The recent NAB show was a breath of fresh air for those of us who play in the mobile DTV space (and not only due to the dry, warm Vegas weather).  While it wasn't a complete coming out party for the industry, there were several very important things we saw there that are sure to lay additional strong groundwork for the MDTV structure in the United States.

So what happened and why am I so enthusiastic?

I guess it makes sense here to break down the answer into two sections, what happened with Siano and what else happened at the show.

First, Siano. We met with top – and I mean TOP! – device manufacturers who are ready to speak with us about integrating our chipsets into their devices this year.  We met with industry groups that are moving full-steam ahead with automotive products, as well as more expected devices, such as dongles and smartphones. We met with Mexican and Canadian representatives, and were pleased that things are moving along nicely north and south of the border as well.

So for Siano, it was a strong show, and we like the momentum we are seeing.

But when you look at the larger industry, things become truly exciting.

Here are two sample data points:

1. Anne Schelle, Executive Director of OMVC, said that MDTV will reach almost 80 million U.S. households in the next twelve months.

2. CBS-owned TV stations have decided to join the Mobile 500 group, which is a major step, considering that CBS wasn't into the whole MDTV thing for a long time. Here's what CBS Television Stations president Peter Dunn had to say: "The advent of digital television has been great for viewers and we are pleased to support these initiatives with the hope that they will help us to do an even better job of serving our audience through the delivery of our broadcasts to mobile devices."

This is great news for the industry.  It looks like the North American market is finally gaining the momentum we have expected.

Buckle your seatbelts!