Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Ventures, the cellphone maker’s venture arm, said today it invested an undisclosed sum in Quantum, a Milan company that develops portable media players. Quantum’s TV players are based on the DVB-H mobile standard, which Motorola supports along with Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and a host of European operators. In the U.S., Qualcomm’s (NSDQ: QCOM) proprietary MediaFLO technology has been deployed by Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) and should be launched soon by AT&T (NYSE: T). Quantum’s media players can either be integrated into cars, or a standalone handheld device. Consumers can have access to media such as live TV, on-demand clips or saved programs on a DVR. Along with devices, Quantum develops mobile TV software, including DRM.

In a release, Quantum’s CEO Stefano Martini said: “Motorola’s investment will allow Quantum to expand and accelerate the development of our product lines and create the conditions for a successful rollout of mobile TV worldwide.”

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