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No NextG Olympics Coverage For iPhone Users
Posted by Nick Broughall at 9:07 AM on August 11, 2008
If you've spent any time this weekend watching the Olympics (and seeing as how you're probably Australian, you must have), then you definitely would have seen or heard the countless ads proclaiming the ability to watch the Games on Telstra's NextG handsets.What the ads don't mention is that the one phone best suited to watching the Olympic Games on the go - the iPhone 3G - isn't compatible with their Olympic streaming services.
The ads say that the service is available on a wide range of NextG handsets, and the fineprint does say that not all NextG handsets will work with the service. While it doesn't specifically single out the iPhone (and really, why would it?), this is a huge opportunity gone begging for Telstra. There's a heap of reasons why people are queueing up to buy iPhones from Optus, not Telstra, and this is yet another one.
[via Digital Media]
Comments
Jon
Posted August 11, 2008 9:57 AM
This is Apples fault NOT Telstras, the iPhone is not is not capable of playing the video format used for 3G streaming (the same as video calls). Telstra is definitely not a utopian company but stop slagging them off all the time and report it how it really is.
Lurch
Posted August 11, 2008 11:39 AM
I totally agree with Jon. What a stupid, pointless and unresearched article. The problem is entirely due to the iPhone's inability to stream the video. No mention of Apple's incompetence of course.
Alan Zeino
Posted August 11, 2008 1:02 PM
Actually Jon, the iPhone supports streaming of quicktime video and industry standard h264 video. And they deserve to be 'slagged off'; they're the most recitative and monolithic provider in Australia.
Tim
Posted August 11, 2008 4:25 PM
It's perfectly reasonable that Telstra would broadcast their coverage in the most universal format available to ensure the widest possible customer base. The fact that iPhone doesn't decode such a basic format is not Telstra's fault - it's like a portable music player that does support MP3.
Telstra is guilty of a multitude of sins, but this isn't one of them. This one is Apple's fault, pure and simple. Or maybe it's AT&T's fault, for dictating most of iPhone 3G's feature set despite it being a global device - and again, that's Apple's fault for giving in.
If there's enough of an outcry, maybe Telstra will consider streaming in an iPhone-compatible format as well.
Jon
Posted August 11, 2008 5:01 PM
@ Alan; sure in a perfect world were everyone used h264 for video streaming but they don't, no mobile provider does. Don't get me wrong i love the iPhone and have one, i also signed up to Telstras olympic pack prior to getting an iPhone and i'm peeved that it doesn't work BUT I don't blame Telstra, its just one of those things the iPhone can't do. What I'm really annoyed about is the Today/Tonight style journalism that Gizmodo is sinking to. Giz I love you but leave the slagging off to the posters.
Normandy
Posted August 11, 2008 5:26 PM
The IPHONE DOES SUPPORT STREAMING VIDEO, its just Telstra decided to use that windows crap version that is NOT industry standard. Plus with Telstra's shit house plans, one event would blow your download limit. TELSTRA SUCK AT EVERYTHING!
Tim
Posted August 12, 2008 8:19 AM
@Normandy - If you bothered to look at what Telstra is offering, the Olympics Pack is $10 for the duration of the event, or $4 for a single day...yes, Telstra's plans are very data light and nobody is thrilled with that but it's not even an issue with this particular pack.
iPhone supports a different streaming standard to almost every other phone in the world, which is not a Windows version at all but an industry standard throughout the 3G world which Windows happens to support....and so does Nokia, Samsung and everyone else except Apple.
WTF
Posted August 12, 2008 9:14 AM
Get your facts right everyone. The iPhone does not support streaming, only progressive download via HTTP. This is why live video is not supported by any carrier, not just Telstra.
somebody
Posted August 12, 2008 9:52 AM
Normanday,
Telstra use standards based RTSP and standard codecs (h263/h264/mp4 depending on handset support) for their streaming services. The iPhone DOES NOT SUPPORT RTSP (AKA streaming) and hence is incompatible with the olympics streaming coverage. Apple are completely to blame for this - they have deliberately crippled the device.
The iPhone only supports progressive download of content - which is most definitely NOT streaming.
Michael
Posted August 13, 2008 12:22 PM
OK, so given that the iPhone doesn't support mobile streaming, why hasn't Telstra supplied a 'progressive download' variant of the content for the iPhone? Telstra has provided a tailored view of their WAP site for the iPhone ...