Dyle Adds Belkin to Device Lineup
Specialized $129.99 Receiver Snaps into iPhones and iPads to Capture
Dyle's Mobile TV Broadcasts
By: Jeff Baumgartner
Multichannel News
May 15 2013 - 9:36am
http://www.multichannel.com/distribution/dyle-adds-belkin-device-lineup/143312
Belkin is the latest CE company to launch a specialized antenna/receiver
that supports a mobile television platform from Dyle that’s being
increasingly viewed as a competitive hedge against Aereo.
Belkin on Wednesday introduced the F5L110, a $129.99 device that snaps
into Apple iPhones and iPads. When paired with the free Dyle app, those
devices can capture Dyle’s mobile TV signals in select markets. The
Belkin device, offered online at Belkin.com and Amazon.com, joins an
existing antenna/dongle lineup that also includes the Escort MobileTV
Receiver and the Elgato EyeTV Mobile TV Tuner.
“The Belkin accessory, in combination with the Dyle app, turns the large
existing base of iOS smartphone and tablet devices in the market today
into portable TVs,” said Salil Dalvi and Erik Moreno, co-general
managers of the Mobile Content Venture (MCV), a broadcaster-backed J.V.
that operates Dyle, in a statement. “We have worked hard to amass a
large coalition of broadcasting partners to offer live programming that
consumers want. It’s an exciting development in the progress of mobile
TV as we continue to give consumers choice across various mobile devices
and platforms.”
Dyle doesn’t provide its mobile service over broadband or cellular
networks, but instead uses a portion of the traditional broadcast
spectrum to deliver an encrypted, live digital-TV signal that’s
optimized for mobile devices. The company estimates that broadcasters
must spend about $100,000 on upgrades, primarily encoders, to deliver
the mobile TV feed alongside the primary HDTV broadcast signal.
Dyle is currently available in 37 U.S. markets that cover about 57% of
the U.S. population. But, based on Dyle's agreements with broadcasters,
the service typically supports only a subset of the available
over-the-air digital TV channels in those markets. Dyle is is backed by
12 major broadcast groups, including Belo, Cox Media Group, Raycom
Media, Media General, Meredith Corp., ION Television, Fox, E.W. Scripps,
Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst Television, and NBC.
Dyle is just one of several emerging mobile options for broadcasters,
which are locked in a court battle with Aereo centered on copyright claims.
Syncbak, which recently landed fresh funding from CBS, partners with
broadcasters to deliver broadband simulcasts over cellular and broadband
networks. Syncbak founder and CEO Jack Perry told Multichannel News last
month (subscription required) that the company’s platform is being
tested on more than 100 TV stations in 70 markets. Perry hopes to have
his system deployed by 500 stations by the end of 2013.
ABC, meanwhile, is embarking on a different path with the launch of the
Watch ABC app. That app, offered initially as a free preview in New York
and Philadelphia through June, will restrict access to authenticated
pay-TV subscribers. The initial slate of ABC Watch partners include
Comcast, Cablevision Systems, Cox Communications, Charter
Communications, Midcontinent Communications and AT&T U-verse.
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