UHD SPECIAL - AUTUMN 2017 UHD_AUTUMN 2017 | Page 10

T
ULTRA HD PREMIUM
certification extended
he UHD Alliance (UHDA), the inter-
industry group charged with fostering
an ecosystem that fully realises and
promotes the consumer benefits of Ultra
HD with HDR entertainment technology,
has confirmed the completion of the ULTRA
HD PREMIUM specifications for additional
content delivery devices such as Streaming
Media Players, set-top boxes and Desktop PCs.
The expansion of the ULTRA HD
PREMIUM family of certified products, which
includes Ultra HD TVs, Computer Monitors
and Ultra HD Blu-ray players, will offer
consumers more ways to enjoy a premium
UHD experience and open new pathways for
the delivery of premium content to the rapidly
growing global installed base of 4K Ultra HD
displays.
“With 4K UHD TV shipments increasing
by 42 per cent to 81 million in 2017, the one
constant in a continually and rapidly changing
content delivery environment is the consumer
demand for a premium content experience
regardless of the delivery platform,” noted
UHD Alliance chairman, Michael Zink. “To
that end, whether they are viewing content
delivered by a disc player, cable or satellite
box, or a streaming media player, they can look
for the ULTRA HD PREMIUM logo to identify
products that deliver a premium experience in
4K UHD with HDR.”
“UHD Television shipments will increase
from 12 million units in 2014, to more than
100 million units by 2018 worldwide,” noted
Paul Gagnon, director for TV sets research and
technology, Media & Telecom at IHS Markit.
“We expect that continued growth in UHD
source devices and UHD content will greatly
contribute to the expected UHD TV growth.”
Beyond the expanded ULTRA HD
PREMIUM certification program, the Alliance
also announced it is broadening its mission
to include monitoring and maximising
interoperability between product categories.
The organisation has already conducted an
initial review of interoperability issues raised
by consumers to identify common trends with
an eye toward providing consumer, retail
and manufacturer education to help ensure
consumers get the best UHD experience
possible. Further, the group is augmenting
its consumer education efforts to encompass
the overall promotion of 4K UHD with HDR
entertainment and the underlying technologies
such as wide colour spectrum and immersive
audio.
“Our primary focus has been establishing
ULTRA HD PREMIUM as the benchmark for
excellence, and not only does it remain a core
part of our mission, but we’re pleased that
many companies are building their products
to meet or exceed our specifications.” said
UHDA president, Mike Fidler. “That said,
a lot of technology is coming at consumers
very quickly, and often disparately, making it
hard for them to decipher what each of these
technologies mean. As such, we think it’s
critical that the Alliance take a broader view of
consumer education and to expand our efforts
for the benefit of the entire category.”
As part of its broadened educational efforts,
the Alliance will launch a new consumer facing
website as well as a series of educational
videos and a new retail/consumer brochure
focusing on UHD technologies such as HDR,
Wide Colour Spectrum and other features.
Additionally, the Alliance will continue to
engage with individual manufacturers, leading
industry organisations and retailers to help
craft and disseminate uniform information
to help consumers understand and identify
products that deliver the best in 4K UHD with
HDR performance.
For each of the new content delivery device
categories to bear the ULTRA HD PREMIUM
logo, the products must deliver the same
performance requirements in 4K resolution,
high dynamic range, colour spectrum and
colour bit depth that were established for Ultra
HD TV’s and Ultra HD Blu-ray players. The
specifications and testing requirements have
been completed and the Alliance anticipates
product testing and licensing will begin in early
autumn 2107.
Ultra HD Forum to
demonstrate ‘HDR
for all’
Working Group said: “This is
the first time we are bringing
demos to IBC, and we are
excited to show what HDR
The Ultra HD Forum, the
can look like on the TV sets
global organisation defini