Advanced Television

UHD

SFR to launch 5 sport channels, one in 4K

SFR has confirmed that it will launch five new sports channels, including one premium, one dedicated to multi sports, one for extreme sports, one for sports news (operated by NextRadio TV) and one for 4K events. Launching in June, the sport channels will not be exclusive to SFR subscribers, and will also be distributed on […]

April 27, 2016From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

OSN’s detailed plans for 4K

Dubai-based OSN says the main focus of its 2016 investment programme is on preparing for the introduction of 4K transmissions. Mark Billinge, OSN’s CTO, in a report in Via Satellite magazine, says the broadcaster’s next-generation platform will be UHD capable, and will launch at the end of 2016 or early in 2017. He adds that […]

April 22, 2016By Chris Forrester

Universal reveals first 4K offerings

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) has confirmed plans to release a broad selection of films in 4K Ultra HD. UPHE will begin a progressive rollout of its growing roster of movie titles around the world beginning this summer, showcasing a mix of new releases, including some of this year’s most-anticipated blockbusters The Huntsman: Winter’s War, […]

April 20, 2016

Netflix reveals HDR titles

Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer at Netflix, has revealed a raft of titles the service is planning to make available in both Dolby Vision and HDR formats. Writing in the company Blog, Hunt says that pushing the boundaries on video quality is one of Netflix’s passions. “We’re particularly excited about High Dynamic Range – or […]

April 19, 2016By Colin Mann

Ultra HD Forum releases workflow guidelines

The Ultra HD Forum, the global organisation defining industry best practices for the introduction of technologies that will facilitate the ultra-high-definition (UHD) viewing experience, has used the occasion of the 2016 NAB Show to release the first phase of industry Guidelines on end-to-end workflows for creating and delivering live and pre-recorded UHD content. This first […]

April 19, 2016By Colin Mann

Nokia boost for Swisscom UHD deployment

Nokia has confirmed that Swisscom has deployed the Nokia 5910 Video Services Appliance (VSA) to deliver its Swisscom TV 2.0 service, including 4K Ultra High Definition, to subscribers – the largest digital TV customer base in Switzerland. The 5910 VSA includes Fast Channel Change and Retransmission. Fast Channel Change reduces the time to change channels […]

April 19, 2016

Intelsat, Harmonic launch UHD demo channel

Intelsat and Harmonic used the giant NAB show to announce the launch of an Ultra HD linear demonstration channel, ‘HVN Intelsat UHD’. The channel will be beamed over North and South America. “The HVN Intelsat UHD channel was created to showcase and facilitate the introduction of compelling UHD and High Dynamic Range (HDR) content and […]

April 19, 2016By Chris Forrester

140m 4K TV sales by 2020

According to the most recent findings from Futuresource Consulting, shipments of 4K Ultra High Definition (4K UHD) sets grew by almost 160 per cent in 2015 to total 32 million units, equivalent to 14 per cent of all sets sold. This is expected to rise to almost 140 million by 2020, by which time 4K […]

April 18, 2016

Survey: Consumers like next-gen broadcast benefits

The new capabilities of enhanced video and improved audio, along with interactive and enhanced emergency services, are driving strong interest in next generation broadcast TV, according to a survey of more than 500 Smart TV owners in the US sponsored by Pearl TV and Sinclair Broadcast Group. “Consumers clearly show a desire to take full […]

April 18, 2016

DirecTV forced to scrap MLB 4K debut

DirecTV’s much-heralded debut Major League Baseball broadcast in went sour for many subscribers on April 15th. The broadcast (between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants) didn’t happen. There were last-minute technical problems with a “third party’s Outside Broadcast truck” said a DirecTV statement, which apologised for the problems. The cancellation was a shame, […]

April 18, 2016By Chris Forrester