Mobile video providers continued to target users in the Far East with two new announcements Tuesday.
RealNetworks Inc. and mobile operator Hong Kong CSL launched a mobile media service enabling users to watch on-demand video while switching seamlessly between the carrier’s networks, the companies said.
The offering uses RealNetworks’ Helix Universal Mobile Platform to deliver video on CSL’s GPRS, EDGE and UMTS data networks. Subscribers to the operator’s “Video World” service can access news, finance, sports and entertainment content in Chinese and English.
“It was important for CSL to be able to continue leveraging existing networks while deploying our new 3G network,” said Dr. Tony Seeto, CSL’s director of business development. “Real’s Helix mobile platform provided CSL with the multi-format and interoperable media framework to launch our comprehensive ‘Video World’ service on our 3G network while automatically adapting that same video programming to service customers on our GPRS and EDGE networks.”
Meanwhile, the Mobile Broadcasting Corp. (mbco) said it has tapped Envivio Inc. to provide encoding systems for its MobaHO! video service. The satellite broadcasting service will use Envivio’s 4Caster to encode live feeds for delivery to Japanese wireless subscribers’ devices.
The companies said the new technology will enable improved quality for the broadcast service, which was launched last year.
“Our subscribers are seeking quality services and a valuable entertainment experience,” said Koichi Minemura, mbco’s executive vice president of technology. “To satisfy their needs and minimize our bandwidth costs, we were seeking systems backed by a (leading technology) company.”
