First Look: Verizon V Cast Mobile TV AKA Qualcomm MediaFlo

(c) MocoNews

As luck would have it, I happen to be in one of the markets where Verizon V Cast Mobile TV is live. I actually contacted Verizon PR earlier this week, asking if the service was launching March 1 as I thought might be the case and I was fairly sure Seattle would be one of the first markets. No, I was told. No launch this week but still on track for first quarter. When I later called Verizon on that misdirection, I was told the company didn't consider this to be an actual launch. True, it's not a full rollout but going live in 20 markets with a service that's available for use pretty much constitutes a launch. Playing semantics with a straightforward query doesn't win any blue ribbons.

Verizon did scramble to make sure I had the TV-capable Samsung handset today, though, and so far the service lives up to its billing. In the past, I've only been able to try in controlled conditions or for a few minutes at a time. This time, it's on my terms.

Programming: A mix of current and the vault, much like cable or satellite but a far more limited set of channels. At 10 p.m. pst, tonight's episode of CSI on CBS is playing opposite an antique Lost in Space on Fox; the oddly hypnotic Avatar on Nick; True Life, MTV; Pardon the Interruption, ESPN (was on earlier during my driving test), South Park (followed by Sarah Silverman and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), Comedy Central; MSNBC; Real Housewives, NBC. CBS Mobile is promoting the chance to watch I Love Lucy, Star Trek and other golden oldies on the small screen. (I'm still trying to figure out how I wound up with David Letterman's Top 10 instead of the end of CSI.) Keep in mind, even when the programming is the same as the parent network, these are amalgams of existing nets for the most part. (When I got back to my room, the actual Letterman show was being simulcast on TV and mobile.)

Reception: I turned it on in Bellevue and left it running--no, I wasn't watching the video while driving--for a 40-minute drive over bridges, through tunnels and more. Whenever I was able to safely check, the video was clear; the audio was fine throughout. I had the small side antenna out as a Verizon rep suggested. I tried it without the antenna while sitting in the lobby of the W Hotel; no go. With the antenna, not a glitch or a drop.

Latency: Hardly noticeable delay between channels--well under two seconds.

Advertising: It's an illusion of sorts but, for some reason, ads seem longer to me on the handset than on a TV. I've seen ads for Progressive and others but far more promos for CBS Mobile and the like.

Why? I'm sitting downstairs in the hotel watching CSI on a tiny screen when I could be in my room watching on a much-larger flat-screen TV. When you have a real choice, odds are you're going for the large screen. But this is a high-quality option for place shifting as long as one of the limited channels is what you want. This is likely to be popular with travelers as long as battery life holds and coverage is wide enough. Will it have appeal for others? Quite possibly for anyone who spends significant time away from their home set and doesn't want to use Slingbox Mobile or other options--and who's willing to up their monthly viewing bill.

Upshot: Breaking news and entertainment but not really on my terms after all--no DVR option or VOD as part of this service. (Verizon VOD requires leaving the TV service.) What you see when you click is what you get.

Technorati tags: mobile TV, MediaFLO