The 4K-UHD Summit begins in which experts from around the world debate Ultra High Definition

The position of DTT, cable, satellite and IP distribution in the face of the emergence of Ultra High Definition marks the first day of the international summit on UHD being held in Seville.

Seville has brought together experts from all over the world for the second year to discuss the development of Ultra Definition. The 4K-UHD Summit, organized by Medina Media with Panorama Audiovisual as Main Media Partner, has been inaugurated in this edition with a round table in which cable, satellite and DTT operators have exchanged impressions on the take-off of Ultra High Definition.

Fernando Soto (Movistar), Luis Sahún (SES Astra), Michel Chabril (Eutelsat), José Antonio Guerra (Hispasat) and Xavier Redón (Cellnex) participated in the panel.

Fernando Soto began his speech by assuring that Telefónica wants to migrate to 4K as quickly as possible, making a strong commitment to the production of Ultra High Definition content. Soto has also announced that after the success of the 4K broadcast of the Real Madrid-Barça Classic, the operator is now considering starting to distribute the Moto GP World Cup in this resolution.

Precisely the still low production of 4K content is one of the concerns that operators raise for development.

For his part, Luis Sahún has emphasized the relationship that the development of Ultra High Definition has with connected television, highlighting that in 2020 there will be 21,000 million devices that will be connected at the same time.

The development of 4K technology requires investment in distribution networks as well as in the promotion of connected televisions, highlighting that due to the bandwidth involved in the distribution of UHD content, satellite will play a prominent role in this new environment.

Xavier Redón has stressed that far from what one might think, digital terrestrial television offers, thanks to new statistical multiplexing technologies, the HEVC compression standard and the DVB-T2 broadcast standard, an extraordinary platform for the distribution of UHD content.

As an example, Cellnex Telecom is broadcasting three 4K signals live to Seville, Madrid and Barcelona simultaneously from this 4K Summit, using a single DTT channel.

The Olympics, in UHD

Manolo Romero, television advisor to the IOC, several international federations of different sports, vice president of OBS and president of ISB (International Sport Broadcasting), has participated in the 4K-UHD Summit in Seville, reviewing the link that the Olympic movement has historically had with technological innovation applied to audiovisuals.

Romero has highlighted how each edition of the Games since Berlin 1936 has meant another step in the adoption of the latest technologies until reaching Rio 2016 where for the first time Games have been produced in Ultra High Definition (4K and 8K).

For his part, Paulo Rabello, director of technology and architecture at Tv Globo, has participated in Seville to share the experiences of the Brazilian broadcaster during the Rio 2016 Games where, in collaboration with NHK and NBC, it carried out a series of pilot production experiences in 8K with high dynamic range.

Rabello has assured that while “UHD is a reality for OTT services, but it is still a dream to bring 8K resolutions over the air.” He has also pointed out that 4K and 8K will open a new audiovisual language where fewer cameras will be involved and a more panoramic production with multiple audio sources will be used. On the other hand, he has been convinced that high resolutions will open the door to more immersive and emotional television. Rabello stated that “television manufacturers are eager to have 4K content to energize the market.”

UHD live

An interesting round table brought together production companies, manufacturers and technology suppliers at this 4K-UHD Summit. Emili Planas (Mediapro) began his intervention by ensuring that we do not need more pixels but rather more pixel quality. He has also explained the position of the Spanish audiovisual group regarding Ultra High Definition, pointing out that Mediapro's commitment involves simultaneous production of HD and 4K with high dynamic range (HDR) for a period of time.

Cristiano Benzi (Eutelsat) has stressed that the increase in 4K productions is accelerating the adoption of high resolution. Benzi has highlighted the commitment that the Italian RAI is carrying out for UHD with several ambitious productions such as the opening of the Holy Door, which he has described as the largest production carried out to date in UHD and HDR.

Klaus Weber (Grass Valley) has drawn a parallel between the phenomenon that 3D represented and the one that is being represented by the transition to UHD. In his opinion, 3D created a frustration in the viewer that Ultra High Definition will now try to remedy. Weber has pointed out that equipment manufacturers already have a wide range of 4K solutions on the market for capture, mixing, storage and distribution but, however, from his point of view producers are still somewhat reluctant to adopt UHD as their standard in production. However, he believes that this situation will change quickly.

For his part, Gustavo Marra (Ateme) has recognized that the adoption of UHD is being much more accelerated than the migration from SD to HD entailed and has pointed out that the rapid advance in coding technology is opening the door to working with bandwidths that were hitherto unthinkable.

Mark Horton (Ericsson) has highlighted the progress that HDR represents to achieve immersive television capable of making the most of high image resolution.