Virtual reality is a total revolution in the audiovisual sector and is here to stay

This was stated by Massimo Bertolotti at the world summit on Ultra High Definition, which is being held these days in Seville, where all technologies related to 4K are also discussed.

Massimo Bertolotti, from the Sky Italia channel, has shared in the 4K-UHD Summit in Seville the company's first experiences with virtual reality. Sky Italia has already broadcast 360º videos of football matches or talent shows, but according to Bertolotti “the real revolution is using virtual reality for informative content.” The network carried out VR work after last summer's earthquakes in southern Italy, showing the devastated area before and after the earthquake. According to Bertolotti, this is the true revolution of virtual reality, which although it is not prepared for television, he says, is a way to get closer to the end consumer and offer them a 100% immersive experience.

He has also debated VR with Bertolotti Miguel Ángel Doncel, CEO of Sgo. Doncel states that “if we are not able to generate good content, users will not consume our products even if they are 4K or in Virtual Reality”

Nokia is another company that is betting heavily on virtual reality. Jorge Ruano, project line manager at Nokia, has stated that “360º video is more than a simple image, it is an experience that goes beyond the resolution or speed of the image.”

A different operation

On the other hand, from India, Prashant Chothani presented the 4K Travel XP channel at the 4K-UHD Summit, one of the first to broadcast in Ultra High Definition around the world.

Sports and documentaries lead international content in UHD, although at this summit it was also possible to see fiction productions in 4K such as those from Brazil. Dangerous Connections, Justice and Double identity from the Brazilian Globo (which already has two other UHD series in its portfolio), or musical productions from the Canadian channel Festival 4K.

Globo TV's technology director, Paulo Rabello, has presented his experience in recording 4K productions in RAW without compression. "They entail a different operation than the usual video processes, with very critical aspects such as the lighting design during filming or the resolution of the sensor. In addition, we must always take into account the problems derived from not always correct monitoring on the filming set, not to mention the costs involved in storing and processing all the material," he commented.

Content demand

Experts from Discovery Channel, Globo TV, RTVE, Festival 4K and Medina Media 4K have discussed the demand for 4K content in one of the round tables.

Iñaki Ezpeleta (Discovery) has highlighted that Discovery Studios has two UHD production areas (on the one hand, the US and another for Europe, Latin America and Asia) that together produced more than a hundred hours in 4K in 2015. The multinational has launched a three-year investment plan in 4K equipment that has allowed it to reach two hundred hours of production in 2016.

Ricardo Medina, from Medina Media 4K, has presented the company's latest productions in Ultra High Definition, a trilogy about the popular festivals of Andalusia: The Carnival of Cádiz, the Andalusian Holy Week and El Rocío. Medina has also announced what will be his next project in Ultra High Definition: a tour of the most impressive lighthouses in the world led by the director. Harvey Crossland.

Furthermore, as a culmination of this first day of the 4K-UHD Summit, RTVE has presented one of its latest projects in 4K, the documentary Reina Sofia Museum. Alejandro Vega, director of RTVE Digital, has assured that “our 4K production will be based on excellence with innovative narratives such as 360º video.” Vega has advanced an interesting project aimed at distribution through its OTT (Red Button) platform in which Spanish film directors such as Nacho Vigalondo, Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, Emilio Martínez Lázaro and Gracia Querejeta will share their vision of the possibilities that Ultra High Definition opens up.