THE CHANNEL
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ISSUE 2 2013
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47
receive 4K/2K DCP files which can
be transferred via satellite at 70
Mbit/s or up to 140 Mbit/s by
coupling two transponders.
KEY STANDARDS
But transparent, 4K‐ready satellites
and enthusiastic film studios will
not be enough to ensure a smooth
advent for Ultra HD. Other key
areas are technical standards for
compression and modulation, and
various types of equipment.
In the field of standards, Ultra
HD calls on the HEVC standard for
compression and transmission. It
includes profiles capable to operate
on 4K‐native resolution pictures
and is expected to allow bitrate
savings in the order of 50% with
respect to MPEG‐4 AVC. HEVC
chipsets capable to work on 4K
resolution pictures are now being
produced by all major
manufacturers, and consumer
receivers should start being
available end 2013 or beginning
2014. Early chipsets will be capable
to work at 24/30 frames per
seconds, while chipsets capable to
work at 50/60 frames per second
should be available six to nine
months later.
By 2015, satellite DTH
operators could also benefit from
the evolution of the DVB‐S2
modulation standard which should
allow more information to be
transported in a satellite
transponder and could coincide
with the availability of set‐top
boxes with HEVC chipsets
operating up to 60fps.
All these add‐on technologies
represent significant improvements
for reducing bandwidth and
supporting quality image delivery.
With HEVC and the evolution of
DVB‐S2, it should become possible
to transmit around five Ultra HD
4K channels at 50 or 60 frames per
second in a 36 MHz transponder.
This would be with a bitrate per
channel a little higher than one
current MPEG4 HD channel but
with four times the resolution and
twice the frame rate for a more
exciting and comfortable viewing
experience.
Turning to Ultra HD equipment,
satellite is just one element of the
value chain which will need to be
in place for 4K broadcasting. The
entire value chain, including the
production of content, compression,
transmission and reception/display,
will need to be ready as well.
4KPRODUCTION
The ability to produce 4K content
easily and affordably is the first
requirement for populating the
library needed to feed a 4K
broadcasting chain. 4K electronic
production has already been
adopted over the last few years by
the digital cinema industry and the
range of 4K cameras, editing and
production systems capable to
work at 4K native resolution is
expanding quickly. Video mixers
and serial digital interfaces capable
of working and carrying 4K
content are being introduced;
encoders, decoders and modulators
will also play a decisive role in the
roll‐out of 4K.
Hundreds of movies have
already been filmed in 4K. When
the players and set‐top‐boxes reach
the market, in the near future, there
will be a substantial offer available.
Major companies like Sony are also
heavily investing in rescanning and
remastering classics such as
Lawrence of Arabia
into 4K.
In terms of TV production,
France Télévisions carried out a 4K
live demo during the French Tennis
Open in June, an initiative which
will be shortly followed by other
major sports events including the
2014 World Cup and the Olympics
in 2016 in Brazil.
TIMING
In terms of timing, it is expected
that all the bricks will be in place
for the take‐off of Ultra HD by
2015. The Japanese Ministry of
Internal Affairs and
Communications recently
announced a plan to introduce 4K
broadcasting in 2014.
The same year, the Sochi Winter
Olympics and the FIFA World Cup
will be showcases stimulating
further interest, with the 2016
Olympic Games an additional
accelerator. Broader Ultra HD
adoption will take several years,
progressively penetrating the
market once pay‐TV operators have
packaged a significant volume of
content in premium offers of five to
ten channels. Taking HD as a
comparison ‐ commercial HD
broadcasting was introduced in
2005 and Eutelsat satellites today
broadcast about 450 channels ‐ we
could expect Ultra HD to reach a
mass market in eight to ten years.
This dynamic will in particular
favour DTH operators who will be
able to leverage this new
differentiating opportunity,
bundling Ultra HD premium
content to sustain subscriber loyalty
and increase ARPU.
The introduction of Ultra HD/4K
requires no major structural changes
to be applied to networks, because
it does not radically change the
principles of satellite broadcasting.
As Eutelsat’s 4K demonstration
channel shows, it is already
possible to operate and broadcast
4K content with the network
technologies available today.
■
www.eutelsat.com
4K needs
no major
structural
changes
to be
applied to
networks
“
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TECHNOLOGY
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THE CHANNEL
Optimum viewing distances as a fraction of the height of the screen (H) and
corresponding viewing angles
HD at 720p
HD at 1080 lines
Ultra HD (4K TV)
