DStv Mobile has launched a new version of its mobile decoder. The DStv Mobile Drifta USB allows users to connect to DVB-H broadcast mobile TV on their computers.
The Drifta USB connects directly to a PC via the USB port and does not need to be paired with a device through WiFi.
“It's just a matter of loading the Drifta USB application onto your PC,” explains DStv Mobile SA GM Mark Rayner. “After that, you simply plug the Drifta USB into your PC and launch the application.”
Rayner adds: “The Drifta USB has been launched to address the needs of customers who primarily want to use their PCs and laptops for viewing.
“Based on the positive response we received from the Drifta, we wanted to come up with something more affordable and exclusive to devices with USB ports.”
The Drifta USB is available from MultiChoice centres, select retailers or online from Kalahari.net, for the recommended retail price of R399. The monthly subscription is R36 per month, and the service is available to DStv Premium subscribers at no extra cost.
Rugby at work
DStv Mobile says the launch of the Drifta USB is just in time for the Rugby World Cup. “With most matches being played during South African working hours, the Drifta USB's ability to access the games via a computer is sure to prove ideal for viewers.”
The original DStv Mobile Drifta was launched in 2010, despite bleak predictions from analysts regarding the potential success of mobile TV in SA. Research, however, indicates the popularity of mobile TV has boomed in recent months.
Analyst and MD of World Wide Worx Arthur Goldstuck noted earlier this year that the newfound interest in mobile TV offerings was a big surprise in the research firm's 2011 Mobile Consumer Study, as this year's findings have bucked the trend.
“In the Mobile Consumer in SA 2011 report, we found that massive appetite for mobile TV had emerged subsequent to the licensing, whereas there had been none for the past four years.”
The accessibility and affordability of DVB-H technology, however, remains a barrier to mass adoption. DVB-H coverage is currently available in the nine major cities of SA.
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