April 2013 www.tvbeurope.com In association with:


Rio’s 2013 Mardi Gras carnival, captured in 8K for NHK by Brazil’s TV Globo


TVBEurope 31 Beyond HD:Future Directions


Ultra-HD gains extraordinary pace Industry observers expect broadcast-specific 4K programming to first appear in a pay-TV environment


By Chris Forrester


INDUSTRY ENTHUSIASM for Ultra-HDTV in its 4K mode for TV (3840 x 2160 pixels) has made some extraordinary progress since January’s CES. 4K displays, despite their ‘Oligarch only’ prices, are already selling, and Hollywood producers — as well as those closer to home — are actually producing 4K content in readiness for the technology’s introduction. However, let’s be clear: a 4K


introduction is not quite yet in sight. But the degree of planning now going on is surprising. While players such as Sony have a vested interest in their vertical ‘movies to display’ business model, it is also obvious that 4K ‘fever’ is spreading much further than just Sony’s HQ. For example Sky Germany, headed by Brian Sullivan, has tested 4K capturing soccer images at a Munchen/Dortmund match last December. Sullivan said the decision underlined the broadcaster’s position as an innovative leader in pay-TV in Germany and Austria. Sullivan stressed that Ultra-HD is for the future but that these first experiences are “already amazing”. Sullivan’s team used just one


camera (a Sony F65 unit) at the stadium that they moved to various positions around the ground, and used different lenses. Sky’s local production partner was Kropac Media, which is fast building up a reputation for 4K shooting. Sky Deutschland is expected to unveil its Ultra-HD plans at this autumn’s IFA show in Berlin.


No 4K for the UK’s Freeview “Ultra-HD is something that the DTG is quite excited about, and everyone who saw CES earlier this year was enthusiastic. But for Freeview we are a long, long way off from setting a specification for Ultra-HD. For Freeview we are very much targeting mainstream [viewing], and it is obviously a long way yet before there would be millions of homes with Ultra- HD sets out there.” Ilse Howling, MD Freeview and DTG Council member


Kropac’s MD Berti Kropac admits the industry is at the beginning of the shift to 4K. “Sport looks wonderful in 4K. It’s breathtaking and you see things that you normally would only realise if you are on the location of the recording, standing next to the cameraman. It is amazing to see a close-up of a tiger, the fur, the whiskers, the eyes. For me it s like watching 3D without glasses.” BSkyB has also dipped its 4K toes into the water with filming of an Arsenal vs Olympiakos game in October 2012, and SIS Live carried out further tests at a recent Chelsea vs Newcastle game. Sky’s director of operations Darren Long declined to give any 4K start- date but that Sky was “keen to learn more about its potential ahead of next-generation TV sets coming to market.” It is the same with the BBC. The BBC’s Natural History Unit (NHU) is busy filming Survival, an epic six-part series, partly in 4K. Mike Gunton is creative


director at the NHU and with a spectacular pedigree at the BBC and an enthusiasm for 4K, especially when taken holistically as part of potential theatrical and IMAX-type releases of its output. The BBC, working with Japan’s NHK also trialled the ‘full fat’ version of 8K at last year’s Olympic Games. The message is echoed in


Europe where the 4EVER consortium, backed by the French Ministry of Industry, look to make the current television production and


trialled 4K transmissions during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February. Most industry observers


expect 4K to first appear in a pay-TV environment. DirecTV is a huge US pay-broadcaster. CEO Mike White, speaking on an analyst’s call in February was candid: “In terms of 4K I don't want to get into the details on our longer-term product strategies but DirecTV has a heritage of wanting to have the best sound and pictures. “We are continuing to invest in the next generation of both


“The primary challenge is the increased bandwidth required to transmit 4K. Futuresource believes that there is a positive commercial scenario for consumer 4K”


delivery chain capable of handling next-generation 4K content. The government support is helping a number of French-based companies, including compression experts Ateme, Orange Labs, France Televisions, Technicolor, TeamCast, Doremi, GlobeCast, and Institut Telecom ParisTech, all figuring out how to make 4K workflows and distribution a reality. 4EVER’s aim is to wrap a complete production and transmission chain by the end of this year. In Spain, Abertis


The key question is whether this government initiative will lead to a faster or earlier development of the market cycle as well as improve Ultra-HD take-up rates? Northern Sky Research says,


David Watkins


sound and picture. [The content has] to be shot in 4K. So, again, I think you're probably a couple of years out. But it's a very exciting technology, and frankly, we're very interested in kind of how fast it will [impact] with consumers and certainly taking that into consideration in our longer-term product plans.” In Japan we have the


confirmation that 4K will be a reality in 2014, helped by a Japanese government initiative, and more than two years ahead of the already accelerated 2016 test-transmissions of 8K.


“The [Japanese] government initiatives on the supply side will have some positive effect on the ecosystem. Developments in next-generation compression standards, which in NSR’s view is one of the most important to truly jumpstart the market, should proceed at a faster rate.” Futuresource research consultant David Watkins admits that 4K still has some serious obstacles to overcome, not least the lack of content, and an addressable audience in the shape of 4K displays! “Despite these barriers most major TV brands will likely launch 4K models over the next 12 months. Looking to the broadcast industry and pay TV, the primary challenge is the increased bandwidth required to transmit 4K. Futuresource believes that there is a positive commercial scenario for consumer 4K.” The EBU’s David Wood is also positive: “Ultra-HD is not just an idea or someone’s dream. The technical standards were agreed by all the nations of the world last August. Ultra-HD trials have already begun in Korea for terrestrial broadcasting, and these will continue. SES and Eutelsat are making trial transmissions with satellites. We could look forward to Ultra-HD internet trials later this year. The ‘go’ button has been pushed.”


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