time-shifted programming from CBS Mobile, ESPN, Fox Mobile, NBC 2Go and NBC News 2Go, in addition to Viacom's MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Most mobile video services offer programming on an "on demand" basis, allowing users to select from a limited collection of videos from various TV networks and exclusive mobile channels. The new Vcast service, delivered by MediaFlo, includes a live feed of MTV. This makes the Viacom-owned network the first to simulcast its TV programming 24/7 to a mobile platform.MediaFLO is Qualcomm’s new technology to broadcast data to portable devices such as cell phones and PDAs. Broadcast data will include audio and video streams, individual video and audio "clips", as well as information such as stock market quotes, sports scores, and weather reports. The "F-L-O" in MediaFLO stands for Forward Link Only, meaning that the data transmission path is one-way, from the tower to the device. The MediaFLO system transmits data on a frequency separate from the frequencies used by current cellular networks.
In the United States, the MediaFLO system will use frequency spectrum at approximately 700Mhz. It is a competitor to the Korean T-DMB standard and the European DVB-H standard. A dedicated V CAST Mobile TV Web site will feature a customized program listing grid, a search feature to discover programs by keywords, content information and previews, and editorial and community features, as well as service information and support.
The service also includes optional parental control features, consistent with existing multimedia standards, which will be accessible from the Options Menu to allow parents to set ratings for TV and movies.