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onsumers are buying 4K
displays at quite spectacular
rates. Research specialist
GfK suggests that Europe’s
three largest countries (Germany, UK
and France) could each end 2015 with
a million – or more – receivers
installed. Last December’s (2014) total
sales were around 200,000 in each of
the three key markets, and sales
volume is expected to be around
60,000 units a month this year.
Strategy Analytics is saying much the
C
Chris Forrester rounds
up the latest research
and industry
developments.
VP reception systems, told the London
conference that SES was very aware that the
pace of innovation in 4K was challenging.
Humorously, he showcased what he
described as “Phase 1” of TV with an ancient
1950’s TV set, and then a “Phase 2” set from
no 4K plans of its own as yet, the IOC is
simply being realistic. Panasonic, however, is
likely to video the Games at least for its own
promotional use.
But while there are now many
‘narrowcasting’ OTT suppliers of 4K content,
there are also a large number of real, live
4K/UHD channels on air. Recent
deployments by TataSky and Videocon d2h
in India, as well as a number of US and
South Korean services, are already active.
DirecTV in the US explained its
philosophy in February, with CEO Mike
Ultra-HD is catching on, and fast!
same and that shipments of 4K/Ultra HD
TVs grew 633% in 2014 to reach 12.1m units
with Asia Pacific – mostly China accounting for 75% followed by North
America (12%) and Western
Europe (11%). Moreover, those
numbers will double this year
and they forecast that UHD
will become mass-market by
2018-19.
The receivers,
unfortunately, might not all be
capable of handling the very
latest Wide Colour
Gamut/High Dynamic Range
and 50/60 Hz higher frame
rates, but consumers seem not
to care. They are tempted by stunning –
although perhaps slow-moving – demos in
electrical stores, and tempted by affordable
prices and the promise of dedicated UHD
channels down the line.
But channels are slow to arrive. A
February conference in London heard Sky
Germany’s Stephan Heimbecher (head of
innovation and standards) declare that his
team were ready to start transmissions, once
management gave him the Green Light. His
Sky UK colleague Chris Johns was more
circumspect and hinted that perhaps an OTT
service would appear prior to a ‘full’ 4K
channel. “We want to know what we can fit
on a single [satellite] transponder, should it
be necessary. We’re not ruling anything out;
we’re looking at it economically. The lower
the price for distributing a piece of content,
the better it is, obviously,” said Johns.
That reticence is not shared by UK-based
digital TV and Media Consulting firm
FairmileWest and specialist consultant Nick
Russell, who says that “at least six major
Pay-TV broadcast operators will launch
UHD services in the second-half of this
year.”
Satellite operator SES’s Thomas Wrede,
18 EUROMEDIA UHD 2015
1967 when colour was introduced and a later
“Phase 3” model when wide screens were
added. This, he said was a 20-year evolution.
He doubted whether broadcasters today
would take five years to
progress through three
stages of standardisation
White saying: “The first and most important
question right now is what content is going
to be available in 4K. Now there are a lot of
ways to get there. The best way is to shoot in
4K, but that's quite expensive, and that's
why I don't think you see any of the guys
jumping in for linear streaming. We are
working on getting more
content available. The good
news is with our new satellite
capacity, we have the capacity
to do linear [4K] channels. We
have the capacity to do quite a
bit more than we're doing
today.”
Investment bank Exane BNPParibas summed up the
situation nicely in February 2015, saying:
“With global UHD screen shipments set to
rise by 200% in 2015 (Consumer Electronics
Association forecasts), we expect a growing
number of TV broadcasters, in particular
Pay-TV platforms, to launch their first Ultra
HD channels over the coming two to five
years. In our view, Pay-TV operators are
likely to use Ultra HD channels to reinforce
their commercial value in their fight against
OTT.”
Whatever the arguments as to when, it is
inevitable that 4K/Ultra-HD – in one
version or another - will be on European TV
screens shortly, and perhaps this coming
winter. As to predicting when Sky (in the
UK, Germany or Italy) will make an
announcement is anyone’s guess! It is worth
remembering that Sky neve