Trends in high-speed mobile video: high-speed video is here in portable devices - but in what form and at what price?

摘要

Mobile video is being hyped by many analysts as the next "killer" application. The current optimism for the success of mobile video is due to a number of factors. First, thanks largely to products such as Apple's 5G video iPod, consumers are taking to the small screen in rapidly growing numbers. With the video iPod, the picture quality, form factor, and user interface combine to provide an outstanding user experience, despite the screen measuring just 2.5 inches. Furthermore, the range of content available for the portable format is increasing daily. Primarily due to the arrival of appropriate technology platforms for viewing portable video, content is no longer restricted to music and promotional videos. The growing availability of good quality feature films and podcasts suggests a trend that can be expected to continue as content providers become more comfortable with the format and concept of portable video. The availability of content is a critical requirement in enabling the success of mobile video products. In some regions, video content is now becoming available on formats such as MMC cards to enable easy viewing on mobile phones.