...a little dated, but useful insight as to why QMC may have other screens in mind than tv
What was the word on 4K at IBC?
By Thomas Campbell September 17th, 2014
Emma Hosgood reports from IBC 2014
I have just got back from my very first IBC with an array of notes, promotional brochures and branded freebies, overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge you are able to pick up there. Prior to visiting I was already fascinated by the hype surrounding 4K/UHD. Here’s what I managed to uncover from a few days in sunny Amsterdam…
The topic came up quite a lot through the conference sessions, but there was a dedicated panel discussion on Friday “More pixels or better pixels? Making the case for 4K or Ultra High Definition” which was made up by the BBC, BT Vision, Arqiva, Sony and Pace. It was chaired by NBC Universal.
Who will pay for it?
Andrew Jordan, SVP Operations & Technology, NBCUniversal, started proceedings, setting the scene for UHD as it stands today. Apparently 25% of the UK population still has no capacity for HD, and consumers don’t always pick the best format TVs on sale or even watch content in the best format available. (I guess there must be lots of people like me who don’t always see the value in paying more to watch a film in HD or UHD!)
Charles Constable (Managing Director of Digital Platforms at Arqiva) was also of the opinion that, although UHD is the next logical step, the industry must first address the questions – do people want it? And who has the money to invest in it?
A sporting chance?
The various panellists then shared some insights into their organisations’ views on 4K. BT Vision, BBC and Sony naturally had plenty to say about recent triumphs in 4K sport broadcasting, with the recent FIFA World Cup broadcasts and Commonwealth Games trials. The panel all agreed that sport would remain a key driver for 4K and innovation in broadcasting in general, mostly because it relies on delivering an excellent quality of live experience to a massive fan-based audience.
Alex Green, TV Director for BT Vision commented on the recent trials, revealing that they were now confident they could deliver 4K content end-to-end. It’s not so much a question of if 4K can be done but of how quickly it can become mainstream. As BT has secured the rights for Premiership and Champions League football, Green predicted that 2015/16 will be an exciting time for more 4K action.
Terrestrial Broadcasting or IP Delivery?
There was some discussion on delivering 4K through IP and the panel seemed to mostly agree that IP would enable 4K faster than existing broadcast infrastructure (no surprise there). However, it was pointed out that during the recent broadcast of the FIFA World Cup Final in the BT Tower, the terrestrial broadcast was actually faster than the IP delivered one. By the end of the match everyone was reportedly crowded round the terrestrial broadcast screen as the IP one was lagging.
Eventually, however, due to advancements in compression technologies, the bandwidth needed to deliver UHD is expected to be similar to what it was for HD when it first came out.
How can we compete with Netflix?
The conversation then turned almost inevitably to Netflix. Was the amount of hype surrounding Netflix’s 4K content offerings evidence of a genuine large demand? Or was it just clever marketing? Either way, it was agreed that operators had to step up if they want to compete with the likes of Netflix who are advertising UHD content right now. When I later spoke to Stephan Heimbecher, Head of Innovations & Standards, Sky Deutschland, he pointed out to me that OEM manufacturers have been waving UHD products in front on consumers for a while now: Netflix is capitalizing on the tech-savvy viewers aware of what’s out there.
Pace stressed that UHD can and should be used as an excellent service differentiator for businesses. Sony seconded this and explained that UHD is not just a cost/benefit argument – it’s an opportunity to attract and keep lifetime customers.
What about 3D?
The panel also addressed the commonplace analogy with 3D. Will 4K go the same way? What can we learn from the failings of 3D TV?
It was generally agreed that, although 3D worked well in the cinema, it was not ready for the home. The low quality of experience, as well as the lack of content, led to the downfall of 3D. It was agreed that the industry should make sure not to make the same mistakes for 4K – people show be blown away by the experience.
However, consumers were going to require at least 65 inch screens to appreciate the improvement in pixel quality…
Hang on. How big will TVs have to be?
This seemed like a logical question to me but not one that was covered in the panel discussion. When I asked Stephan this question he suggested viewers would need at least 85 inch TVs to properly appreciate UHD (the cheapest I could find online came in at a whopping £6,999.00). Not only that but they will need to be far enough away from their massive TVs for their eyes to be able to even see the increased quality.
It’s true that consumers are already getting used to larger screens and maybe it’s not long before the prices come down but to me this looks like it could be a massive factor holding up the mainstream adoption of UHD.
Conclusion?
The panel discussion concluded that UHD is not a revolution but is rather a natural evolution of TV quality – it is just a question of how quickly the industry can deliver it. No-one wanted to commit to a timeline for this but I think it’s safe to say it won’t be happening for a few years yet.
http://www.iptv-news.com/2014/09/what-was-the...4k-at-ibc/
What was the word on 4K at IBC?
By Thomas Campbell September 17th, 2014
Emma Hosgood reports from IBC 2014
I have just got back from my very first IBC with an array of notes, promotional brochures and branded freebies, overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge you are able to pick up there. Prior to visiting I was already fascinated by the hype surrounding 4K/UHD. Here’s what I managed to uncover from a few days in sunny Amsterdam…
The topic came up quite a lot through the conference sessions, but there was a dedicated panel discussion on Friday “More pixels or better pixels? Making the case for 4K or Ultra High Definition” which was made up by the BBC, BT Vision, Arqiva, Sony and Pace. It was chaired by NBC Universal.
Who will pay for it?
Andrew Jordan, SVP Operations & Technology, NBCUniversal, started proceedings, setting the scene for UHD as it stands today. Apparently 25% of the UK population still has no capacity for HD, and consumers don’t always pick the best format TVs on sale or even watch content in the best format available. (I guess there must be lots of people like me who don’t always see the value in paying more to watch a film in HD or UHD!)
Charles Constable (Managing Director of Digital Platforms at Arqiva) was also of the opinion that, although UHD is the next logical step, the industry must first address the questions – do people want it? And who has the money to invest in it?
A sporting chance?
The various panellists then shared some insights into their organisations’ views on 4K. BT Vision, BBC and Sony naturally had plenty to say about recent triumphs in 4K sport broadcasting, with the recent FIFA World Cup broadcasts and Commonwealth Games trials. The panel all agreed that sport would remain a key driver for 4K and innovation in broadcasting in general, mostly because it relies on delivering an excellent quality of live experience to a massive fan-based audience.
Alex Green, TV Director for BT Vision commented on the recent trials, revealing that they were now confident they could deliver 4K content end-to-end. It’s not so much a question of if 4K can be done but of how quickly it can become mainstream. As BT has secured the rights for Premiership and Champions League football, Green predicted that 2015/16 will be an exciting time for more 4K action.
Terrestrial Broadcasting or IP Delivery?
There was some discussion on delivering 4K through IP and the panel seemed to mostly agree that IP would enable 4K faster than existing broadcast infrastructure (no surprise there). However, it was pointed out that during the recent broadcast of the FIFA World Cup Final in the BT Tower, the terrestrial broadcast was actually faster than the IP delivered one. By the end of the match everyone was reportedly crowded round the terrestrial broadcast screen as the IP one was lagging.
Eventually, however, due to advancements in compression technologies, the bandwidth needed to deliver UHD is expected to be similar to what it was for HD when it first came out.
How can we compete with Netflix?
The conversation then turned almost inevitably to Netflix. Was the amount of hype surrounding Netflix’s 4K content offerings evidence of a genuine large demand? Or was it just clever marketing? Either way, it was agreed that operators had to step up if they want to compete with the likes of Netflix who are advertising UHD content right now. When I later spoke to Stephan Heimbecher, Head of Innovations & Standards, Sky Deutschland, he pointed out to me that OEM manufacturers have been waving UHD products in front on consumers for a while now: Netflix is capitalizing on the tech-savvy viewers aware of what’s out there.
Pace stressed that UHD can and should be used as an excellent service differentiator for businesses. Sony seconded this and explained that UHD is not just a cost/benefit argument – it’s an opportunity to attract and keep lifetime customers.
What about 3D?
The panel also addressed the commonplace analogy with 3D. Will 4K go the same way? What can we learn from the failings of 3D TV?
It was generally agreed that, although 3D worked well in the cinema, it was not ready for the home. The low quality of experience, as well as the lack of content, led to the downfall of 3D. It was agreed that the industry should make sure not to make the same mistakes for 4K – people show be blown away by the experience.
However, consumers were going to require at least 65 inch screens to appreciate the improvement in pixel quality…
Hang on. How big will TVs have to be?
This seemed like a logical question to me but not one that was covered in the panel discussion. When I asked Stephan this question he suggested viewers would need at least 85 inch TVs to properly appreciate UHD (the cheapest I could find online came in at a whopping £6,999.00). Not only that but they will need to be far enough away from their massive TVs for their eyes to be able to even see the increased quality.
It’s true that consumers are already getting used to larger screens and maybe it’s not long before the prices come down but to me this looks like it could be a massive factor holding up the mainstream adoption of UHD.
Conclusion?
The panel discussion concluded that UHD is not a revolution but is rather a natural evolution of TV quality – it is just a question of how quickly the industry can deliver it. No-one wanted to commit to a timeline for this but I think it’s safe to say it won’t be happening for a few years yet.
http://www.iptv-news.com/2014/09/what-was-the...4k-at-ibc/
