Nokia has disclosed details of its wireless multimedia concept prototype, MediaScreen. The device is intended to demonstrate a new concept design that combines digital Television (DVB-T), Internet, and Mobile Phone technology. Key components of the system (see photo) are a 12″ TFT LCD display, a digital terrestrial… receiver, and a GSM digital phone link. The digital terrestrial signal stream provides normal TV or network selected web pages while it uses the GSM phone as a return path or narrowband downstream.

The Mediascreen runs an embedded Linux operating system, and makes use of a unique Nokia software device, called navibars, to make it easier for viewers to locate desired programs and services. With respect to the selection of Linux for use as the Mediascreen's embedded operating system, Nokia makes this strong pro-Linux statement:

“In order to bring such mobile/portable devices for terrestrial multimedia and television services to the worldwide market, Nokia has deliberately chosen an open operating system for this prototype. As a result, Nokia wants to establish an open platform which does not belong to one service provider but which can integrate many different kinds of service: the platform is Linux, the sole truly open operating system which can incidentally be downloaded by anybody from the Internet.”

Dr Helmut Stein, Senior Vice President of Nokia Multimedia Terminals, describes the prototype as “a concrete example of Nokia's aim to make the Internet available to anyone, anywhere.”

MediaScreen was developed within the framework of the [email protected], a joint project between Nokia, the German broadcaster ZDF, and Deutsche Telekom, to demonstrate the complementary use of telecommunications channels with broadband digital TV channels for data transfer to the home or office. A MediaScreen prototype has also been integrated into a car (see photo), in cooperation with Volkswagen.

When will the MediaScreen be available on the market?

“It will probably be another 2 years until the Mediascreen will become an actual marketable product, but the response and interest Nokia has had since it was first shown at IFA proves that this is the way forward.”

 
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