Doordarshan launches 'mobile TV' in 16 cities

The service allows users to watch DD channels on their mobile devices, without an internet connection.

Public broadcaster Doordarshan's (DD) digital arm Digital Terrestrial Television services, has started operations to provide mobile TV to users in 16 cities. The service which is free of cost, does not require an internet connection, but needs a dongle that can be bought separately to catch DD signals.

Elaborating on the technology, Doordarshan says that it will be made available via DVB T2 (Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial Two) dongles, which can be plugged into on-the-go (OTG)-supported smartphones and tablets to view DD channels. Apart from the dongle, WiFi dongles used in moving vehicles, and TV sets that have a built in DVB-T2 Tuner known as integrated digital TV (iDTV), can also be used to avail this service.

An official statement says that while iDTV tuners are available in television sets from brands like Sony, LG, Panasonic and Samsung, the DVB T2 dongles are available on online shopping sites like Flipkart, eBay, and Snapdeal.

The service requires the user to download the 'TV-On-Go Doordarshan India' Android app, and then plug the dongles into the smartphones and tablets to receive DD signals. Once the installation of the software is complete, there is no internet connection needed. So, apart from the one time investment on the dongle, viewers have no extra expenditure.

The 16 cities this service has currently started operations in are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati, Patna, Ranchi, Cuttack, Lucknow, Jalandhar, Raipur, Indore, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad.

The statement adds, "Public and private transportation vehicles and public places are potential environments for mobile television. With the Digital Terrestrial Television Transmission, everybody will watch the same content at the same time, and it guarantees everyone the same level of service since they are all bathed in the same signal."

Currently, DD National, DD News, DD Bharati, DD Sports, and DD Regional (DD Kisan) are the channels being relayed on this service.