Last week Qatar Satellite issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a fast-track build for a second satellite, Es’HailSat-2. Es’HailSat-1 is already in position, and is a joint venture satellite with Eutelsat operating from 26 degrees East. Qatar’s plan is to have the new satellite in position by the end of 2016. Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Satellite operator SES, unveiling its latest viewership numbers in London March 18, also said that it anticipated Ultra-HDTV satellite transmissions would make their debut appearances over Europe by the autumn of 2016. Nick Stubbs, SES’s VP/GM for Western Europe, told journalists and clients that he expected there to be “multiple operators broadcasting 4K/Ultra-HDTV services by […]
Ericsson predicts there will be 50 billion connected devices by 2020, 15 billion of which will be video enabled. The proliferation of these devices, combined with consumer willingness to pay for high quality, premium content, is resulting in a new age of TV Anywhere. Today’s TV service providers must deal with an ever-growing level of […]