France Télévisions is planning to make a free-to-air Ultra High Definition service available in time for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In an article for EBU tech-i magazine, Jacques Donat-Bouillud, head of distribution, and Bastien Thiébaut-George, project coordinator, France Télévisions explained that with the permanent move of France 2 to the UHD format during the first quarter of 2024, the ambition went way beyond the Olympics.
The article highlights LoCaT, the Low Carbon TV Delivery Project which found that the energy consumption of one hour viewing DTT is 10 times less than one hour of viewing for streaming. This is important, both through a need to demonstrate a corporate social responsibility within France Télévisions, and because four out of ten people in France watch linear channels on terrestrial networks.
France Télévisions aims to broadcast the new DTT multiplex from about 200 towers across mainland France and 15 overseas.
France Télévisions has chosen the HDR10 2160p50 format, for maximum visual gain. In addition, targeting an improved all-round experience for audiences, France Télévisions will also launch NGA (next generation audio) on its UHD DTT services, with the ambition of improving accessibility for those who are hard of hearing.
The HD Simulcast Descriptor”, a DTT signalling parameter previously used at the time of the switch from standard definition to high definition, will be used again to ensure the UHD version of France 2 is shown when technically possible on the viewer’s receiver.
