Ultra-high-definition television (also known asUltra HD television,Ultra HD,UHDTV,UHD andSuper Hi-Vision) today includes4K UHD and8K UHD, which are twodigital video formats with anaspect ratio of16:9. These were first proposed byNHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories and later defined and approved by theInternational Telecommunication Union (ITU).[a]
TheConsumer Electronics Association announced on October 17, 2012, that "Ultra High Definition", or "Ultra HD", would be used for displays that have anaspect ratio of 16:9 or wider and at least one digital input capable of carrying and presenting native video at a minimum resolution of3840 × 2160.[5][6] In 2015, theUltra HD Forum was created to bring together the end-to-end video production ecosystem to ensure interoperability and produce industry guidelines so that adoption of ultra-high-definition television could accelerate. From just 30 in Q3 2015, the forum published a list up to 55 commercial services available around the world offering 4K resolution.[7]
The "UHD Alliance", an industry consortium of content creators, distributors, and hardware manufacturers, announced during aConsumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 press conference its "Ultra HD Premium" specification, which defines resolution, bit depth, color gamut,high dynamic range (HDR) performance required for Ultra HD (UHDTV) content and displays to carry their Ultra HD Premium logo.[b]
Ultra-high-definition television is also known as Ultra HD, UHD, UHDTV, and 4K.[13][14][15][16][17] In Japan, 8K UHDTV will be known as Super Hi-Vision sinceHi-Vision was the term used in Japan for HDTV.[18][19] In theconsumer electronics market companies had previously only used the term4K at the 2012CES but that had changed to "Ultra HD" during CES 2013.[16][17] "Ultra HD" was selected by theConsumer Electronics Association after extensive consumer research, as the term has also been established with the introduction of "Ultra HD Blu-ray".[20]
| Number of pixels | 7680×4320 |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Viewing distance | 0.75 H |
| Viewing angle | 100° |
| Colorimetry | Rec. 2020 |
| Frame rate | 120 Hz progressive |
| Bit depth | 12 bits per channel ([[RGB color model|RGB]]) |
| Audio system | 22.2 surround sound |
| Sampling rate | 48/96 kHz |
| Audio bit depth | 16/20/24 bits |
| Number of audio channels | 24 ch |
| Upper layer | 9 ch |
| Middle layer | 10 ch |
| Lower layer | 3 ch |
| LFE | 2 ch |
| Uncompressed video bit rate | 144 Gbit/s |
Two resolutions are defined as UHDTV:[13][14][15]
The human visual system has a limited ability to discern improvements in resolution when picture elements are already small enough or distant enough from the viewer. At some home viewing distances and up to 60-70" TV sizes, HD resolution is near the limits of resolution for the eye and increasing resolution to 4K has little perceptual impact, if consumers are beyond the critical distance (Lechner distance) to appreciate the differences in pixel count between 4K and HD. One exception is that even if resolution surpasses the resolving ability of the human eye, there is still an improvement in the way the image appears due to higher resolutions reducingspatial aliasing.
UHDTV provides other image enhancements in addition to pixel density. Specifically, dynamic range and color are greatly enhanced, and these impact saturation and contrast differences that are readily resolved greatly improve the experience of 4KTV compared to HDTV. UHDTV allows the use of theRec. 2020 (UHDTV) color space which can reproduce colors that cannot be shown with theRec. 709 (HDTV) color space.[18]
In terms ofCIE 1931 color space, the Rec. 2020 color space covers 75.8%, compared to coverage by theDCI-P3digital cinema reference projector color space of just 53.6%, 52.1% byAdobe RGB color space, while the Rec. 709 color space covers only 35.9%.[18] UHDTV's increases indynamic range allow not only brighter highlights but also increased detail in the greyscale. UHDTV also allows forframe rates up to 120 frames per second (fps).[15][26]
UHDTV potentially allows Rec. 2020, higher dynamic range, and higher frame rates to work on HD services without increasing resolution to 4K, providing improved quality without as high of an increase in bandwidth demand.
In 1986,Sony introduced asmecticlight valveLCDlaser projector that could display high resolutions up to8K resolution (8000×10,000).[27] In 1995,NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories beganresearch and development on a Super Hi-Vision UHDTV system as a successor to theirHi-Vision HDTV system.[28] In 2000,JVC introduced the first4K resolutionvideo projector, aD-ILA digitalcinema projector.[29] In 2001, the firstLCD displays capable of displaying 4K content were theIBM T220/T221 LCD monitors for computers.
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NHK, JVC andIkegami Tsushinki researchers built an early UHDTV prototype, Super Hi‑Vision, which they demonstrated in January 2003.[30] They used an array of 16 HDTV recorders with a total capacity of almost 3.5 TB that could capture up to 18 minutes of test footage.[30] The camera itself was built with four 2.5-inch (64 mm)CCDimage sensors, each with a resolution of3840 × 2048 (4K resolution).[30] Using two CCDs for green and one each for red and blue, they then used a spatial pixel offset method to bring it to7680 × 4320 (8K resolution).[30][c]
Subsequently, NHK built an improved and more compact system usingCMOS image sensor technology[31] and the CMOS image sensor system was demonstrated atExpo 2005,Aichi, Japan, theNAB 2006 andNAB 2007 conferences,Las Vegas, atIBC 2006 andIBC 2008,[32]Amsterdam,Netherlands, andCES 2009. A review of the NAB 2006 demo was published in a broadcast engineering e-newsletter.[33] Individuals at NHK and elsewhere projected that the timeframe for UHDTV to be available in domestic homes varied between 2015 and 2020 but Japan was to get it in the 2016 time frame.[34]
On November 2, 2006, NHK demonstrated a live relay of a UHDTV program over a 260 kilometer distance by afiber-optic network.[35] Usingdense wavelength division multiplex (DWDM), 24 Gbit/s speed was achieved with a total of 16 different wavelength signals.[35]
On December 31, 2006, NHK demonstrated a live relay of their annualKōhaku Uta Gassen overIP from Tokyo to a 450 inches (11 m) screen inOsaka. Using acodec developed by NHK, the video wascompressed from 24 Gbit/s to 180–600 Mbit/s and the audio wascompressed from 28 Mbit/s to 7–28 Mbit/s.[36] Uncompressed, a 20-minute broadcast would require roughly 4 TB of storage.
TheSMPTE first released Standard 2036 for UHDTV in 2007.[37] UHDTV was defined as having two levels, called UHDTV1 (3840 × 2160) and UHDTV2 (7680 × 4320).[37][38]
In May 2007, the NHK did an indoor demonstration at the NHK Open House in which a UHDTV signal (7680 × 4320 at 60 fps) was compressed to a 250 Mbit/s MPEG2 stream.[39] The signal was input to a 300 MHz wide band modulator and broadcast using a 500 MHzQPSK modulation.[39] This "on the air" transmission had a very limited range (less than 2 meters), but shows the feasibility of a satellite transmission in the 36,000 km orbit.[39]
In 2008,Aptina Imaging announced the introduction of a new CMOS image sensor specifically designed for the NHK UHDTV project.[40] During IBC 2008 Japan'sNHK, Italy'sRAI,BSkyB,Sony,Samsung,Panasonic Corporation,Sharp Corporation, andToshiba (with various partners) demonstrated the first ever public live transmission of UHDTV, from London to the conference site in Amsterdam.[41][42]
On June 9, 2010, Panasonic announced that its professional plasma display lineup would include an 152-inch (3.9 m) plasma display with 4K resolution. At the time of announcement, it was the largest 4K display and the largest television.[43]
On September 29, 2010, the NHK partnered up and recordedThe Charlatans live in the UK in the UHDTV format, before broadcasting over the internet to Japan.[44]
On May 19, 2011, Sharp in collaboration with NHK demonstrated a direct-view 85 inches (220 cm) LCD display capable of7680 × 4320 pixels at 10 bits per channel.[45] It was the first direct-view Super Hi-Vision-compatible display released.[46]
Before 2011, UHDTV allowed forframe rates of 24, 25, 50, and 60 fps.[38] In an ITU-R meeting during 2011, an additional frame rate was added to UHDTV of 120 fps.[47]
On February 23, 2012, NHK announced that withShizuoka University they had developed an 8K sensor that can shoot video at 120 fps.[48][49][50]
In April 2012, Panasonic, in collaboration with NHK announced a 145 inches (370 cm) display (7680 × 4320 at 60 fps), which has 33.2 million 0.417 mm square pixels.[51]
In April 2012, the four major South Korean terrestrial broadcasters (KBS, MBC, SBS, and EBS) announced that in the future, they would begin test broadcasts of UHDTV on channel 66 inSeoul.[52][53] At the time of the announcement, the UHDTV technical details had not yet been decided.[52][53]LG Electronics andSamsung are also involved in UHDTV test broadcasts.[53]
In May 2012, NHK showed the world's first ultra-high-definition shoulder-mount camera.[54] By reducing the size and weight of the camera, the portability had been improved, making it more maneuverable than previous prototypes, so it could be used in a wide variety of shooting situations.[54] The single-chip sensor uses a Bayer color-filter array, where only one color component is acquired per pixel.[54] Researchers at NHK also developed a high-quality up-converter, which estimates the other two color components to convert the output into full resolution video.[54]
Also in May 2012, NHK showed the ultra-high-definition imaging system it has developed in conjunction with Shizuoka University, which outputs 33.2-megapixel video at 120 fps with acolor depth of 12 bits per component.[55][56] As ultra-high-definition broadcasts at full resolution are designed for large, wall-sized displays, there is a possibility that fast-moving subjects may not be clear when shot at 60 fps, so the option of 120 fps has been standardized for these situations.[55] To handle the sensor output of approximately 4 billion pixels per second with a data rate as high as 51.2 Gbit/s, a faster analog-to-digital converter has been developed to process the data from the pixels, and then a high-speed output circuit distributes the resulting digital signals into 96 parallel channels.[55] This 1.5 in (38 mm) CMOS sensor is smaller and uses less power when compared to conventional ultra-high-definition sensors, and it is also the world's first to support the full specifications of the ultra-high-definition standard.[55]
During the2012 Summer Olympics in Great Britain, the format was publicly showcased by the world's largest broadcaster, theBBC,[57] which set up 15-meter-wide screens in London, Glasgow, andBradford to allow viewers to see the Games in ultra-high definition.[58][59]
On May 31, 2012,[60] Sony released the VPL-VW1000ES 4K 3D Projector,[61] the world's first consumer-prosumer projector using the 4K UHDTV system, with the shutter-glasses stereoscopic 3D technology priced at US$24,999.99.[62][63]
On August 22, 2012, LG announced the world's first 3D UHDTV using the 4K system.[64]
On August 23, 2012, UHDTV was officially approved as a standard by theInternational Telecommunication Union (ITU), standardizing both 4K and 8K resolutions for the format inITU-R Recommendation BT.2020.[26][65]
On September 15, 2012, David Wood, Deputy Director of theEBU Technology and Development Department (who chairs the ITU working group that created Rec. 2020), toldThe Hollywood Reporter that South Korea plans to begin test broadcasts of 4K UHDTV next year.[66][67][68] Wood also said that many broadcasters have the opinion that going from HDTV to 8K UHDTV is too much of a leap and that it would be better to start with 4K UHDTV.[66] In the same article, Masakazu Iwaki, NHK Research senior manager, said that the NHK plan to go with 8K UHDTV is for economic reasons since directly going to 8K UHDTV would avoid an additional transition from 4K UHDTV to 8K UHDTV.[66]
On October 18, 2012, theConsumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced that it had been unanimously agreed by the CEA's Board of Industry Leaders that the term "Ultra High-Definition", or "Ultra HD", would be used for displays that have a resolution of at least 8 megapixels with a vertical resolution of at least 2,160 pixels and a horizontal resolution of at least 3,840 pixels.[69][70][71][72] The Ultra HD label also requires the display to have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or wider and to have at least one digital input that can carry and present a native video signal of3840 × 2160 without having to rely on avideo scaler.[69][70][71][72] Sony announced they would market their 4K products as4K Ultra High-Definition (4K UHD).[73]
On October 23, 2012, Ortus Technology Co., Ltd announced the development of the world's smallest3840 × 2160 pixel LCD panel with a size of 9.6 inches (24 cm) and apixel density of 458 px/in.[74][75][76] The LCD panel is designed for medical equipment and professional video equipment.[74][75][76]
On October 25, 2012, LG Electronics began selling the first flat panel Ultra HD display in the United States with a resolution of3840 × 2160.[77][78][79] The LG 84LM9600 is an 84 in (210 cm) flat panelLED-backlit LCD display with a price of US$19,999 though the retail store was selling it for US$16,999.[77][78][79]
On November 29, 2012, Sony announced the 4K Ultra HD Video Player—a hard disk server preloaded with ten 4K movies and several 4K video clips that they planned to include with the Sony XBR-84X900.[80][81][82] The preloaded 4K movies areThe Amazing Spider-Man,Total Recall (2012),The Karate Kid (2010),Salt,Battle: Los Angeles,The Other Guys,Bad Teacher,That's My Boy,Taxi Driver, andThe Bridge on the River Kwai.[80][81][82] Additional 4K movies and 4K video clips will be offered for the 4K Ultra HD Video Player in the future.[80][81][82]
On November 30, 2012,Red Digital Cinema Camera Company announced that they were taking pre-orders for the US$1,450 REDRAY 4K Cinema Player, which can output 4K resolution to a single 4K display or to four 1080p displays arranged in any configuration via four HDMI 1.4 connections.[83][84] Video output can be DCI 4K (4096 × 2160), 4K Ultra HD, 1080p, and 720p at frame rates of up to 60 fps with a color depth of up to 12 bpc with 4:2:2 chroma subsampling.[83] Audio output can be up to 7.1 channels.[83] Content is distributed online using the ODEMAX video service.[83] External storage can be connected usingeSATA,Ethernet,USB, or aSecure Digital memory card.[83]
On January 6, 2013, the NHK announced that Super Hi-Vision satellite broadcasts could begin in Japan in 2016.[85]
On January 7, 2013,Eutelsat announced the first dedicated 4K Ultra HD channel.[86][87][88][89]Ateme uplinks theH.264/MPEG-4 AVC channel to the Eutelsat 10A satellite.[86][87][88][89] The 4K Ultra HD channel has a frame rate of 50 fps and is encoded at 40 Mbit/s.[86][87][88][89] The channel started transmission on January 8, 2013.[86][87][88][89] On the same dayQualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs announced that mobile devices capable of playing and recording 4K Ultra HD video would be released in 2013[needs update] using theSnapdragon 800 chip.[90][91][92]
On January 8, 2013,Broadcom announced the BCM7445, an Ultra HD decoding chip capable of decodingHigh Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) at up to4096 × 2160 at 60 fps.[93][94][95][96] The BCM7445 is a 28 nmARM architecture chip capable of 21,000DhrystoneMIPS with volume production estimated for the middle of 2014.[93][94][95][96] On the same dayTHX announced the "THX 4K Certification" program for Ultra HD displays.[97][98][99] The certification involves up to 600 tests and the goal of the program is so that "content viewed on a THX Certified Ultra HD display meets the most exacting video standards achievable in a consumer television today".[97][98][99]
On January 14, 2013,Blu-ray Disc Association president Andy Parsons stated that a task force created three months ago is studying an extension to theBlu-ray Disc specification that would add support for 4K Ultra HD video.[100][101]
On January 25, 2013, the BBC announced that theBBC Natural History Unit would produceSurvival—the first wildlife TV series recorded in 4K resolution. This was announced after the BBC had experimented with 8K during the London Olympics.[102][103]
On January 27, 2013,Asahi Shimbun reported that 4K Ultra HD satellite broadcasts would start in Japan with the2014 FIFA World Cup.[103][104][105] Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications decided on this move to stimulate demand for 4K Ultra HD TVs.[103][104][105]
On February 21, 2013, Sony announced that thePlayStation 4 would support 4K resolution output for photos and videos but wouldn'trender games at that resolution.[106][107]
On March 26, 2013, theAdvanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) announced a call for proposals for theATSC 3.0 physical layer that specifies support for3840 × 2160 resolution at 60 fps.[108][109][110][111]
On April 11, 2013, Bulb TV created by Canadian entrepreneur Evan Kosiner announced a 4K linear channel and VOD content to cable and satellite companies in North America.[112][113][114][115] The channel planned to be licensed by theCanadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission to provide educational content.[116]
On April 19, 2013,SES announced the first Ultra HD transmission using theHigh Efficiency Video Coding(HEVC) standard.[117][118][119] The transmission had a resolution of3840 × 2160 and a bit rate of 20 Mbit/s.[117][118][119]
On May 9, 2013,NHK andMitsubishi Electric announced that they had jointly developed the first HEVC encoder for 8K Ultra HD TV, which is also called Super Hi-Vision (SHV).[120][121][122][123] The HEVC encoder supports the Main 10 profile at Level 6.1 allowing it to encode 10 bpc video with a resolution of7680 × 4320 at 60 fps.[120][121][122][123] The HEVC encoder has 173G-SDI inputs and uses 17 boards for parallel processing with each board encoding a row of7680 × 256 pixels to allow for real time video encoding.[120][121][122][123] The HEVC encoder is compliant with draft 4 of the HEVC standard and has a maximum bit rate of 340 Mbit/s.[124] The HEVC encoder was shown at theNHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories Open House 2013 that took place from May 30 to June 2.[120][122][125] At the NHK Open House 2013 the HEVC encoder used a bit rate of 85 Mbit/s, which gives a compression ratio of 350∶1.[126][127]
On May 21, 2013,Microsoft announced theXbox One, which supports 4K resolution (3840 × 2160) video output and7.1 surround sound.[128][129][130] Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing and strategy for Microsoft, has stated that there is no hardware restriction that would prevent Xbox One games from running at 4K resolution.[129]
On May 30, 2013, Eye IO announced that their encoding technology was licensed bySony Pictures Entertainment to deliver 4K Ultra HD video.[131][132] Eye IO encodes their video assets at3840 × 2160 and includes support for thexvYCC color space.[131][132]
In mid-2013, a Chinese television manufacturer produced the first 50-inch UHD television set costing less than $1,000.[133]
On June 11, 2013,Comcast announced that they had demonstrated the first public U.S.-based delivery of 4K Ultra HD video at the 2013NCTA show.[134][135] The demonstration included segments fromOblivion,Defiance, and nature content sent over aDOCSIS 3.0 network.[135]
On June 13, 2013,ESPN announced that they would end the broadcast of theESPN 3D channel by the end of that year and would "...experiment with things like UHDTV."[136]
On June 26, 2013, Sharp announced the LC-70UD1U, which is a 70 in (180 cm) 4K Ultra HD TV.[137][138] The LC-70UD1U is the world's first TV with THX 4K certification.[137][138]
On July 2, 2013,Jimmy Kimmel Live! recorded in 4K Ultra HD a performance by musical guestKarmin, and the video clip was used as demonstration material at Sony stores.[139]
On July 3, 2013, Sony announced the release of their 4K Ultra HD Media Player with a price of US$7.99 for rentals and US$29.99 for purchases.[140][141] The 4K Ultra HD Media Player only worked with Sony's 4K Ultra HD TVs.[141]
On July 15, 2013, the CTA published CTA-861-F, a standard that applies to interfaces such as DVI, HDMI, and LVDS.[142] The CTA-861-F standard adds support for several Ultra HD video formats and additional color spaces.[142]
On September 2, 2013Acer announced the first smartphone, dubbed Liquid S2, capable of recording 4K video.[143]
On September 4, 2013, the HDMI Forum released theHDMI 2.0 specification, which supports 4K resolution at 60 fps.[144] On the same day, Panasonic announced the Panasonic TC-L65WT600—the first 4K TV to support 4K resolution at 60 FPS.[145][146] The Panasonic TC-L65WT600 has a 65 in (170 cm) screen, support for DisplayPort 1.2a, support for HDMI 2.0, an expected ship date of October, and a suggested retail price of US$5,999.[145][146]
On September 12–17, 2013,[147] at the 2013 IBC Conference in Amsterdam, Nagra introduced an Ultra HD User Interface called Project Ultra based on HTML5, which works with OpenTV 5.[148]
On October 4, 2013,DigitalEurope announced the requirements for their UHD logo in Europe.[149] The DigitalEurope UHD logo requires that the display support a resolution of at least3840 × 2160, a 16∶9 aspect ratio, theRec. 709 (HDTV) color space, 8 bpc color depth, a frame rate of 24, 25, 30, 50, or 60 fps, and at least 2-channel audio.[149]
On October 29, 2013,Elemental Technologies announced support for real-time 4K Ultra HDHEVC video processing. Elemental provided live video streaming of the 2013Osaka Marathon on October 27, 2013, in a workflow designed by K-Opticom, a telecommunications operator in Japan. Live coverage of the race in 4K Ultra HD was available to viewers at the International Exhibition Center in Osaka. This transmission of 4K Ultra HD HEVC video in real-time was an industry-first.[150]
On November 28, 2013, Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi chief Dmitri Chernyshenko stated that the 2014 Olympic Winter Games would be shot in 8K Super Hi-Vision.[151]
On December 25, 2013, YouTube added a "2160p 4K" option to its videoplayer. Previously, a visitor had to select the "original" setting in the video quality menu to watch a video in 4K resolution. With the new setting, YouTube users can much more easily identify and play 4K videos.[152]
On December 30, 2013, Samsung announced availability of its 110 inches (280 cm) Ultra HDTV for custom orders, making this the world's largest Ultra HDTV so far.[153]
On January 22, 2014,European Southern Observatory became the first scientific organization to deliver Ultra HD footage at regular intervals.[154]
On May 6, 2014,France announced[155] DVB-T2 tests inParis for Ultra HDHEVC broadcast with objectives to replace by 2020 the currentDVB-TMPEG4 HD national broadcast.
On May 26, 2014, satellite operatorEutelsat announced[156] the launch of Europe's first Ultra HD demo channel in HEVC, broadcasting at 50 fps. The channel is available on theHot Bird satellites and can be watched by viewers with 4K TVs equipped with DVB-S2 demodulators and HEVC decoders.
In June 2014, theFIFA World Cup of that year (held inBrazil) became the first shot entirely in 4K Ultra HD, bySony. TheEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) broadcast matches of theFIFA World Cup to audiences in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia in Ultra HD viaSES'NSS-7 andSES-6 satellites.[157] Indian satellite TV provider unveils its plan to launch 4K UHD service early in 2015 and showcased liveFIFA World Cup quarter final match in 4K UHD throughSony Entertainment TelevisionSony SIX.[158]
On June 24, 2014, the CEA updated the guidelines for Ultra High-Definition and released guidelines for Connected Ultra High-Definition, adding support for internet video delivered with HEVC.[159][160] The CEA is developing a UHD logo for voluntary use by companies that make products that meet CEA guidelines.[159][160] The CEA also clarified that "Ultra High-Definition", "Ultra HD", or "UHD" can be used with other modifiers and gave an example with "Ultra High-Definition TV 4K".[159][160]
On July 15, 2014, Researchers from theUniversity of Essex both captured and delivered its graduation ceremonies in 4K UHDTV over the internet usingH.264 in realtime.[161][162] The 4K video stream was published at 8 Mbit/s and 14 Mbit/s for all its 11 ceremonies, with people viewing in from countries such as Cyprus, Bulgaria, Germany, Australia, UK, and others.
On September 4, 2014,Canon Inc. announced that a firmware upgrade would add Rec. 2020 color space support to their EOS C500 and EOS C500 PL camera models and their DP-V3010 4K display.[163][164]
On September 4, 2014,Microsoft announced a firmware update for theMicrosoft Lumia1020,930,Icon, and1520 phones that adds 4K video recording. The update was later released by the individual phone carriers over the following weeks and months after the announcement.[165]
On September 5, 2014, theBlu-ray Disc Association announced that the 4KBlu-ray Disc specification supports 4K video at 60 fps,High Efficiency Video Coding, theRec. 2020 color space,high dynamic range, and 10 bpccolor depth.[166][167] 4K Blu-ray Disc will have a data rate of at least 50 Mbit/s and may include support for 66 GB and 100 GB discs.[166][167] 4K Blu-ray Disc began licensing in 2015, with 4K Blu-ray Disc players released late that year.[166][167]
On September 5, 2014,DigitalEurope released an Ultra HD logo for companies that meet their technical requirements.[168][169][170]
On September 11, 2014, satellite operatorSES announced the first Ultra HDconditional access-protected broadcast usingDVB standards at theIBC show in Amsterdam. The demonstration used aSamsung Ultra HD TV, with a standardKudelski SmarDTV CI Plus conditional access module, to decrypt a full3840 × 2160 pixel CAS-protected Ultra HD signal inHEVC broadcast via an SESAstra satellite at19.2°E.[171]
On November 19, 2014, rock bandLinkin Park's concert at Berlin's O2 World Arena was broadcast live in Ultra HD via anAstra 19.2°E satellite. The broadcast was encoded in the UHD 4K standard with the HEVC codec (50 fps and a 10 bpc color depth), and was a joint enterprise of satellite ownerSES,SES Platform Services (laterMX1, now part ofSES Video) andSamsung.[172]
Indian satellite pay TV providerTata Sky launched UHD service and UHD Set Top Box on 9 January 2015. The service is 4K at 50 fps and price of the UHD box is₹5900 for existing SD/HD customers and₹6400 for new customers. The2015 Cricket World Cup was telecast live in 4K for free to those who own Tata Sky's UHD 4K STB.
In May 2015,France Télévisions broadcast matches fromRoland Garros live in Ultra HD via the EUTELSAT 5 West A satellite in theHEVC standard. The channel "France TV Sport Ultra HD" was available via theFransat platform for viewers in France.[173]
In May 2015, satellite operatorSES announced that Europe's firstfree-to-air Ultra HD channel (from Germany's pearl.tv shopping channel) would launch in September 2015, broadcast in native Ultra HD via theAstra 19.2°E satellite position.[174]
In June 2015, SES launched its first Ultra HD demonstration channel for cable operators and content distributors in North America to prepare their systems and test their networks for Ultra HD delivery. The channel is broadcast from theSES-3 satellite at 103°W.[175]
In June 2015,SPI International previewed its "4K FunBox UHD" Ultra HD channel on the HOT BIRD 4K1 channel, in advance of its commercial launch onEutelsat's HOT BIRD satellites in the autumn.[176]
In July 2015, German HD satellite broadcasterHD+ and TV equipment manufacturerTechniSat announced an Ultra HD TV set with integrated decryption for reception of existing HD+ channels (available in the Autumn) and a new Ultra HD demonstration channel due to begin broadcasting in September.[177]
On 2 August 2015, The FA Community Shield in England was broadcast in Ultra HD by broadcast companyBT Sport, becoming the first live football game shown in Ultra HD on the world's first commercial Ultra HD channel. The match was shown on Europe's first Ultra HD channel, BT Sport Ultra HD where selected live English Premier League and European Champions League matches were broadcast.[178]
Fashion One 4K launched on September 2, 2015 becoming the first global Ultra HD TV channel. Reaching nearly 370 million households across the world, the fashion, lifestyle and entertainment network broadcasts via satellite from Measat at 91.5°E (for Asia Pacific, Middle East, Australia) and fromSES satellitesAstra 19.2°E (for Europe), SES-3 at 103°W (for North America), NSS-806 at 47.5°W (for South America).[179]
In September 2015,Eutelsat presented new consumer research, conducted byTNS andGfK, on Ultra HD and screen sales in key TV markets. The study looked at consumer exposure to Ultra HD, perceived benefits and willingness to invest in equipment and content. GfK predicts a 200% increase in Ultra HD screen sales from June to December 2015, with sales expected to reach five million by the end of the year. GfK also forecasts that Ultra HD screens in 2020 will represent more than 70% of total sales across Europe and almost 60% in the Middle East and North Africa.[180]
On 2 September 2015, Sony unveiled the Xperia Z5 Premium; the first smartphone with a 4K display.[181]
On 9 September 2015,Apple Inc. announced that their new smartphone theiPhone 6S could record video in 4K.[182]
On 6 October 2015,Microsoft unveiled the latest version of theirMicrosoft Surface Book laptop with a display of "over 6 million pixels" and their new phones theMicrosoft Lumia 950 and950 XL, which, aside from 4K video recording that their predecessors included, feature a display of "over 5 million pixels".[183]
On 8 December 2015, the ceremony of the opening of the Holy Door in Vatican City, which marked the beginning of theJubilee Year of Mercy in the Roman Catholic church, was the first worldwide Ultra HD broadcast via satellite.[184] The event was produced by the Vatican Television Center with the support of Eutelsat, Sony, Globecast and DBW Communication. The team did some advanced experimentation with 4K/High Dynamic Range live images and in particular using technology developed by the BBC's R&D division and Japan's public broadcaster NHK in terms of Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) signals.[185]
The "UHD Alliance", an industry consortium of content creators, distributors, and hardware manufacturers, announced Monday on January 11, 2016 during CES 2016 press conference its "Ultra HD Premium" specification, which defines resolution, bit depth, color gamut,high dynamic range (HDR) performance required for Ultra HD (UHDTV) content and displays to carry their Ultra HD Premium logo.[8][9][10][11][12]
On April 2, 2016, Ultra-high-definition television demo channel UHD1 broadcast theLe Corsaire ballet in Ultra HD live from the Vienna State Opera. The programme was produced byAstra satellite owner,SES in collaboration with European culture channelARTE, and transmitted free-to-air, available to anyone with reception of theAstra 19.2°E satellites and an ultra HD screen equipped with an HEVC decoder.[186]
As of April 2016,The NPD Group reported that 6 million 4K UHD televisions had been sold.[187]
In May 2016,Modern Times Group, owner of theViasat DTH platform announced the launch of Viasat Ultra HD, the first UHD channel for the Nordic region. The channel features selected live sport events especially produced in Ultra HD and launch in the autumn via theSES-5 satellite at5°E. Viasat is also launching an Ultra HD set-top box fromSamsung and a TV-module that enables existing UHD TVs to display the channel.[188] Satellite operator, SES said that the launch of Viasat Ultra HD brings the number of UHD channels (including test channels and regional versions) carried on SES satellites to 24, or 46% of all UHD channels broadcast via satellite worldwide.[189] In August 2016,Sky announced that 4K broadcasts would begin via their newSky Q 2TB box. The opening match of the2016–17 Premier League betweenHull City andLeicester City onSky Sports was the first 4K transmission.[190]
On 29 September 2017,BSAT-4a, dedicated for UHDTV programming and was also claimed "the world's first 8K satellite", was launched from theGuiana Space Centre aboardAriane 5 rocket. BSAT-4a would be used for2020 Summer Olympics held in Japan.[191]
Additionally, in September 2017,Kaleidescape, a manufacturer of home-theater movie players and servers made 4K UHD movies compatible with their movie store, and with their movie players.[192]
In December 2017, Qualcomm announced that their Snapdragon 845 chipset and Spectra 280 Image Signal Processor would be the first phone SoC to record video in UHD Premium.[193]
In April 2018, RTL started broadcasting its own UHD channel in Germany. First available atAstra 19.2°E, the Channel shows UHD productions, Formula 1, Football and Deutschland sucht den Superstar.
Satellite operatorSES broadcast an 8K television signal via its satellite system for the first time in May 2018. The 8K demonstration content, with a resolution of7680 × 4320 pixels, a frame rate of 60 fps, and 10 bpc color depth, was encoded inHEVC and transmitted at a rate of 80 Mbit/s via theAstra 3B satellite during SES's Industry Days conference in Luxembourg.[194]
In June 2018,fuboTV broadcast the2018 FIFA World Cup live in 4K andHDR10 becoming the firstOTT streaming service to do so.[195] Quarter, Semi and Final matches were available on many popular streaming devices including Apple TV, Chromecast Ultra, Fire TV, Roku and Android TVs. Content was streamed at 60 frames per second usingHLS andDASH. Video was sent infragmented MP4 containers delivering HEVC encoded video.
On December 1, 2018, NHK launchedBS8K, a broadcast channel transmitting at 8K resolution.[196][197][198]
In February 25, 2019 at the event of 2019Mobile World Congress,Sony announced theXperia 1, the first smartphone featuring aultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio4KHDROLED display (with a resolution of 3840 × 1644), which would be released on May 30, 2019.[199]
In May 2019, for the first time in Europe, 8K demonstration content was received via satellite without the need for a separate external receiver or decoder. At the 2019SES Industry Days conference at Betzdorf, Luxembourg broadcast quality 8K content (with a resolution of7680 × 4320 pixels at 50 fps) was encoded using a Spin DigitalHEVC encoder (at a bit rate of 70 Mbit/s), uplinked to a single 33 MHz transponder on SES'Astra 28.2°E satellites and the downlink received and displayed on aSamsung 82 in (210 cm) Q950RB production model TV.[200]
Field trials using existingdigital terrestrial television (DTT) transmitters have included the following.[222]
| Type | Country / Region | Transmitter site | Covering | ERP | DTT system | Channel bandwidth | Transmission mode | Multiplex capacity | Signal bit rate | Video encoding standard | Picture standard | Audio encoding standard | Center frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8K‑UHD | Japan[223] | NHK Hitoyoshi Station | Hitoyoshi Area, Kumamoto Prefecture | 140 W (H) 135 W (V) | ISDB-T | 6 MHz | 32k GI=1/32, 4096QAM FEC 3/4 dual-polarized MIMO | 91.8 Mbit/s | 91.0 Mbit/s | MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 | 7680 × 4320p 59.94 frame/s 8 bit/px | MPEG-4 AAC 384 kbit/s | 671 MHz (Ch 46) |
| NHK Mizukami Station | 25 W (H) 25 W (V) | 671 MHz (Ch 46) | |||||||||||
| NHK STRL Building | Tokyo | 93 W (H) 93 W (V) | 581 MHz (Ch 31) | ||||||||||
| 8K-UHD | South Korea | Technical Research Institute Building ofKorean Broadcasting System (KBS) | Yeoeuido, Seoul | 10 W (H) 10 W (V) | – | 6 MHz | 2k GI=1/16, 256QAM FEC 3/4 dual-polarized MIMO | 50.475 Mbit/s (Single band) | 50.0 Mbit/s (Single band) | HEVC | – | – | 605 MHz & 623 MHz (Ch 36 & Ch 39) |
| 4K-UHD | Australia [224] | Gore Hill | Sydney | 50 kW | DVB-T2 | 7 MHz | 16k extended mode GI=1/32, 256QAM32k FEC 3/4, PP7 | 38.63 Mbit/s | Variable (some trials at 35 Mbit/s) | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p | MPEG-4 AAC | 212.5 MHz (Ch 10) |
| Kings Cross | 650 W | 536.5 MHz (Ch 29) | |||||||||||
| North Head | 1 kW | 536.5 MHz (Ch 29) | |||||||||||
| 4K-UHD | Brazil | Mt. Sumaré | Parts of Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area | 660 W (H) 660 W (V) | ISDB-T | 8 MHz | 32k extended mode GI=1/128, 64QAM FEC5/6, PP7 | 36.72 Mbit/s | 35.0 Mbit/s | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p 50 frame/s 8 bit/px | E-AC-3 5.1 | 754 MHz (Ch 56 in Region 1) |
| 4K-UHD | South Korea | Gwanaksan | South Metropolitan area of Seoul | 36.7 kW | DVB-T2 | 6 MHz | 32k extended mode GI=1/16, PP4, 256 QAM FEC 3/4, 4/5, 5/6 | < 35.0 Mbit/s | Variable (some trials at 25~34 Mbit/s) | HEVC Main10 Level 5.1 Max 28 Mbit/s | 3840 × 2160p 60 frame/s 8 or 10 bit/px | MPEG-H 3D Audio[225] | 761 MHz (Ch 62) |
| 12.9 kW | 701 MHz (Ch 52) | ||||||||||||
| 40.0 kW | 707 MHz (Ch 53) | ||||||||||||
| Namsan | Central area of Seoul | 2.2 kW | 761 MHz (Ch 62) | ||||||||||
| Yongmunsan | West Metropolitan area of Seoul | 8.3 kW | 707 MHz (Ch 53) | ||||||||||
| 4K-UHD | France | Eiffel Tower | City of Paris | 1 kW | DVB-T2 | 8 MHz | 32k extended mode GI=1/128, 256QAM FEC2/3, PP7 | 40.2 Mbit/s | Two programmes carried: one at 22.5 Mbit/s, one at 17.5 Mbit/s | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p 50 frame/s 8 bit/px | HE-AAC 192 kbit/s | 514 MHz (Ch 26 in Region 1) |
| 4K-UHD | Spain | ETSI Tele-comunicación | Ciudad Universitaria Madrid | 125 W | DVB-T2 | 8 MHz | 32k extended mode GI=1/128, 64QAM FEC5/6, PP7 | 36.72 Mbit/s | 35 Mbit/s (other bit rates also tested) | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p 50 frame/s 8 bit/px | E-AC-3 5.1 | 754 MHz (Ch 56 in Region 1) |
| 4K-UHD | Sweden | Stockholm Nacka | City of Stockholm | 35 kW | DVB-T2 | 8 MHz | 32k extended mode GI=19/256, 256QAM FEC3/5, PP4 | 31.7 Mbit/s | 24 Mbit/s | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p 29.97 frame/s 8 bit/px | 618 MHz (Ch 39 in Region 1) | |
| 4K-UHD | United Kingdom[226] | Crystal Palace | Greater London (serving over 4.5 million households) | 39.8 kW | DVB-T2 | 8 MHz | 32k extended mode GI=1/128, 256QAM FEC 2/3, PP7 | 40.2 Mbit/s | Variable (some trials at 35 Mbit/s) | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p 50 or 59.94 frame/s 8 bit/px (most) or 10 bit/px | 586 MHz (Ch 35 in Region 1) | |
| Winter Hill | North-west England, including Manchester and Liverpool (serving 2.7 million households) | 22.5 kW | 602 MHz (Ch 37 in Region 1) | ||||||||||
| Black Hill | Central Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh (serving 1 million households) | 39 kW | 586 MHz (Ch 35 in Region 1) | ||||||||||
| 4K-UHD | Czech Republic[227] | Žižkov Television Tower | Prague | – | DVB-T2 | 8 MHz | – | – | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p | – | 706 MHz (Ch 50 in Region 1) | |
| 4K-UHD | Slovakia | Kamzík | Bratislava | 5 kW | DVB-T2 | 32k 256QAM, FEC 3/4 | 36 Mbit/s | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p | 184.5 MHz (Ch 6) | |||
| 4K-UHD | China[228] | Jiaxing TV Tower | Jiaxing, Zhejiang | 1 kW Signal radius: 39 km | DTMB-A | 8 MHz | 32k 2PN1024, 256APSK FEC 2/3 | Unknown | Unknown | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p 50 frame/s | MPEG-4 AAC | 562 MHz (Ch 24) |
| 4K-UHD | Taishan | Parts of Luzhong area Signal radius: 130 km | Unknown (TPO: 1kW) | DTMB-A | 8 MHz | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown (some trials at 33.53 Mbit/s for one program) | AVS2 | 3840 × 2160p 50 frame/s | Unknown | 778 MHz (Ch 46) | |
| 4K-UHD | Hong Kong[229] | Temple Hill | Kowloon and northern part ofHong Kong Island | 1 kW | DVB-T2 | 8 MHz | 32k GI=1/32, PP4, 256QAM FEC 2/3 | Unknown | 25.8 Mbit/s | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p 50 frame/s | Unknown | 602 MHz (Ch 37) |
| Kowloon Peak | 320 W | ||||||||||||
| Golden Hill | Tsuen Wan andKwai Chung | 320 W | |||||||||||
| 4K-UHD | Temple Hill | Kowloon and northern part of Hong Kong Island | 1 kW | DTMB-A | 8 MHz | 32k 2PN1024, 256APSK FEC 2/3 | 37.89 Mbit/s | 25.5 Mbit/s | HEVC | 3840 × 2160p 50 frame/s | Unknown | 602 MHz (Ch 37) | |
| Kowloon Peak | 320 W | ||||||||||||
| Golden Hill | Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung | 320 W |
Standards that deal with UHDTV include:
Standards approved in ITU-R:
Other documents prepared or being prepared by ITU-R:
Standards developed inITU-T'sVCEG andISO/IEC JTC 1'sMPEG that support Ultra-HD include:
DVB approved the Standard TS 101 154 V2.1.1, published (07/2014) in the DVB Blue Book A157Specification for the use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcasting Applications based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream, which was published byETSI in the following months.
Standards for UHDTV in South Korea have been developed by itsTelecommunications Technology Association.
On August 30, 2013, the scenarios for 4K-UHDTV service were described in the Report "TTAR 07.0011: A Study on the UHDTV Service Scenarios and its Considerations".
On May 22, 2014, the technical report "TTAR-07.0013: Terrestrial 4K UHDTV Broadcasting Service" was published.
On October 13, 2014, an interim standard – "TTAI.KO-07.0123: Transmission and Reception for Terrestrial UHDTV Broadcasting Service" – was published based on HEVC encoding, with MPEG 2 TS, and DVB-T2 serving as the standards.
On June 24, 2016, a standard – "TTAK.KO-07.0127: Transmission and Reception for Terrestrial UHDTV Broadcasting Service" – was published based on HEVC encoding, with MMTP/ROUTE IP, and ATSC 3.0 serving as the standards.
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