Dolby has launched a pilot of an HbbTV service with Ultra HD image quality and next-generation Dolby AC-4 audio in Spain under the umbrella of industry association UHD Spain.
UHD Spain is a non-profit organisation recently established by key players of the local broadcast industry with the aim of promoting audiovisual innovation, enabling consumers to receive content with the highest possible quality. The trial showcases possibilities to offer UHD services with immersive audio to viewers in Spain and beyond, making use of open standard HbbTV capabilities of the latest smart TVs.
For the pilot, Dolby collaborates with Vestel, a European company that is one of the world’s leading suppliers of TV sets under brands including Toshiba, Hitachi, JVC, Sharp and Telefunken.
The test run includes content from five key companies of the Spanish audiovisual industry, all founding partners of the UHD Spain forum: Medina Media (audiovisual and professional events producer), Axion (Radio y Televisión de Andalucía), Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (RTVE), Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals and Dolby.
Most of the content was originally created in stereo and has been remixed in the Dolby Atmos 3D immersive format specifically for this project. The Dolby Atmos experience is distributed to TV sets using the latest Dolby AC-4 coding technology.
The UHD video and Dolby Atmos audio signal is transmitted to TV screens via an internet IP stream through an HbbTV application which can be launched on any HbbTV-compliant TV set. The link to launch the HbbTV app is sent alongside the broadcast signal via satellite on Hispasat and on the DTT network courtesy of Cellnex.
The application is open to the industry, allowing members to access it to perform their own technical tests.