TV mobile phones were a sensation a few years ago, and have since become very common in America. Most cell-phone carriers offer mobile TV phones, including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and Cingular. With the exception of AT&T’s Mobile TV offering, most mobile phones with TV in America are digital TV mobile phones, which actually function differently than a typical television in your home. Instead of a constant, scheduled programming, with channels that you can change to skip from one show to another, these phones have prerecorded content that can be accessed from your phone. This organization actually works more similarly to the Internet, where content must first be uploaded to a database, and then can be selected and accessed. This means that there are certain television stations that are made available to your mobile device, through a contract with your provider. They can therefore provide shows that are streamed directly to your phone. However, you must choose from the shows that the networks have chosen to make available.

One advantage of this system is that you never have to miss shows because of the time they are on: you can always access the available shows, and watch them at your own convenience, in a similar way to a DVR system that records your shows. However, instead of having to record the shows first, they already exist on a server that your cell phone can access. Some disadvantages to this system are that you may not get the shows you want to watch, and watching television shows on a small cell phone screen can sometimes compromise the experience. When deciding to subscribe to a mobile TV service, it is good to make sure you will get the shows you are interested in watching. You will also probably want to accessorize your phone with headphones, so you can hear your shows without interruption. It is also a good idea to investigate all the different devices that support TV for mobile phones to determine which TV mobile phones have the best screen resolution and the clearest image quality.

As with many cell phone services, TV mobile phones are marketed as such, however just buying the phone does not automatically sign you up for the service. Basic service fees probably do not include mobile TV features, and you will likely have to pay more, usually between $13 for basic service and $30 a month for a premium plan, for full access with your TV mobile phone. This may prove a daunting price tag to some cell phone users, especially those whose favorite shows do not appear on their mobile TV phones or who have an objection to watching television shows on a small screen. Another important aspect of mobile TV for cell phones is timing: Television shows are usually not immediately available for cell phones when they are aired. This can result in a user not having seen the most recent, up to date episodes of their favorite shows, which may be unacceptable for some enthusiastic television watchers.

AT&T offers a different kind of mobile TV, one that is more similar to the conventional television watching experience. There is a steady stream of programming, available across several channels, including ESPN, Comedy Central, CNN, CBS, FOX, MTV, Nickelodeon and CNBC. This allows users to have the feeling of a channel surfing experience as they skip back and forth between shows as they continuously play. However, this kind of mobile TV is actually more similar to the former than it may seem: The networks that are available are limited, and they only put on certain shows. In fact, many of the available channels are called ‘mobile’ channels, such as FOX mobile or ESPN mobile TV, and only have certain shows formatted for mobile television distribution. Therefore, the television experience is actually just as limited as other providers, if not more limited because you do not have the opportunity to select the shows you watch at your leisure.

 There are other TV mobile phones that are much more similar to a real television, however they are only available in countries with analog television signals, and they are largely popular in China. These TV mobile phones from china have small, retractable antennae that actually pick up the analog television signal and reproduce them on the screen, exactly like an analog television. While the reception is not as good as a regular television because of the short antennae, they are as close to true mobile television as technology has to offer.