The RTVE Chair at the UPM will present the first production and broadcast in Spain of a complete UHD1

A day with experts from the sector that will be inaugurated by the corporate general director of RTVE and the director of the E.T.S. of Telecommunications Engineers of the UPM.

RTVE and the Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineers of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (ETSIT-UPM) will present on Thursday October 4, within the framework of the RTVE Chair at the UPM, the first production and broadcast in Spain, through DVB-T2, 4K Ultra High Definition signal, including high frame rate, high dynamic range, expanded color space and next-generation audio.

The presentation, in the Aula Magna of the RTVE Institute, will be attended by specialists from RTVE, the ETSIT-UPM, the Ministry of Economy and Business, and representatives of companies and operators in the sector.

The event will present the pilot for ultra high definition signal production and broadcast in 4K (UHD1), using DVB-T2 (the future evolution of current DTT). The signal produced includes high dynamic range (High Dynamic Range – HDR), which is closer to the sensation of contrast between light and dark scenes that an observer has in reality.

Additionally, it offers a expanded color gamuta (Wider Color Gamout – WCG), which allows the representation of a greater range of colors compared to the currently emitted signal; and high image refresh rate (High Frame Rate – HFR), which provides a more natural sensation of the objects observed on the screen, especially when they present very fast movement (sports scenes, action, etc.) and are observed on large format screens, such as those used to display 4K content.

Finally, it offers next generation audio (Next Generation Audio – NGA), in format Dolby Atmos, which allows the organization of content into objects, and makes it easier to obtain the maximum benefit and quality from the available audio playback devices, providing a greater sense of realism and immersion in the scene. HEVC will be used for video encoding and AC4 for audio encoding.

Among the speakers will be Juan Carlos González, RTVE director, who will address the production of UHD1–Phase 2 content; Andrés González, from Sgo, which will address aspects of the post-production process; Antonio Sánchez, from Sapec, which will talk about the special problems posed by the encoding of video content with HFR. Jorge de la Torre, from Abacanto, will address the aspects involved in HDR production. Finally, audio post-production, in Dolby Atmos, and its advantages will be commented on by Juan Bardem, from RTVE, and the issues regarding broadcasting content in DVB-T2 by Raúl Cortés, from Cellnex.

The DVB-T2 signal will be broadcast from the ETSIT-UPM headquarters in Ciudad Universitaria, on UHF channel 44 (temporarily assigned to the RTVE Chair at the UPM by the Secretary of State for Digital Advancement–SEAD for its test broadcasts), in addition to the UHD 4K channel broadcast by Cellnex Telecom from the Torrespaña and San Fernando de Henares broadcasting centers in Madrid, on channel 32; Collserola and Baix Llobregat in Barcelona, on channel 43; Valencina, in Seville, on channel 36; Mijas, in Malaga, on channel 26; and it has recently been incorporated, with the collaboration of the Televés Group corporation, Monte Pedroso, in Santiago de Compostela, on channel 33.