Europe aims to boost 4K Ultra HD TV with first HEVC broadcast
Satellite operator SES is working with encoder supplier Harmonic and chip designer Broadcom to demonstrate the first live UltraHD transmission in the new HEVC standard at its headquarters in Luxembourg. The HEVC standard gives up to 50 percent encoding efficiency improvement, compared to previous test broadcasts in MPEG-4 AVC (H.264).
The end-to-end demonstration from the satellite at 19.2 degrees East used Harmonic’s ProMedia Xpress and a HEVC decoder reference-design system based on Broadcom’s BCM7445 device for receiving HEVC encoded UltraHD television transmission. The signal was broadcast in DVB-S2 using a data rate of 20 Mbit/s.
“SES has achieved an important industry first with Harmonic and Broadcom," said Ian Trow, Senior Director of Emerging Technology and Strategy at Harmonic. "This DVB-S2 transmission clearly demonstrates the benefit of HEVC encoding using the Harmonic ProMedia in a live to air Satellite application. A significant compression improvement has been achieved using HEVC when compared to previous UltraHD deployments using MPEG-4 AVC (H.264).”
The live demonstration for the first time broadcasts a full 3840×2160 pixel UltraHD picture in HEVC, while previous demonstrations were either broadcast in H.264 or using 4 HD pictures in parallel. SES first live-broadcast a full 3840×2160 pixel UltraHD picture using the MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) standard at IBC 2012. "SES has once again taken a leadership role in the industry by broadcasting the first real Ultra HD picture in a commercially realistic bandwidth," said Thomas Wrede, VP Reception Systems, SES. "We are convinced that the HEVC standard will become the option of choice for TV operators broadcasting UltraHD content and expect the industry to develop prototype UltraHD receivers in the coming months. With this initiative SES will be significantly driving the UltraHD ecosystem forward and provide a 24/7 test channel to its industry partners.”
www.ses.com
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
