Advanced Television

UHD

Videotron claims UHD DVR first

Canadian quad-play operator Videotron says it has passed a major technological milestone by becoming the first telecommunications provider in Canada to release commercially an ultra-high-definition (UHD) set-top box across its entire service area. Combined with Videotron’s network capabilities, the set-top box will enable Videotron customers who have purchased a UHD television set to begin viewing […]

August 12, 2015By Colin Mann

Japan readies for 4K, and 8K

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 […]

August 11, 2015By Chris Forrester

Ultra HD Blu-ray licensing readied

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) will commence licensing the Ultra HD Blu-ray format starting August 24th. The format represents the work of global leaders from the consumer electronics, IT and content creation industries and will enable consistent and reliable delivery of Ultra HD content to the rapidly growing number of Ultra HD households, expected to […]

August 6, 2015

UHD movie storage initiative from WD, Fox, Samsung

Storage solutions specialist WD has unveiled its My Passport Cinema Ultra-HD movie storage device, which it says is an easier and faster way to organise, store and enjoy HD digital movies and TV shows – including new releases in up to full 4K resolution with high dynamic range (HDR) – on Samsung SUHD TVs and […]

August 5, 2015

Samsung “truck-view” TV

Electronics giant Samsung, ever-keen to find new uses for its flat-panel display hardware, has come up with a novel idea. It has developed a truck-based TV system that displays the image as seen from the driver’s cab of the vehicle, and shows the road ahead on four giant TV displays on the rear doors of […]

August 4, 2015By Chris Forrester

4K: More obfuscation from Sky

BT Sport might be winning this particular 4K/Ultra-HD battle, but will it win the long-term war? The launch on August 2nd of BT’s 4K channel was no ‘blue moon’ but the opening salvo in what might be a long-drawn out scrap for viewer loyalty. Sky had its annual end-of-year results event on July 29th and […]

August 3, 2015By Chris Forrester

BT Media & Broadcast boosts 4K content

BT Media & Broadcast – BT Group’s international media services enterprise business – has confirmed that it will be delivering BT Sport’s new 4K Champions League sports content. The news follows BT Sport’s announcement in July that it will be launching the first live sports Ultra HD channel in Europe, BT Sport Ultra HD. The […]

August 3, 2015By Colin Mann

4K TV shipments to grow 147%

According to the worldwide TV market report from Futuresource Consulting, 4K TV shipments are expected to grow by 147 per cent in 2015, despite an overall 2 per cent fall in TV sales. Global TV sales rose in 2014 by 3 per cent to reach 235 million units, with trade value up to $94 billion. […]

July 30, 2015

HDR takes ‘Top Paper’ prize at IBC

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is an extremely hot topic, and is the Holy Grail being sought by content producers, high-end broadcasters and the TV consumer electronics industry. They all see HDR as a highly desirable next step for Ultra-HD transmissions. The IBC technology show has recognised the importance of HDR by awarding its 2015 Conference […]

July 30, 2015By Chris Forrester

4K High Dynamic Range debuts

On May 20th the Coppa Italia final (Juventus vs Lazio) took place at Rome’s Olympic Stadium, before 60,000 dedicated fans. Juventus won 2-1 in extra time, and secured the trophy for the tenth time. So far, so ordinary. But this game was captured with the latest Sony HDR 4K cameras, and claimed to be the […]

July 29, 2015By Chris Forrester