Mobile TV, but not of the DVB-H kind

Unless you have either the Nokia N92 or N77 and you live in an area with DVB-H coverage, which admittedly is a bit difficult to find right now, true mobile TV in the sense of DVB-H  maybe out of reach for many of us. This standard which stands for Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld, is a technical specification for bringing broadcast services to handheld receivers (and mobile devices).  Luckily for us there are two ways of bringing mobile TV to the small screen: two-way cellular network and the second is through a one-way dedicated broadcast network. Until DVB-H becomes more widespread there are some alternatives, but there’s overall not much content. The first solution is called Vimio and comes with a native S60 app. As for 3^rd edition support it currently only supports the N91 and N80, but either of these should work on other 3^rd edition devices like the N95. It works quite well and has a few channels like CNN and Sky. The quality is fairly ok with some artifacts here and there, but overall I’m impressed. Some channels even allow you to select the video quality. But be warned that this can mean trouble if you’re not on an unlimited data service, so only really recommended for fast unlimited plans or WIFI. Next we have FreeBe TV. This doesn’t come with a S60 app, but rather places links in the browser, once you open a certain link it will use the built-in Real Player to stream content.  If you live outside of the UK you should check the international version of FreeBe TV. Both Freebe TV and Vimio are totally free.

Rok TV, the guys behind FreeBe TV also have a more complete version of FreeBe TV that offers way more channels with a lot more content called ROK TV, although this service isn’t free and will cost you a monthly fee.Right now they are offering 2 months of ROK TV service for free, so this might be your chance to see if this is something for you.

Another option worth mentioning is Sling Media for S60 devices which allow you to stream your TV content via the internet to your Nokia device. Again, unlike Vimio and FreeBe TV, this service isn’t free.

Do you know any good mobile TV services, especially the ones that are free? Let me know!