• Reuters, Friday, January 4, 2008 10:48 AM

At next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Motorola is set to launch a mobile TV device (not a phone) that plays live television, on-demand video clips and programs saved by digital video recorders.

Motorola already sells phones with live TV--as do most of its rivals--but the company seems to be testing consumers' appetite for video on portable devices. Do they want phones with TV functionality or separate devices? It could be that consumers don't care much for mobile television, preferring to wait until they get home to watch their favorite shows. Consumers are more likely to prefer uninhibited access to the Internet on their phones--which would also include the free, ad-supported television offerings from media giants like Disney, NBC, CBS and Viacom.

Nevertheless, Motorola expects the new device, currently labeled DH01, to be sold by television broadcasters, consumer electronics retailers and wireless carriers, but the company did not name any specific vendors. The DH01 is compatible with the DVBH broadcasting standard. It has a 4:3 inch screen, four hours of battery life and memory cards storing 90 minutes of video.

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