Televés, RTVE and Cellnex Telecom launch an experimental 4K channel in Santiago de Compostela

For this Ultra High Definition pilot, a medium power transmitter (1.2 KW) from the Fourth Series range with Ultra Wide Brand Doherty technology from TRedess has been deployed at the Monte Pedroso transmitter center.

For six months the area of Santiago de Compostelwill have a experimental channel with DTT broadcast in Ultra High Definition 4K from the Monte Pedroso emitting center. This is a pioneering project promoted by Televes, Spanish Radio Television (RTVE) y Cellnex Telecom which places Galicia at the forefront of the development of television technology, and which will allow technical tests to be carried out for the future commercial exploitation of UHD and other advanced DTT functions, such as mobile reception.

At the presentation event that took place this Thursday at the Televés Technology Center, Santiago Rey, general director of Televés Corporación, participated; Ramón Pallarés, Broadcast commercial director of Cellnex Telecom; Pere Vila, director of Technological Strategy and Digital Innovation of Spanish Radiotelevision (RTVE), and Juan Manuel Hidalgo, director of La 2. Also attending were Martiño Noriega, mayor of Santiago de Compostela, Antonio Fernández-Paniagua, deputy director general of Planning and Management of the Radioelectric Spectrum, and Patricia Argerey, director of the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN).

To execute this initiative, a medium power transmitter (1.2 KW) from the range has been put into operation. Fourth Series de TRedess, a company belonging to Televés Corporación. It is a state-of-the-art device, compatible with the DVB-T2 system and equipped with Ultra Wide Brand Doherty technology, which optimizes its energy efficiency.

The project will last for at least six months and its main objective is to carry out technical tests with DVB-T2 modulation (second generation DTT), including mobile reception. However, the broadcast can be captured by any home television in the Santiago de Compostela area prepared for DVB-T2.

This is the fourth UHD broadcast experience carried out in Spain. With it, Santiago joins the issuing centers of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, where similar experiences have already been carried out.

Technological milestone

En su intervención, Santiago Rey destacó el hito tecnológico que representa la emisión de un canal en UHD y puso de relieve el hecho de que los equipos emisores han sido desarrollados y fabricados en Santiago de Compostela, en instalaciones de Televés Corporación. Hizo hincapié también en la apuesta de la compañía por la innovación y la implementación del modelo Industria 4.0, a través del proyecto Corp4Future, que cuenta con el respaldo de la Xunta de Galicia y que supondrá una inversión de 23 millones de euros, para mejorar la competitividad e impulsar el proceso de diversificación de Televés Corporación.

Pere Vila indicated that between 4% and 5% of Spanish homes currently have televisions prepared for UHD, and that this proportion will rise to 50% within a period of "five or six years." He also pointed out TVE's willingness to “compete” with other operators with products equipped with this technology and broadcast through DTT.

Ramón Pallarés said that UHD, together with hybrid television solutions, provide “more value for the viewer,” and stated that DTT is the ideal platform for this value to reach the entire population. In this sense, he indicated that the penetration of digital terrestrial television in Spain is 77.1%, which consolidates it as the main platform for the dissemination of audiovisual content.

Juan Manuel Hidalgo elogió las instalaciones de Televés Corporación que, dijo, son reflejo del “nivel tecnológico que tenemos en este país”. Explicó también la apuesta de TVE por la producción de contenidos en UHD, de la que forma parte la serie de documentales sobe las 15 ciudades españolas declaradas por la UNESCO Patrimonio de la Humanidad, entre ellas Santiago de Compostela. Adelantó también una futura producción sobre Murillo que contará con la colaboración del Museo del Prado y de la National Gallery, entre otras grandes pinacotecas.