Advanced Television

UHD

Orad unveils 4K ‘Channel in a box’

Visitors to next month’s NAB show in Las Vegas will be the first to see Orad’s new ‘Blend 4K’ unit which they describe as the world’s “first ever 4K channel in a box”. Orad says its new Blend unit offers a 4K clip server in XAVC and XAVC-S formats. The ultra HD XAVC uses level […]

March 26, 2014By Chris Forrester

BBC expert cites 4K as “next big thing”

BBC presenter and economics journalist Andrew Neil told delegates to the SES ‘Satellite Monitor’ event in London that Ultra HD “was the next big thing”. Neil was the founding chairman of Sky TV (in 1988) and was instrumental in the merger between Sky and British Satellite Broadcasting in 1990. An economist by training, he is […]

March 24, 2014

Samsung wins Fox support for Ultra-HD

Consumer electronics giant Samsung has secured a JV output deal from Twentieth Century Fox in which the Hollywood studio’s films will be available in 4K/Ultra-HD on Samsung’s ‘Smart TVs’. Additionally, Samsung and 20th Century Fox’s Home Entertainment division will also add movies such as “Night at the Museum,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “The Counselor” onto […]

March 24, 2014By Chris Forrester

First global 4K football transmission

On March 23rd, Mediapro will make the first global broadcast using 4K in the Spanish Liga game between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid will be filmed in 4K ahead of La Liga becoming the first league in the world to undertake regular 4K production from the 2014-15 […]

March 21, 2014From David Del Valle in Madrid

Measat HD platform tips 50 channels

Measat has revealed that the Measat -3/3a platform has become the first Asian C-Band satellite platform to exceed 50 HD channels, confirming the maturing of the HD content business in Asia. Measat started offering HD distribution services on the Measat -3 satellite in July 2007. Working with a select group of channels, technology partners and […]

March 20, 2014

Expectations remain high for OTT TV service experiences

Connected home research by Parks Associates at TV Connect in London finds consumers expect the same TV user experience throughout their home, regardless of whether the service is offered via OTT, managed operator network, satellite, or other delivery mechanisms. Expectations also remain the same regardless of the receiving device, including set-top box or connected CE device. “While […]

March 19, 2014

Dish adds extra Disney HD channels

The recent agreement between Dish Network and ABC/Disney has led to the satellite pay-TV platform adding a slew of HD channels to its portfolio. ESPNU, ESPNews, Disney East and ABC Family are all now available as part of Dish’s HD line up.  The deal means that sports fans could view the opening game of the […]

March 19, 2014By Chris Forrester in Washington

Finland: HD content and mobile TV prosper

The use of high-definition services is increasing on large home screens in Finland, while more and more users carry their televisions with them on personal mobile devices. Greater numbers of Finnish people are enjoying HD image quality, particularly for watching sports. A survey commissioned by DNA indicates that consumers in Finland are making active use […]

March 19, 2014

HEVC: Ready or not?

The world is about to start embracing the new HEVC compression standard in readiness for Ultra-HDTV and greater transmission efficiencies for all networks. What will this mean for consumers?  How are chipset manufacturers addressing the challenges of getting product to market?  Are set-top box manufacturers ready for these changes? How expensive will the transition be […]

March 18, 2014

Japan commits to 8K/Super Hi-Vision

While many of the world’s leading TV companies start thinking about transmitting 4K/Ultra-HD-1 as the industry’s ‘next step’ in its evolution from black & white, to colour, to digital TV and high-definition TV, it seems the Japanese remain committed to their Super Hi-Vision/8K broadcasts. A statement from Japanese public broadcaster NHK on March 17 stated […]

March 18, 2014By Chris Forrester