Live Pics: MediaFLO for AT&T on the LG Vu and Samsung Access
So we all heard last week that MediaFLO was finally making its way to AT&T next month. This is great news for existing and potential AT&T customers who have been waiting for a high-quality live TV service from the carrier. At CTIA, MediaFLO had little booth tucked away with two Verizon handsets on display and more importantly, two AT&T handsets. As MediaFLO doesn’t utilize cellular data networks for its service, handsets must be modified to include the dedicated guts before they can receive the service. As such, this is not a television service that all devices will have access to unfortunately. The bright side for those who don’t know, is that MediaFLO is real live television and not some lame mobile-only channel lineup with humdrum programming. The first two handsets to receive the MediaFLO treatment are no duds. The Samsung Access handles the service quite nicely and the LG Vu is a true joy when it comes to consuming media. The Vu, which debuted at CTIA, packs a terrific 3-inch display (although we wish it handled more than 262K colors) and the touch-factor makes MediaFLO guide and menu operation a joy. Reaction time in terms of lag between channel changes is not bad at all on either device; a second or two at most. The clarity is fantastic as well, especially on the generous Vu display. AT&T’s initial offering will consist of six standard MediaFLO channels along with two exclusive channels that only AT&T customers will be able to enjoy. MediaFLO is always expanding its coverage area so if you’re not one of the lucky ones right now, hopefully they’ll have you covered soon.
Click on over to our AT&T MediaFLO: LG Vu and Samsung Access gallery!
On Apr 3, 2008 @ 12:47 pm, Jas Said:
Meh, I have a slingbox hooked up at home and can access it from anywhere in the world.
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 3, 2008 @ 2:05 pm, Mark Said:
Glad to see AT&T stepping it up, Verizon has had this service for about a year.
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 3, 2008 @ 2:17 pm, Hacksaw Said:
They should add a HDMI output to those “guts”
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 3, 2008 @ 5:04 pm, HTC POKE Said:
so what and how does that service work if it dosent use cellular data wifi >? wimax,
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 3, 2008 @ 6:53 pm, Jas Said:
Wiki, my friend, Wiki:
Wikipedia “MediaFLO”
Remember all the fuss about the 700Mhz Spectrum? Yeah. One-way transmission from tower to device over 700Mhz network(s).
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 3, 2008 @ 7:04 pm, Jeff B. Said:
Not gonna lie, that is pretty sweet. If it were just free…
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 4, 2008 @ 10:05 am, MisRemembered Said:
You’re right Jas - AT&T should just stop and close up doors on this project because after all, you’re all set.
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 4, 2008 @ 10:39 am, Jas Said:
@ MisRemembered:
I love sarcasm!
Still don’t see the point to this. A fee-based service that requires “special” handsets with the appropriate hardware?
Nah, why bother? Instead everyone buy a slingbox or Orb and get unlimited data and be done with it.
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 4, 2008 @ 10:50 am, Chris S. Said:
If everyone bought a Slingbox and started watching TV on their phones the cell system would come to a screeching halt. 3G is not efficient at delivering video, MediaFlo is. Also, if Slingbox becomes popular you can look for carriers to start limiting bandwidth or blocking altogether.
Permalink | Reply
On Apr 4, 2008 @ 12:58 pm, MisRemembered Said:
What do you mean you don’t see the point? Special hardware? It’s a chip set. Just like a chip that operates on a different frequency. Phones weren’t UMTS years ago. And the lineup didn’t transform overnight.
Of course they have limited devices at launch.
What’s to not understand?
Permalink | Reply