Streaming From the Mobile to the Newsroom and Game Show
In the Participation TV scenario, callers may be calling into game shows and be required to prove they are in a certain spot via the video call. Think of it as a call-in contest for a radio station: If you're the seventh caller and can prove you're standing underneath the Eiffel Tower, you win the prize.
"Today millions of people worldwide can make a phone call to TV shows, send an SMS to vote in a TV contest or interact with the television using a remote control, said Cristoforo Mione, sales director for Mirial. "Involving the audience raises retention levels and has become a critical success factor in the competition with other entertainment sources, not to mention the new related revenue streams."
Mirial has also stepped beyond the mobile handset and showcased a live demo of its Mirial Softphone. First launched in June 2007, this software-only SIP/H323 PC client supports HD 720p and H264 compression up to 2Mbps. This product, for use on a laptop, allows field reporters to send back HD streams that are also integrated into broadcast productions. With HSDPA (3G broadband wireless transmission) in Europe reaching 3.6 or 7.2 Mbps late last year, the possibility of broadcasting HD signals streamed from a laptop is no longer a pipe dream.
"High definition is spreading throughout a variety of entertainment forms" said Mione. "Mirial Softphone is the only soft-client product in the market allowing to achieve 720p video quality."
While other companies are sure to follow with similar models, the success of HD softphones and 3G calling in Europe and Southeast Asia as an entertainment and news phenomenon is yet unmatched in the U.S., and both companies are considering placing their products in to the U.S. market as AT&T and Verizon move to 3G and 4G data networks.