TV cell phones in Japan

As a customer of a Japanese cell phone service provider, I've been
tracking the new cell phone offerings, and in particular have been looking
for the TV cell phones with COFDM digital tuners that a certain person
says are "flying off the shelves in Japan."

So far, I haven't seen any. What I have seen are lots of 2G cell phones
with *analog* terrestrial TV tuners. In fact, a new one is being released
on Saturday (Vodafone's V604SH, made by Sharp).

No 3G phones seem to have terrestrial TV tuners of any kind, although all
have the ability to download and play video content from the service
provider.

I said a year ago that portable (especially handheld) COFDM terrestrial
digital TVs are vaporware in Japan. Today, a year later, portable COFDM
terrestrial digital TVs remain vaporware.

The claims that the US is "far behind Japan" in digital OTA HDTV remain
bull****. Most Japanese who have HDTV use satellite, not OTA.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.

I expect to be visiting Japan again fairly soon, and I expect my host is
going to be tiring of my constant interest about all of this.

As an aside, I still think its amazing that [in July 2004] I actually saw a
functional Sony Blu-ray unit in an Akihabara store.


"Mark Crispin" wrote in message
.com...
As a customer of a Japanese cell phone service provider, I've been
tracking the new cell phone offerings, and in particular have been looking
for the TV cell phones with COFDM digital tuners that a certain person
says are "flying off the shelves in Japan."

So far, I haven't seen any. What I have seen are lots of 2G cell phones
with *analog* terrestrial TV tuners. In fact, a new one is being released
on Saturday (Vodafone's V604SH, made by Sharp).

No 3G phones seem to have terrestrial TV tuners of any kind, although all
have the ability to download and play video content from the service
provider.

I said a year ago that portable (especially handheld) COFDM terrestrial
digital TVs are vaporware in Japan. Today, a year later, portable COFDM
terrestrial digital TVs remain vaporware.

The claims that the US is "far behind Japan" in digital OTA HDTV remain
bull****. Most Japanese who have HDTV use satellite, not OTA.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.

I saw DVD recorders in Akihabara at least 18 months before they showed up in
the U.S., and also saw High Definition TV (the earlier "MUSE" analog
variety) being displayed in several of the train stations in Tokyo, Kyoto,
Yokahama, etc. 14 years ago in the summer of 1991.

Blu-ray is apparently used routinely for high capacity data storage drives,
but I am now wondering if any Blue-ray HD video players and program material
are being released in Japan. I have not read of any.

Smarty


"David" wrote in message
news
I expect to be visiting Japan again fairly soon, and I expect my host is
going to be tiring of my constant interest about all of this.

As an aside, I still think its amazing that [in July 2004] I actually saw
a functional Sony Blu-ray unit in an Akihabara store.


"Mark Crispin" wrote in message
.com...
As a customer of a Japanese cell phone service provider, I've been
tracking the new cell phone offerings, and in particular have been
looking for the TV cell phones with COFDM digital tuners that a certain
person says are "flying off the shelves in Japan."

So far, I haven't seen any. What I have seen are lots of 2G cell phones
with *analog* terrestrial TV tuners. In fact, a new one is being
released on Saturday (Vodafone's V604SH, made by Sharp).

No 3G phones seem to have terrestrial TV tuners of any kind, although all
have the ability to download and play video content from the service
provider.

I said a year ago that portable (especially handheld) COFDM terrestrial
digital TVs are vaporware in Japan. Today, a year later, portable COFDM
terrestrial digital TVs remain vaporware.

The claims that the US is "far behind Japan" in digital OTA HDTV remain
bull****. Most Japanese who have HDTV use satellite, not OTA.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.

For more information

http://www.dibeg.org/news/news-4/news-e4.htm#dn058e

"On September 27, the Association for the Promotion of Digital
Broadcasting (D-PA) formally announced the spring 2006 launch of a
broadcasting service targeting mobile phones and terminals."

If this goes as other such in Japan expect every cell phone in Japan to
have this in a few years.

They also seem to be doing pretty well in HDTV. They give a figure of
over 6 million OTA digital terrestrial not satellite receivers sold.

http://www.dibeg.org/news/news-4/news-e4.htm#dn059e

Not bad

JS

Mark Crispin wrote:
As a customer of a Japanese cell phone service provider, I've been
tracking the new cell phone offerings, and in particular have been
looking for the TV cell phones with COFDM digital tuners that a certain
person says are "flying off the shelves in Japan."

So far, I haven't seen any. What I have seen are lots of 2G cell phones
with *analog* terrestrial TV tuners. In fact, a new one is being
released on Saturday (Vodafone's V604SH, made by Sharp).

No 3G phones seem to have terrestrial TV tuners of any kind, although
all have the ability to download and play video content from the service
provider.

I said a year ago that portable (especially handheld) COFDM terrestrial
digital TVs are vaporware in Japan. Today, a year later, portable COFDM
terrestrial digital TVs remain vaporware.

The claims that the US is "far behind Japan" in digital OTA HDTV remain
bull****. Most Japanese who have HDTV use satellite, not OTA.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.

David wrote:

I expect to be visiting Japan again fairly soon, and I expect my host is
going to be tiring of my constant interest about all of this.

As an aside, I still think its amazing that [in July 2004] I actually saw a
functional Sony Blu-ray unit in an Akihabara store.


"Mark Crispin" wrote in message
.com...

As a customer of a Japanese cell phone service provider, I've been
tracking the new cell phone offerings, and in particular have been looking
for the TV cell phones with COFDM digital tuners that a certain person
says are "flying off the shelves in Japan."

So far, I haven't seen any. What I have seen are lots of 2G cell phones
with *analog* terrestrial TV tuners. In fact, a new one is being released
on Saturday (Vodafone's V604SH, made by Sharp).

No 3G phones seem to have terrestrial TV tuners of any kind, although all
have the ability to download and play video content from the service
provider.

I said a year ago that portable (especially handheld) COFDM terrestrial
digital TVs are vaporware in Japan. Today, a year later, portable COFDM
terrestrial digital TVs remain vaporware.

The claims that the US is "far behind Japan" in digital OTA HDTV remain
bull****. Most Japanese who have HDTV use satellite, not OTA.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.



Hi,
Japanese TV has different channel allocation.
Tony

JamieS ) wrote in alt.tv.tech.hdtv:
They also seem to be doing pretty well in HDTV. They give a figure of
over 6 million OTA digital terrestrial not satellite receivers sold.

http://www.dibeg.org/news/news-4/news-e4.htm#dn059e

Not bad

It would be pretty good if those were purchases of standalone OTA digital
receivers because people wanted to get OTA digital.

The reality is that every new TV comes with an integrated OTA digital
receiver, so you get one whether you want it or not. In the case of Japan,
most people don't want or use those receivers, but instead use satellite for
their HD.

--
Jeff Rife | "He's an investment banker from Amsterdam.
| Apparently he handles a lot of Bill Gates'
| money, so, don't say anything derogatory
| about the Netherlands or Microsoft."
| "Oh, damn...there goes my opening joke about
| the Dutchman trying to install Windows 95."
| -- Niles and Frasier

Jeff Rife wrote:
JamieS ) wrote in alt.tv.tech.hdtv:

They also seem to be doing pretty well in HDTV. They give a figure of
over 6 million OTA digital terrestrial not satellite receivers sold.

http://www.dibeg.org/news/news-4/news-e4.htm#dn059e

Not bad


It would be pretty good if those were purchases of standalone OTA digital
receivers because people wanted to get OTA digital.

The reality is that every new TV comes with an integrated OTA digital
receiver, so you get one whether you want it or not. In the case of Japan,
most people don't want or use those receivers, but instead use satellite for
their HD.

According to the same site

http://www.dibeg.org/news/news-4/news-e4.htm#dn059e

"[Digital terrestrial TVs]
For September, digital terrestrial TVs accounted for 37.1% of all color
TV shipments. Classified by display type, digital terrestrial CRT sets
accounted for 2.9% of CRT sets, while digital terrestrial TVs accounted
for 99.5% of PDP sets and 57.7% of LCD sets, respectively. For digital
terrestrial TVs, shipments of CRT sets continue to decline while those
of flat panel displays (FPDs) grow remarkably."

According to this the "reality" is far different than what you say
above. In fact even the plasma display numbers show a steady increase in
the percentage that are ready for digital terrestrial from 95% last
February to 98% now and LCD's from 45% then to 58% now.

It would seem the consumer in Japan is deciding they want terrestrial
receivers from these statistics.

JS

JamieS ) wrote in alt.tv.tech.hdtv:
According to the same site

http://www.dibeg.org/news/news-4/news-e4.htm#dn059e

"[Digital terrestrial TVs]
For September, digital terrestrial TVs accounted for 37.1% of all color
TV shipments. Classified by display type, digital terrestrial CRT sets
accounted for 2.9% of CRT sets, while digital terrestrial TVs accounted
for 99.5% of PDP sets and 57.7% of LCD sets, respectively. For digital
terrestrial TVs, shipments of CRT sets continue to decline while those
of flat panel displays (FPDs) grow remarkably."

According to this the "reality" is far different than what you say
above.

Um, can't read very well, can you?

From that very link you presented:

(thousands)
Digital terrestrial TVs 3,860
Digital recorders 373
Digital terrestrial tuners 158
(including adaptive receivers)
Cable TV STBs 1,781
=====
Total 6,171

Note that add-on STBs make up a grand total of 2.6% of total digital
OTA tuners sold. Cable STBs and TVs (both with built in digital OTA
tuners) make uf the vast majority of the digital OTA tuners sold in Japan,
but they are not being sold because they are digital OTA tuners...they
are being sold because they are included in products that people want
for other reasons.

So, the reality that I presented was quite accurate...people in Japan
aren't buying digital TV tuners because they want to...they are doing it
because they *have* to because the devices they really want (TVs, cable
boxes, and DVD recorders) have the tuner included, even if it is never
used. This is similar to the situation with speakers on many large TVs
today...you get them even though you use your home theater for sound.

If the FCC had done the right thing 5 years ago and required ATSC tuners
in every 25" or larger TV, the numbers in the US would look pretty much
the same, with most people ending up with digital tuners they didn't use
(because, like Japan, they get their TV from cable, satellite, etc.).

--
Jeff Rife |
| http://www.nabs.net/Cartoons/Dilbert...dCoWorkers.gif

"Jeff Rife" wrote in message
...
JamieS ) wrote in alt.tv.tech.hdtv:
According to the same site

http://www.dibeg.org/news/news-4/news-e4.htm#dn059e

"[Digital terrestrial TVs]
For September, digital terrestrial TVs accounted for 37.1% of all color
TV shipments. Classified by display type, digital terrestrial CRT sets
accounted for 2.9% of CRT sets, while digital terrestrial TVs accounted
for 99.5% of PDP sets and 57.7% of LCD sets, respectively. For digital
terrestrial TVs, shipments of CRT sets continue to decline while those
of flat panel displays (FPDs) grow remarkably."

According to this the "reality" is far different than what you say
above.

Um, can't read very well, can you?

From that very link you presented:

(thousands)
Digital terrestrial TVs 3,860
Digital recorders 373
Digital terrestrial tuners 158
(including adaptive receivers)
Cable TV STBs 1,781
=====
Total 6,171

Note that add-on STBs make up a grand total of 2.6% of total digital
OTA tuners sold. Cable STBs and TVs (both with built in digital OTA
tuners) make uf the vast majority of the digital OTA tuners sold in Japan,
but they are not being sold because they are digital OTA tuners...they
are being sold because they are included in products that people want
for other reasons.

So, the reality that I presented was quite accurate...people in Japan
aren't buying digital TV tuners because they want to...they are doing it
because they *have* to because the devices they really want (TVs, cable
boxes, and DVD recorders) have the tuner included, even if it is never
used. This is similar to the situation with speakers on many large TVs
today...you get them even though you use your home theater for sound.

If the FCC had done the right thing 5 years ago and required ATSC tuners
in every 25" or larger TV, the numbers in the US would look pretty much
the same, with most people ending up with digital tuners they didn't use
(because, like Japan, they get their TV from cable, satellite, etc.).

--
Jeff Rife |
| http://www.nabs.net/Cartoons/Dilbert...dCoWorkers.gif


It's interesting how "Jamie" behaves exactly like our beloved bob...

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005, Jeff Rife wrote:
So, the reality that I presented was quite accurate...people in Japan
aren't buying digital TV tuners because they want to...they are doing it
because they *have* to because the devices they really want (TVs, cable
boxes, and DVD recorders) have the tuner included, even if it is never
used. This is similar to the situation with speakers on many large TVs
today...you get them even though you use your home theater for sound.

Exactly. Several of my friends in Japan have TVs with terrestrial digital
tuners, even though they do not live in the limited areas currently served
by terrestrial digital TV. They have cable or satellite.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.