Japanese To Receive Broadcasts On Cell Phones

Japan expects to launch the first digital broadcasting service for cell phones by the end of next year. According to the Asahi Shimbun, the service will employ MPEG-4 AVC technology, which can compress video and sound data into relatively tiny files that can be played on the latest generation of cell phones. The Japanese television networks have agreed to pay royalties on the compression equipment to MPEG LA, a group that holds related patents on the technology. The developers had originally demanded that they receive royalties based on the length of each program, which the broadcasters insisted would represent a monumental tracking burden. Cell phone manufacturers would also be required to pay royalties for use of the decompression technology. The Japanese network NHK said that cell phone users will not be charged to view the programs.
2004-04-20 23:06:55