Linux Community Magazine

Mobile phone technology is growing year upon year. Many new mobile designs, namely smart phones, allow Internet access through WiFi or 3G connections, video streaming, and even mobile TV streaming. It may require an additional subscription to a mobile streaming provider but there are free to air channels available too. Even terrestrial TV is available to stream and store on a mobile phone to watch at your convenience. History of Mobile TV Streaming The MTV-1 or Microvision was the first mobile TV and designed by inventor Clive Sinclair, who sold his first product to the product. It included a 2-inch CRT screen and was able to pick up a TV signal in numerous countries. The Harvard Business Review discovered that mobile TV streaming increased 564 percent amongst smart phone users during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. How To Set up Mobile Streaming Mobile broadband now has the capacity to stream live TV to a phone. Web based services include TV Catchup, but if you would like access to a Freeview, Satellite, or Cable channel it is possible to stream a signal to your mobile phone through use of a computer and digital TV tuner. However, the downside to mobile streaming is the data usage. If you have unlimited Internet access, this will pose no problem, but many mobile phone providers may request their customers follow a fair use policy. 1. Download one of several software programmes which allows you to stream TV on a mobile. Most of these can be installed on Mac, Linux, and Windows free of charge. 2. After the streaming software has downloaded, open the set up file by double clicking and follow the wizard without altering the default settings. 3. The next step is to configure the streaming software by choosing Media Manager. If Internet Explorer is incompatible with the software it can be made compatible through Google Chrome Frame. 4. Once the software is installed on your computer, you can then add TV episodes and movies to each library. If you have a large number of media files, set up several libraries to keep them in order and provide easier access when you want to stream. 5. To access media content on your smart phone or mobile you may have to open an account with your chosen software provider. This is often free of charge and will provide simple instructions on how to download. Click preferences in the media manager, click the necessary tab, and sign in to your account. Finally, click on publish to your streaming server and it should allow instant contact to your files. 6. Accessing your movie and TV programmes via your media content requires you to launch the streaming software. If you managed to connect it to your smart phone without problems, your streaming software should automatically connect to your server. 7. Whenever your computer is connected to the streaming software, you will be able to access your media files while also searching for music, photos, and movies via the Internet.