Imagine Communications is helping BT’s Media & Broadcast division in the first demonstration of visually lossless, low-overhead TICO compression for a live UHD backhaul.
TICO lightweight compression, was initially developed by IntoPix and is now supported by the industrywide TICO Alliance. It offers visually lossless performance at up to 4:1 compression with an extremely robust performance.
Imagine Communications was an early supporter of TICO and other lightweight compression schemes for UHD on its Selenio media processing platform, including full support for 4K and HDR UHD.
Mark Wilson-Dunn, Vice President of BT Media & Broadcast, said: “We’re constantly innovating with partners to deliver a world-leading service to our clients. Our high-capacity fibre network, controlled remotely at the touch of a button, and combined with Imagine’s Selenio MCP solution, will allow production studios an unparalleled level of flexibility with their broadcasts.”
BT will demonstrate how multiple live UHD feeds from English Premier League stadiums can be transported over fibre to production hubs without any compromise in image or audoo quality. This enables broadcasters to add value to the production through multiple feeds, commentary cameras and on-site studios, while retaining the clarity of the UHD signal.
Mark Senecal, VP of product management at Imagine Communications, added: “This is a hugely important demonstration. The lightweight, low-latency nature of TICO makes it ideal for live broadcasting when you cannot compromise either quality or reliability. Imagine is leading the industry in implementing both compressed and uncompressed UHD solutions, and our collaboration with BT Media & Broadcast has validated our approach so we are now ready to deliver into mission-critical applications. This demonstration is a game changer for the live remote broadcast industry.”
The demonstration can be seen as part of IBC’s outdoor exhibits.