Astra satellite operator SES and German research institute Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI will jointly broadcast a 10K x 2K panorama video signal live via satellite for interactive presentation on Ultra HD TV sets and VR glasses at IBC.
They will be setting up Fraunhofer HHI’s panorama camera OmniCam-360 at popular places in Luxembourg City. The panoramic images will be sent to the Astra 2E satellite at 28.2° East by an outside broadcast unit.
The panorama signal will be received at the SES IBC booth B51 in hall 1. Visitors will be able to watch the scenes live with VR headsets and experience being in the middle of the city while being at the show. Visitors will also be able to watch the scenes on a large Ultra HD flat screen which allows zooming in and out via a remote control through a 360° panoramic image.
Through Fraunhofer HHI’s HEVC encoder, it will be possible to compress the large amount of data of the panorama video so that it can be efficiently broadcast via satellite.
“We intend for this demonstration to show that 360° video can be consumed by TV viewers even without VR glasses. We also want our camera and HEVC encoding technologies to show that 360° video can be broadcast to the consumer in high quality,” said Dr Ralf Schäfer, Head of Division Video at Fraunhofer HHI.
Thomas Wrede, Vice President of New Technology and Standards at SES Video, added: “For a reliable live broadcast of video content to millions of households, using the highest level of resolution, a geostationary satellite system is virtually unbeatable. We are pleased to work with Fraunhofer HHI to try out new Direct-to-Home (DTH) applications such as 360° video.”
