First transmission in Ultra High Definition 4K under the DVB-S2X standard

Coinciding with CommunicAsia in Singapore, technology from Measat, Newtec and Ericsson will make it possible to broadcast Ultra High Definition signals through the new DVB-S2X standard.

Measat y Newtec will take place at CommunicAsia, from June 17 to 20 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center, the first demonstration of a satellite broadcast in Ultra High Definition 4K under the DVB-S2X standard.

This new extension of DVB will be critical for the satellite industry to keep pace with the demand for new features and greater efficiency. Published last February 2014, DVB-S2X would achieve an efficiency of more than 51% with respect to DVB-S2 in professional applications and up to 20% for DTH. This new standard is much needed as the growing consumption of video and data continues to strain bandwidth. The demonstration at CommunicAsia in Singapore will consist of an uplink through the Measat teleport in Cyberjaya (Kuala Lumpur) delivering the signal through the Measat3 in C-band with the new DVB-S2X modulation equipment from Newtec.

The new standard available across Newtec's product range, or as a software upgrade for existing products, brings multiple new capabilities to DVB-S such as low Roll-Offs (RO), increased granularity in ModCod options, high-efficiency modulation optimized for use in linear and non-linear operations, and a standard mechanism for linking venues creating a transmission stream for multiple 4K programmes.

Steven Soenens, Vice President of Product and Market Management at Newtec, acknowledges that "this experience demonstrates not only that satellite networks are ready for 4K UHDTV but also that DVB-S2X is ready to help satellite operators and broadcasters reduce costs or deliver more content within the same capacity. It is no longer a question of if the new DVB-S2X standard will be used in broadcast and distribution contribution networks, but rather the question is when."

M6100 modulators and Newtec demodulators will be used in the demonstration. The processing will be carried out by the AVP 2000 contribution platform of Ericsson and RX8200 advanced modular receivers.