the help and Ts&Cs etc.

It is good.

[Hands0n]

Well, its been 24 hours since I purchased the MobiTV upgrade on 3. Thoughts and observations?

1. Signal break up
I am getting fairly frequent pauses in the programming, sometimes it is video, sometimes audio, sometimes both. Occasionally the app tells me that it is tuning into the channel again! Once the signal is back the program continues from where it left off. It is a bit onerous, the pauses/breaks are distracting. I can't see it being a local issue between handset and transmitter - I am less than 500M from the nearest mast.

2. Application lock-up
This has happened a few times so far. I'm not making rampant use of it, just that the several times I've used it the lock-up has occurred. For no apparent reason too. It often happens when trying to change channel, but has also happened while watching a broadcast, it just froze. The app cannot be exited from within itself. Nor can it be exited by use of the handset's apps menu button. The only solution has been to power-cycle the handset, and thats not entirely funny!

3. Channels
The (hopefully) initial number of channels is an interesting mix. The combination of ITN and CNN is a reasonable mix to appeal to [amongst very many others] the business folk who have a 3 handset. Cartoon Network suits the kids, but I think that mine will rapidly exhaust their interest given the short duration of the programming (15 mins?). The other channels don't interest me that much, but I'm sure they will appeal to some.

So, technical problems (above) notwithstanding - I'm pleased with the initial offering. Will I renew in 31 days? I don't really know right now. Much will depend on the stability of the app and programming. If it does not improve I may well let it expire and re-visit in a few months time.

[3GScottishUser]

Having viewed the experiences of Orange Mobi TV users and read the above, I am not convinced this application is 'market ready'. It looks like a brilliant product but if it stutters and crashes then it's something that the networks should avoid until it works properly.

Are we expecting too much? Maybe.... but try explaining to someone who is promised Mobile TV that it's new and you should'nt expect perfection..... they do if they pay for it!

[Hands0n]

I suspect this is a MobiTV issue entirely given that OTV can exhibit similar issues.

This culled from 3's online MobiTV Help page


Occasionally you may find MobiTV freezes or is very slow to show pictures. If the pictures do not start after 30 seconds, please try the following three options: change channel, or close and restart MobiTV; or switch off and restart your handset


Similar advice is given on Mobi TV's own website (http://www.mobitv.com) who say;


Why do I sometimes hear short breaks in the sound?
MobiTV delivers TV content to your phone over cellular networks which are sometimes interrupted. You might occasionally hear a short break in the sound as a result of normal network traffic, just as your phone calls are occasionally interrupted. This is expected and should cause no loss of content.

What should I do if the application pauses and does not restart?
MobiTV sometimes pauses when users enter an area with inconsistent cellular coverage or in a high-traffic area. In those cases, you should simply end the application and try again when you receive a stronger cellular signal. On rare occasions, the miniature computer within your phone may need to be rebooted by removing and then reinserting your battery. If the application or phone becomes unresponsive, try closing and then reopening the application.


OTV has been around quite a while (this year!!) and it does not appear that MobiTV have either (a) been able to fix the problems or (b) have any intention of doing so.

Which is an utter shame as I feel that apps like this are well suited to 3G in general.

Am I going too far to suggest that MobiTV could be to early multimedia handset software what the NEC e606 was to early 3G handsets?

[getti]

Can anyone send me this MobiTV app so i can install it on my N70 with my 3pay SIM?

its not downloading for me :mad:

[a_ukboy]

I've just had a software upgrade on my Three branded 6680, now i cant get MobiTV to work, when i try a re-install it i get authorisation failed, did have it on the older software, so now payed for it this month and cant use it, do you think if i took the phone back to a service centre they would re-install an older software again? also im now missing the active standby which i use to use, it was handy for displaying my work schedule that's stored on my calendar!! :(

New software version:

V 3.04.37
01-06-05
RM-36

[getti]

any chance u have the software handy?

[a_ukboy]

You have to get the software from the TV section under services, can't see how you can get it any other way!

[getti]

Damn.

When i try to download it comes up that it failed

[Hands0n]

Had a bit of a look around to see if the SIS file was available independently of 3. It does not appear to be the case, although it does come down to the handset as an installer, that gets discarded once the proggy is installed and there does not seem to be a way of interrupting the process to grab a copy of the SIS before it goes away.

Looking also at MobiTV's website, they only provide for two of the Nokias. So maybe there'll be nothing until they make a bespoke version for the N70. The app does seem to be very handset specific (is this really the way forward?!!) rather than generic which is a shame as it flies in the face of Java's proclaimed core competency vis a vis platform independence.

[a_ukboy]

You obviously have the same software as me? im now quite annoyed, after speaking to the Carphone Warehouse they have also said they are aware of problems with this software, so whay are they giving it out? also i can't go back to my old software as it will completely crash the phone, apparently!!

[bsrjl1]

No downgrading of SW is allowed on the BB5 Nokias (6630,6680 etc..) for security reasons. I guess they're worried that if a flaw is found with an old version, everyone would downgrade & unlock their phones. Bit like what's going on with the PSP at the moment :-)

[Hands0n]

I launched MobiTV yesterday, gosh how 31 days flies by! But, when prompted to pay another £5 for this abortion of an application, for the life of me I could not find the "You've got to be effing joking" button. So I pressed the "Cancel" one instead and deleted MobiTV from my installed apps on the 6680.

Next!