Japanese satellite operator B-SAT, backed in part by public broadcaster NHK, says its latest spacecraft B-Sat 4a, now on order from Space Systems/Loral, will be ready for widescale 4K and 8K broadcasts.

B-Sat’s CEO Takashi Yabashi, says that the satellite will be used for 4K and 8K direct-to-home services, starting in 2018. The satellite is scheduled for launch in late 2017, and is double the size of the craft it will replace (B-Sat 3a).

Some test transmissions of 4K broadcasts are already under trial (using transponder 17 on B-Sat 3b) with further testing taking place this year.

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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, DTH/Satellite, Equipment, UHD, Ultra-HD/4K