LG/Harris team on local mobile TV broadcast system

LG/Harris team on local mobile TV broadcast system

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Harris Corp. (NYSE:HRS - news) and LG Electronics Inc. (066570.KS) said on Tuesday they have teamed up to develop a wireless technology to broadcast local digitaltelevision programming to mobile devices such as cell phones, car media players or handheld televisions or DVD players.

The technology will compete with existing systems that beam television to mobile phones and follows a display by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (005930.KS) of a competing portable broadcast system at the U.S. consumer electronics show in January.

U.S. cell phone providers already offer video clips or in some cases full-length shows on handsets, but LG said its technology would be the first to enable TV stations to broadcast local programming to portable devices using the same airwaves they use to broadcast to regular living room TVs.

The system, which would involve an upgrade of existing broadcast transmitters, would cost about $100,000 to $500,000 to install per station, depending on the size of the market and how many channels were involved, according to a spokesman for Harris, a supplier of transmission systems.

John Taylor a spokesman for LG, which makes everything from cell phones to washing machines, said LG has had initial talks with broadcasters, but has yet to announce any customers for the technology, known as Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld.

The companies will demonstrate the technology for the first time at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas later this month.

LG expects to have chips available later this year, Taylor said. Device makers would also need to agree to support the technology, but the type of devices used would depend on broadcasters' plans he said.

In some U.S. markets, Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq:QCOM - news) unit MediaFlo USA already broadcasts live national TV to Verizon Wireless phones, including a phone made LG. Verizon Wireless is owned by Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - news) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L).