The convergence of mobile services and home video continues as the development of a handset that can record video content is preparing to come to market in 2007. In a September 7th press release, TI, PacketVideo, and S3 announced the development of a mobile video phone that would have personal video recorder (PVR) capabilities. The phone will allow customers to watch video via DVB-H technology while simultaneously recording a program for later viewing. It also will offer picture-in-picture.

Although questions remain about how willing consumers will be to watch video on a small screen - particularly video such as a movie where quality is important to the overall enjoyment, handset manufacturers are pushing for more video functionality. Among the features of this PVR handset that could help promote the video functionality of the product is its ability to interact with home consumer electronics. TI's OMAP platform will enable video-out capability for content viewing on a TV. Although the video-out capability of the PVR handset will not be unique, the fact that this video-out capability can allow someone to view a recorded show could be promising.

Consumer demand for PVR service is growing. Having a mobile device that can record content on the go for viewing later at home could be a compelling product. Could mobile PVR with video-out capability take a chunk out of the PVR market? It's not likely. Mobile PVR will have more limited channels to record, and the quality of the viewing experience will be worse. However, having a back-up PVR in the case that someone forgets to program a PVR system at home will be attractive. Although the initial marketing push for this product will be to have recorded video to watch while commuting or otherwise away from home, a potentially bigger selling point could be the ability to record content to view at home no matter where you are. As equipment vendors and operators converge the fixed and mobile worlds, a mobile PVR handset could be an ideal product to bridge functionality.