Sumner Lemon

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. unveiled on Tuesday a portable media player that can be used to watch DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcast) satellite television broadcasts.

The YM-PD1 has a 4-inch TFT (thin film transistor) LCD (liquid crystal display) and can be used to watch movies or listen to music stored on the internal 30G-byte hard drive, Samsung said. The device can also be used to watch DMB satellite broadcasts and comes equipped with a TV-out option, it said.

Additional details of the device, including pricing and availability, were not immediately available.

DMB is a version of the DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) technology used for radio broadcasts in Europe. It allows portable devices equipped with a very small antenna to receive television signals broadcast over a satellite link. The technology is backed by Samsung and LG Electronics Inc., among others, as a standard for satellite broadcasting to handheld devices.

At present, DMB broadcasts are available in South Korea and Japan. In South Korea, DMB television and radio broadcasts can be received using special cell phones made by Samsung and LG.

Approximately 60,000 users signed up for the service during its first month of operation there, TU Media Corp., the company that operates the service, said in June.