Frontier Silicon and Penthera Technologies Inc. have announced collaboration to develop an open multi-standard DVB-H and DAB-IP receiver solution for mobile TV. Penthera’s fully interoperable DVB-H/DAB-IP mobile client software, Penthera Viewer, will be developed on the “Malibu” platform provided by Frontier Silicon and based on the Paradiso FS1030 multi-standard system-on-a-chip (SoC). In providing DVB-H along side DAB-IP, the new solution will enable manufacturers to increase their addressable market with a single design, said Frontier Silicon. The same handsets can potentially be used on BT Movio's recently launched mobile TV and DAB digital radio service in the UK as well as other mobile TV services around the world.

According to Frontier Silicon, The Malibu platform, to be offered in December, will enable leading mobile handset manufacturers to achieve economies of scale by delivering a single mobile TV solution that addresses multiple market segments and standards. Handset makers will be further attracted to the solution as it defines a common software API (application programming interface) across DAB-IP, DVB-H and the host media processor, while offering ultra-low power and small footprint chipsets.

Emma Lloyd, managing director of BT Movio, said; “We believe that a simple and compelling consumer experience is key to the widespread adoption of mobile TV. This development will seamlessly join the capabilities of DAB, DAB-IP and DVB-H, so that consumers will have more choice of TV and radio channels as spectrum is released in the future.Consumers will also get more choice of mobile phones as manufacturers
take advantage of the economies of scale that one hardware solution delivers.”

“With the Malibu platform, we have been able to provide a turnkey, end-to-end reference design spanning hardware and software that will be flexible enough to satisfy all customers, whether they are working with DAB-IP, DVB-H or T-DMB in the UK, Europe or Asia,” said Matthew Hatch, vice president for mobile digital TV at Frontier Silicon. “Also, as more spectrum is released in the UK for broadcast mobile TV services, the combination of DAB-IP and DVB-H will give handset vendors and service providers the
option to expand their offerings to support multiple standards.”