Science
Behind the Magic
13
home movies on a VHS tape would future-proof that content. Logic: FAIL.
But the industry is not standing around waiting for the hi-res format to suddenly be available to consumers without fully understanding and preparing for it themselves long beforehand. There are many key players in the broadcast/post-production side of the industry, but one of the foremost is Avid.
I don't have to go into who "Avid" is, because if you're in the industry, you already know who they are. If you're not in the industry, go to www.avid.com and you'll see. But to move this article along, I'll assume you already know Avid.
The 2014 Nab Show saw Avid introduce their newest service – "Avid Everywhere." I covered the announcement quite extensively while at the Show, and wrote about it – here is a link to that article: Avid Everywhere
According to Avid, the first real advance in the UHDTV technology is going to occur soon (this year or next, 2015). They have predicted frame rates capped at 60fps (progressive only), up to “4K” resolution (3840x2160), 10/12 bit color – (no more 8 bit), Bt.2020 or 709 color space, HEVC compression, and audio 5.1 and 7.1; Between 2015 and 2020, it is believed that frame rates will be increased to 120Hz, with advances in video and audio; finally, in 2020, for the Tokyo Olympics, a prediction of 7280x4320 “8K” resolution (Japan’s Super High Vision - In August, 2012, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approved a set of high-resolution standards developed by NHK Labs as their ITU-R Recommendation BT.2020 UHDTV specification for Ultra High-Definition Television). This 8K will deliver 16 times the HD resolution, coming in at a mind-blowing 33 million pixels.
And while the different "K's" have been lagging, with the higher resolutions available only to those production and post-production houses (and NOT to the Joe Blow Consumer who is itching for such high quality), at least in some parts of the world the idea of getting 4K out to the consumer is not only alive, but kicking up a storm!
According to their Press Release, Homechoice was responsible for an industry first on April 10, 2014. On that date, Homechoice launched UMAX, the first UHD cable channel in the world, broadcast in 4Kp60 (3840x2160 pixel resolution with 60 frames per second).
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Titan
tops'em
No set-top box required - by leveraging the HEVC decoding capabilities built into UHDTV compatible televisions - and downloading an application to decrypt UMAX on their TV - cable television subscribers across South Korea will have access to the most recent UHD content.
No cost to subscribers - UMAX is funded and distributed by all South-Korean MSOs (CJ Hellovision, C&M, T-Broad and HCN) and is available at no additional charge to subscribers in 2014.
"With the integration of HEVC capabilities into UHDTV television sets, and a cable channel that will provide consumers with the capability to enjoy this advanced technology today, cable programmers around the world will be watching the launch of UMAX with great interest. We are proud to be a part of the worldwide launch of the first 4K cable channel."
Original content – the initial launch of UMAX will include 40 original programs, a mix of films, documentaries and animation, which will run from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. KST. Homechoice plans to increase its offering to 100 programs by the end of 2014.
TITAN is chosen for exceptional video quality and compatibility - TITAN is ATEME¹s next generation TV Head-End, a real-time multi-channel/format encoder/transcoder for multi-screen delivery of linear channels and video-on-demand. Homechoice selected TITAN for its best-in-class picture quality (using 32mbps for 4Kp60) and for its proven compatibility with embedded decoders in today¹s most popular TV brands.
Eunsook Wi, APAC regional manager, ATEME:
Broadcast Beat Magazine / Sep-Dec, 2014