The latest wireless innovation from QUALCOMM is here. The MediaFLO™ System, a comprehensive end-to-end solution, simultaneously and cost-effectively delivers unprecedented volumes of high-quality, streaming or clipped, audio and video multimedia to wireless subscribers.
MediaFLO transforms multimedia delivery and opens market opportunities for the entire mobile value chain including wireless operators, device manufacturers, and content providers. The MediaFLO System complements existing networks and drastically expands the ability to deliver the multimedia customers desire without impacting the voice and data services they expect.
The MediaFLO™ System is a comprehensive, end-to-end solution designed specifically to address the inherent challenges of efficiently and cost-effectively distributing mass volumes of high-quality mobile multimedia to wireless subscribers. The MediaFLO System, comprised of the MediaFLO Media Distribution System and FLO Technology, addresses the usability, network capacity, and device constraints typical of video delivery to a mobile handset. Designed from the ground up with mobility in mind, the MediaFLO System delivers a compelling user experience for the mobile masses.
Operators can leverage the MediaFLO System to increase ARPU and reduce churn by offering enhanced multimedia services. Content providers can take advantage of a new distribution channel to extend their brand to mobile users. Device manufacturers will benefit from increased demand for multimedia-enabled handsets as consumer appetite grows for rich content provided through MediaFLO.
The MediaFLO™ Community is a convergence of people, products, and technologies that connect, cooperate and unify to address inherent technology challenges and make possible the delivery of rich multimedia. A benefit of this union and goal of the initial concept is a nearly unlimited array of opportunities for operators, application developers, content providers, and device manufacturers.
At the core, QUALCOMM Incorporated brings the experience and expertise that has consistently driven wireless technology to the benefit of the wireless industry. Streamlining entry to the marketplace is MediaFLO
The FLO Forum includes global companies that represent the entire wireless value chain. It unites network operators, content providers, and device and equipment manufacturers around the common objective of developing FLO-based networks, products, and services capable of delivering advanced mobile broadcast multimedia services. With four published TIA® standards while pursuing additional standards, the FLO Forum is helping any market participant gain access to the MediaFLO System and create MediaFLO-compliant products and services.
Transforming multimedia delivery
The MediaFLO™ System is an end-to-end solution that enables multicasting of high-quality video, audio streams, clipcast media, and IP data-casting. The foundation of the MediaFLO System is comprised of the MediaFLO Media Distribution System (MDS) and FLO™ Technology. A manageable, scalable subscription-based distribution system and an efficient over-the-air network pair to give wireless operators a way to cost-effectively deliver the high-quality audio and video content mobile users desire.
The MediaFLO System provides the flexibility to bundle programming packages for specific market segments while still maximizing the aggregate delivery of content to numerous subscribers at once. Collections of services bundled in packages such as a Basic or Premium can be designed to appeal to specific audience utilization profiles. These subscribed program packages make up the custom view of the available content for each user and represent the main tool the user has for personalizing their MediaFLO experience.
Fully scalable as mobile networks mature and new ones are introduced, the MediaFLO System will be able to use all networks in concert or independently to deliver services. For example, the MediaFLO System is able to provide some services via a point-to-point or unicast connection, and other more popular services via new multicast networks (one to many). This approach allows for the most efficient delivery of a wide variety of content. The MediaFLO System is designed to take subscriber numbers, network traffic information, and network characteristics into account to provide an optimized delivery schedule for the entire set of services being offered.
But the MediaFLO System enables much more than passive viewing. Because the wireless device that plays the content is also a node on the Internet, the MediaFLO System supports interactivity, such as launching an application that is used in conjunction with the viewing experience or going to a Web site for more information on a subject of interest.
The MediaFLO System is designed to enable revolutionary new wireless services, provide opportunities to differentiate, and deliver high-quality multimedia to the mobile masses.
Dedicated multimedia network advantage
For mobile mass media, there are substantial challenges in delivering bandwidth hungry multimedia. Cellular networks are optimized for bi-directional communication streams and each incremental user impacts the network capacity. The expected demand for video services will significantly impact existing network capacity and could negatively impact core voice and data services. In addition streaming video services may be subject to the ebb and flow of coverage and capacity - issues that can affect the user's perception of the quality of a real-time service.
The MediaFLO™ network is a multi-casting network specifically designed for mass delivery of multimedia content. The one-to-many relationship created by the MediaFLO System allows for the economical delivery of media to the masses. The MediaFLO System delivers a compelling user experience by completely separating the delivery of the media and the presentation itself. The result: recovery from delivery problems are invisible to the user.
The MediaFLO™ Media Distribution System (MDS) enables the efficient delivery of high-quality network-scheduled video content for viewing by masses of mobile subscribers. The MDS seamlessly handles multiple content streams from multiple sources and plays them on client software in the most popular video and audio formats. Because MDS is air-interface independent it can be deployed on any IP packet data network or current point-to-point 3G wireless networks, and will scale easily for tomorrow's multicast networks.
With the MDS, network operators control when content is sent to maximize and monetize off-peak network capacity. Content is delivered in the background and encrypted on the handset until the user selects what to watch based on the program schedule. The least time-sensitive content can be sent at very low load times, leaving only the most time-sensitive content for delivery when the network is being used mostly for voice and data services. This intelligent delivery method gives operators the management control to cost effectively provide a high-value wireless multimedia solution to subscribers, while effectively shaping the utilization of their network.
The end result? The MDS's intelligent use of network capacity to deliver high-quality video and audio content capitalizes on the higher processing power, higher screen resolutions, significantly improved sound, and much larger memory size of wireless handsets coming to market in 2005.
At the handset, the MediaFLO™ experience includes elements key to user satisfaction. Mobile users enjoy immediate access to high-quality, full-motion video content at the time and place of their choosing. To ensure optimal viewing, the MDS eliminates the typical down-load-and-play process, so there are no progress bars, no waiting - just a crisp, interactive, mobile multimedia experience.
How does it happen? Users subscribe to content channels, navigate the service, and immediately play available programming on the device at network-scheduled times. The combination of a simple interface, myriad content services, and an interactive program guide makes the MDS easy to use and easy to adopt.
At the focal point of the consumer experience is the MediaFLO™ Program Guide (MPG). The MPG serves as a program listing guide and "channel surfing," or navigation, tool. Presented in a format similar to a cable or satellite TV menu, users view a screen that clearly lists what content is available when. They have the ability to channel surf blocks of compelling content and choose what they want to watch at the moment: the latest in news, weather, entertainment, finance.
Similar to traditional media where a program director schedules the flow of content, the MediaFLO MDS delivers programming from external content providers to Operators with the MPG - a complete set: content and its accompanying guide. Because the content arrives on the device prior to its scheduled viewing time, users experience the immediacy and quality similar to what they would get at home watching television.
The ability to protect wireless content rights shares many of the same obstacles as protecting those distributed over the wired Internet. The MediaFLO™ Digital Rights Management (DRM) system addresses this challenge with a conditional access feature utilizing cryptography to protect content and ensure the right service offering is distributed only to authorized subscribers.
The MediaFLO DRM allows usage rights to be specified and managed while still delivering a seamless, flexible experience to viewers on their mobile handsets. Another benefit, the DRM was developed in tandem with standards organizations to integrate the best possible approaches, making it a robust and scaleable solution capable of evolving with the developing needs of content providers and network operators.
The MediaFLO™ MDS provides service management features to simplify the pricing and bundling of an array of service offerings. The billing feature supports numerous pricing methods that can be tailored to meet an operator's unique consumer purchasing expectations. MediaFLO MDS billing may be integrated directly with an operator's existing billing systems or BREW® Distribution System (BDS).
As an essential part of the end-to-end media distribution system, MediaFLO includes multi-party payout functionality to control the organization and allocation of payments to content providers supplying media for various service offerings.
A distinguishing feature of the MediaFLO™ MDS is its ability to deliver IP data packets on mobile devices to enable unlimited options for interactivity. As a result, viewers get not just a high-quality multimedia experience but the additional dynamic of Internet-like interactivity, all on their mobile handset.
The MediaFLO System is architected to allow local extensions to the MediaFLO client to enhance the experience further, for example: while viewing a shopping program, a user could jump to an e-commerce site and initiate a purchase. Taking this functionality another step, because the MediaFLO client can reference other local applications and remote services, operators have the opportunity to generate greater revenues with expanded service offerings.
Additional interactivity may be provided by specialized media types like Macromedia Flash™ or SMIL-based content with interactive media types limited only by the capabilities of the wireless device.
FLO™ technology is a new air interface with multicasting capabilities designed to increase capacity and reduce content delivery costs to mobile handsets. FLO Technology enables mobile users to see and hear high quality video and audio, browse and buy merchandise, or watch the stock ticker - wherever they are, anytime, and without delays.
Designed from the ground up specifically to multicast significant volumes of rich multimedia content, FLO™ enables wireless operators to cost-effectively deliver news, entertainment, and informational programming in clips and streaming video to millions of mobile users at once. FLO provides the technology for distributing multimedia content efficiently and economically without impacting current networks.
Unencumbered by legacy or terrestrial system constraints, FLO™ applies the latest advances in coding and interleaving to deliver exceptional multimedia reception whether the user is walking down the street or commuting to work by bus or train.
FLO also employs layered modulation to deliver both a base and enhanced layer of content ensuring a quality viewing experience regardless of the coverage area.
FLO™ technology addresses the challenge of prolonged connection delays to deliver a robust experience worthy of rapid consumer adoption. While optimally balancing spectral efficiency, coverage, and power consumption, FLO cuts channel acquisition time to less than 2 seconds rivaling digital television.
By using the low frequency 700-MHz band, the FLO network requires only two or three broadcast towers per metropolitan area, or 30 to 50 times fewer towers than required by traditional cellular systems. To further enhance efficiency FLO requires only a single RF channel to support both wide and local area content.
Built from the ground up for mobility, FLO™ conserves battery power and maximizes "watch time." Understanding that mobile phones are multipurpose devices that also serve as address books, Internet portals, and gaming devices, the FLO technology design distinguishes the primary function as the ability to make and receive phone calls and ensures the conservative use of shared resources such as battery power. FLO optimizes power consumption through intelligent encoding and encapsulation to optimize the delivery of content over the FLO network. As a result, a MediaFLO-enabled phone can achieve battery life comparable to a conventional cellular phone while also providing an exciting new rich multimedia viewing experience.
