• Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Media Info
    • Terms & Conditions for Advertisers
    • Mechanical Data

Broadband TV News

Independent. Since 2003

  • Home
  • News Line
    • Central & East Europe
    • People
  • TV
    • On Demand/VOD
    • IPTV
    • Cable
    • Satellite
    • Terrestrial
    • Distribution
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Columns
    • Chris Dziadul
    • Julian Clover
    • Robert Briel
  • Events
    • Events Diary
    • BTN Events
    • Events Coverage
    • Submit the details of your event
  • Features
  • Resources
    • White Papers

4K picture not yet crystal clear, but on the way

March 19, 2015 20.49 Europe/London By Cynthia Ritchie, Satellite 2015, Washington DC

4k PanelThe forecasts for 4K were a mixed bag at a panel entitled Are we ready for Ultra-HD? at Satellite 2015 in Washington. With a discussion focus mainly centred on the North American market, Michele Beck, VP North American Sales at Telesat, Richard Bullock, Strategic Product Manager of Fixed Contribution and Distribution Solutions at Ericsson, Steve Corda, VP Business Development North America for SES, Philip Goswitz SVP Space and Communications/ R&D DirecTV, and Peter Ostapiuk VP Media Product Management at Intelsat and Thomas van den Driessche, Newtec CCO, all shared their views on how and when 4K will roll out.

“We seeing a bit of caution in the market: broadcasters in Canada made huge investments in launching HD, and taking the next step will also be a major investment. They are deciding whether to start in 4K or to leapfrog directly to 8K, and wait a few extra years,” is how Beck set the scene in Canada.

Bullock, taking a more international view, said “broadcasters are waiting for some of the standards to be sorted out. We saw a lot of activity leading up to the World Cup in Brazil, and things have slowed a bit for 4K. But we sold a 4K system to Tata Sky for the Cricket World Cup. That really took 4K to a new level.” He added: “I think in the next 12 months we will see things moving forward with the next wave of enthusiasm.”

Drawing a parallel with the rise of HD in the US, Corda pointed out that when HD launched, the first linear channel debuted four years after the first broadcasts, which were on-demand. “But the interesting thing is that virtually every new movie it now shot in 4K. So the programming is there, but we need the whole ecosystem to develop.”

DirecTV’s Goswitz highlighted the impetus that 4K has already built up: “it’s here, but this is what it’s like to be on the leading edge – people have different opinions, but all the major operators have stepped up and are doing something: We’re all stepping up to the new experience.”

“As we saw with HD, it’s important to have leaders {while] others are in a wait-and-see mode, “ commented Goswitz, adding: ” it starts with cinema, but to get widescale adoption, you need sports”

Ironically, it is precisely in the area of sport where some of the biggest challenges broadcasters face reside when it comes to 4K. Bullock cited some of the experiences learned by Sky when covering the British Open golf championship: “The way that each shot was captured, the camera positioning was critical, and capturing the movement of the ball as it moved towards the camera – they discovered some limitations in the lenses currently.”

It seems that the ideal way to broadcast sports in the 4K world is to leverage the best of HD with the best of UHD, and to toggle seamlessly between these within a broadcast. Corda explained how this ideal could work: “a close-up shot with not a lot of movement, say at a goal line in football, that’s a great Ultra HD shot, but if you can scale to HD to capture the wider field shot. UHD needs a different way of filming, and when we get that nailed, it will really demonstrate what Ultra HD can do.”

Observed Ostapiuk: “there’s a lot of enthusiasm for 4K internationally in the markets where there is competition, and new subscribers to be gained.”

What will really move 4K forward, said the panel, is consumers demanding the new enriched services, not technologists promoting their most recent tech breakthrough.

Van den Driessche reminded that consumers are motivated “to fill up their flat panel screens” and added: ”one of the reasons that we’re all cautious is that in the case of 3D, it was not driven by consumer behaviour.”

All panellists agreed on the need for costs in every part of the 4K production and distribution chain to be reduced. Commented Bullock: ”let’s face it, 4K is not cheap. A lot of broadcasters entered into this without realising the cost of setting up a service, not just in the workflow, but also in storing of larger files and producing of the content, [plus] you need two sets of camera crew to keep HD production going as well – it all adds up.”

Embracing HEVC at every point in the transmission path was also seen as a prerequisite for the stable, commercial viability of 4K. Bullock noted the growing excitement surrounding HDR (High Dynamic Range) camera technology which would increasingly be deployed in 2016, and he believes it will further spur 4K rollout. He predicted that HDR and 4K uptake in 2016 would create a two-year window for the adoption of 8K, just in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

 

 

 

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Editor's Choice, Event Coverage, Satellite, Top Story Tagged With: 4K, Satellite 2015, Ultra HD, Washington DC Edited: 23 March 2015 11:37

Latest News

  • Slovak TV hires Zuzana Tapakova
  • Operator VOD services grow in Russia
  • Sky postpones German launch of Sky Glass
  • YouSee adds 5,000 new subs against the market
  • Viaplay inks multi-market deal with Erling Haaland

Watch Video

Xperi on using AI to identify your audience – ANGA COM Roundup Video

Patrick Byrden, Xperi's VP of Business Development & Strategy, tells Julian Clover how the company is using AI to detect who is watching the TV, and providing them with more relevant content. … [Watch Now ...]

Amino supporting RDK & Android platforms – ANGA COM Roundup Video

Julian Clover speaks to Amino's Jonny McKee about the company's transition towards standards platforms to support the launch of OTT services. Recorded at ANGA COM in Cologne. … [Watch Now ...]

Free Ebook

eBook: The Full Guide to IP Monitoring

IP is the future of your facility, if not already your everyday reality. It enables incredible agility and cost savings, but also introduces a new set of challenges. Read The Full Guide to IP Monitoring to learn about the best practices for IP monitoring in live production, playout and OTT and the methods to help you to reduce complexity in these workflows. … [Download the eBook...]

Broadband TV News

  • Subscribe
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Logos & Pictures
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Advertising

  • Media Info
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Mechanical Data
  • Video Services

News

  • Latest
  • Central & East Europe
  • TV
  • Tech
  • Streaming
  • Cable
  • Satellite
  • Terrestrial
  • IPTV
  • Business
  • People

Events

  • Events Diary
  • BTN Events
  • Submit the details of your event
  • Media Meet & Greet

Broadband TV News

PO Box 499
Cambridge
United Kingdom
CB1 0AH
news@broadbandtvnews.com

Connect with Us

 

Copyright © 2022 Broadband TV News LLP · Log in

 

Loading Comments...