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Company aims to bring local TV to smartphonesMay 25, 2012 (Sun Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Soon many of you will be able to watch your local news or even a steamy Telemundo telenovela on a smartphone or tablet -- whether at home or on the go. A new enterprise called Dyle this summer will be sending some South Florida television programming to mobile devices, including sports, news and sitcoms. Several stations will be offering their shows, especially in Miami where a half dozen English- and Spanish-language stations are participating in the initial 35-city rollout, said Dyle spokesman Todd Cadley. "Miami is one of the best markets in terms of coverage and channels," said Salil Dalvi, co-general manager of Mobile Content Venture, a partnership of national broadcasters that is producing Dyle (dyle.tv). Miami's ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates are joining the Spanish-language Univision, Telemundo and Qubo. West Palm Beach's ABC, Fox, ION and NBC affiliates are participating. The mobile programming will be free -- at least until the end of the year. A fee may be added later, Cadley said. No date has been set for the service to start, but it is scheduled to begin this summer, Cadley added. Creators envision Dyle enabling people to watch their favorite programs while they're on the move. But the new enterprise comes with two important caveats. The first is that you will need a new cellphone or you will have to buy an attachment. "You will need a new device, an antenna," Dalvi said, that can receive signals from the towers of the participating television stations. "This is not streaming over the air, but rather coming from the tower. I would almost invent a new word -- dylecast," Dalvi said. MetroPCS, the nation's fifth largest wireless carrier, plans to offer a Samsung Android device equipped with the mobile TV technology by late summer, said company spokeswoman Anuradha Koli. Developers at Dyle Mobile TV built the app that will enable MetroPCS mobile users to watch live TV. In addition, Belkin International is expected to market an attachment that will bring live TV to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. LG Electronics also is working on similar technology. The other caveat is that not all South Florida neighborhoods will be within range of the participating TV stations' towers. People can go online to check their ZIP code at SunSentinel.com/dyle, Dalvi said. You can also go to the Dyle website here. "You may not be able to use the service at home," but you can when you are out traveling or at work, he said. '"We envision a customer on the go. You can use it if you are in a waiting room of a doctor's office or if you dock your boat or if you are at your daughter's soccer game." Mobile Content Venture executives think service will be quickly expanded to more areas. "It's in the early stages but already gaining," Cadley said. Viewing quality will vary depending on the size of the device's screen and the signal strength of the network. Staff writer Walter Pacheco contributed to this report. [email protected], 954-356-4404 or Twitter @donnagehrke ___ (c)2012 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |