4k_4k 21/05/2015 18:38 Page 2
bandwidth; will a
major sports event
or the debut of a
major new drama
season see networks
inevitably falter?
“The problem is
often at ‘ISP border
crossings’ we know
Netflix has limited 4k to
15Mb not because of the
end users constriction.
That’s why we have
developed a proprietary
protocol for end-to-end
systems for OTT because
when you hand off to
partners you need to
sync everything to
guarantee user
experience,” says
Mikeladze.
“The solution is the
distribution of the
streaming service. Even
in sophisticated markets,
we are seeing the
where MPEG4 is the norm, for example, might
find it most difficult because developing
nations can leapfrog – in developing nations it
is not as fragmented in terms of distribution
and there is less separation between content
and delivery,” says Trow.
UHD displays will deliver a cinema quality
image to the home so the scope is there, just
as in cinema, for users with pro-sumer 4k
camcorders to record it and re-distribute it. Is
there anything the content owner or
distributor can do about it?
“You will not be able to stop it,” says
Burghard, “it’s like the tides in the ocean. You
cannot control it but you can manage it. And
already some like HBO have said a level of
piracy is a good marketing tool, the example
they used was Game of Thrones, but above a
certain level it is very damaging – so when the
whole series five of Game of Thrones was
leaked that was very bad. Our view is that it is
not just a technology approach – you can work
on CA and DRM – but it is also the
distribution of CDNs
more than ever before,
so in the UK, for
example, there will be 60
POPs. To manage
bottlenecks you have to
get as close to the
customer as possible and
then combine that with dynamic bit rate
solutions etc, but in the end delivering high
quality demands high bandwidth that’s a law
of physics,” states Brolin.
“Certainly bandwidth at the moment is well
suited to HD and there have been some
unflattering comparisons of 4k and HD over
the same access. The challenge for
compression vendors is to get the bit rate
down through HEVC to a level where the
budget actually makes sense for a broadcaster
to transition. And that means not just for
premium VoD but with multi-screen
functionality and features like targeted
advertising etc available,” says Trow.
How will the different markets for UHD
evolve over the next couple of years?
“We talk to the whole ecosystem,” declares
Burghard. “They all say they will get there but
in different phases. In India Tata Sky is
already launching its channel. In Europe Sky
has committed and in the US Comcast will
launch Xfinity in UHD. In LatAm the likes of
Globo will also adopt quickly as they have
control end to end. So, the technology is
difficult and UHD’s first forum will be VoD
but broadcast will be there two or three years
later.”
“Curiously the more developed markets
intelligence you generate, and takedown
notices etc.”
“Game of Thrones is a good example,”
agrees Trow. “Piracy was always seen as an
end distribution problem but as was seen
there you can completely collapse the value
chain by getting hold of a 4k master by
breaching the internal security of the
network.”
“Yes, it’s about securing the whole value
chain,” says Burghard, “as soon as the content
exists you need to put your protection
mechanisms in place at the server side in the
earliest versions and then track it over the
whole lifecycle of that content.”
What about 8k, is 4k a near-obsolete
stepping stone?
“I suppose it could be if the standards bodies
don’t get their act together – but 4k is a good
match for the content being produced and for
the size of living room most people watch in,”
comments Trow.
“In five or ten years, yes it will be 8k and
then eventually 16k, of course.... may be. But
for at least five years it will be only 4k,”
predicts Mikeladze.
“I don’t believe in waiting,” declares Brolin,
“as these improvements in quality will bring
innovations in terms of ways to use it that we
don’t know yet. So, get this out and see what
the consequences are and I’m sure there will
be 8k in a couple of years. ”
“We had millions of years without
television then 60 to 70 years with SD, then 15
years with HD; now we expect 4k and then a
few years later, 8k. Those cycles get shorter
and shorter,” notes Burghard.
“For at least five years it will be only
4k.” George Mikeladze, Qarva
“It is messy at the moment.”
Ian Trow, Harmonic
methods will be very important,” agrees
Mikaladze.