Ultra HD fans, rejoice! The video format is getting a nice little boost, thanks to Technicolor and Sinclair Broadcasting. The two companies just announced that they have successfully completed the very first High Dynamic Range (HDR) UHD live, over-the-air (OTA) broadcast based on proposed ATSC 3.0 technologies.
What this basically means is that we are one step closer to making live HDR UHD content happen. It's a tiny step, but one that should be noted.
It's a step that should be very much appreciated too, since we've been seeing a ton of new UHD TVs for 2015. There's even been a boost in the amount of content being offered, but it's been limited to streaming services. Earlier this year, Netflix announced plans to offer HDR 4K content on LG UHD TVs at some point in 2015. HDR will mean that all of the TV shows and movies will look better than ever. In other words, we can expect darker blacks and whiter whites, all in the same frame. This is nice boost to the already awesome UHD image, which promises four times the resolution of today's 1080p HDTVs.
While that's great for those willing to pay Netflix's 4K premium, Technicolor and Sinclair Broadcasting are looking to make such imagery available to all -- live and over the air.
The demo combined HEVC+SHVC+HDR, MPEG-H Audio, MMT and DASH transport, as well as Technicolor's Staggercast and Fast Channel Change. According to the announcement, the broadcast met far more ATSC 3.0 requirements than any previously demonstrated system.
The series of broadcasts delivered high-quality HDR content broadcast at HD and 4K/UHD resolutions in a single-layer with backwards compatible standard dynamic range. Both HDR and legacy devices, including TVs and mobile devices, were all able to receive and display the broadcast signal.
Despite these encouraging results, it may be a while before UHD and HDR OTA broadcasts come into the mainstream. No timeline has been announced yet, but the two companies have been working on it for a while. Technicolor previously announced the deployment the company's ATSC 3.0 4K UltraHD test bed platform and receipt of an over-the-air signal back in October 2014.
"We're building a path toward new broadcast TV services that are appropriate for UHD and HDR," said Vince Pizzica, Technicolor SEVP of corporate development and technology. "We're excited to reach the first milestone in our testing of real-world, challenging environments. This latest series of over-the-air tests confirms that Technicolor's HDR video solutions support broadcast at HD and 4K resolutions, as well as for standard dynamic range and mobile devices, presenting a whole new world of opportunities for broadcasters."
Currently, 4K offerings are limited to streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Ultraflix and others. While there's no word on when OTA broadcasts will enter that mix, there's more on the way. Earlier this year, the Blu-ray Disc Association announced plans to make 4K Blu-ray discs and players available by the end of 2015.
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