As mobile telephones and other types of wireless communication devices have become more and more ubiquitous, the number of uses for these devices has grown dramatically. Today, mobile telephones can be used not only to place and receive wireless telephone calls, but also to perform many other tasks. For instance, mobile telephones can now be utilized to send and receive electronic mail messages, to take still photographs and video, to engage in instant messaging or text messaging conversations, and to perform a variety of other tasks.
One capability of mobile telephones that is becoming increasingly popular is the ability to wirelessly receive and display video content. Using a capable mobile telephone, a user can receive and view a multitude of channels of video content. This content is generally referred to as “cellular television.” The cellular television content is provided to mobile telephones over a wireless telecommunications network and is therefore available to mobile telephone users wherever they may happen to be.
Because cellular television is generally available whenever a mobile telephone subscriber is within their service area, watching cellular television has become a popular activity for many mobile telephone subscribers. In particular, watching cellular television on a mobile telephone has become very popular for commuters that utilize train or bus transportation. Cellular television allows these commuters to pass the time while they commute to and from work, school, or other activities. Cellular television has also become extremely popular for subscribers that need to pass the time while waiting, for instance, at a doctor's office or while in line at the supermarket or bank.
Although cellular television has become popular for on-the-go mobile telephone subscribers, it has not been generally accepted and utilized for in-home consumption. This is generally the result of the small screen size of mobile telephones. It can be tiresome to watch cellular television for long periods of time on such a small screen. Another factor that limits the ability of a subscriber to watch cellular television in the home is the relatively short battery life of many mobile telephones. While a subscriber can plug their mobile telephone into a wall adapter for power and charging, this too is generally inconvenient for a subscriber that wishes to watch a cellular television program.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that aspects of an apparatus for receiving and displaying cellular television content are described below.