Broadcasters have further work to complete on Ultra High Definition Television before it can enter the broadcast mainstream, according to the EBU’s head of media fundamentals & production.
Speaking at the SMPTE Annual Technical Conference in Hollywood Hans Hoffmann said the interfaces needed for programme production and for connections in domestic equipment both needed attention.
The new family of compression technologies, HEVC will be published shortly, but much testing remains to be done.
In August approval was given to ITU-R BT ‘2020’ – the two layers of Ultra-High Definition Television. The lower layer (UHD-1 in EBU terms) is now called Ultra-HD by the US consumer electronics association, and the upper layer (UHD-2 in EBU terms) is called Super Hi-Vision by NHK, the Japanese broadcaster.
Hoffman urged broadcasters to experiment in UHD-1 production now and participate in discussions around the format, rather than wait and later complain that it isn’t what is needed.
