Tweet
Satellite operator SES and VIVICAST MEDIA launch UHD-1 over North America, UHD-1 has been available on SES European ASTRA satellite platform for a few years and is now part of the operator's Germany focussed HD+ pay-tv platform. SES now operates and distributes eight 4K channels four of wich are now available in North America. Across Asia ASIASAT is now operating a second 4K channel called "4K-SAT2/HVN". A demochannel carrying among other the 4K material from NASA TV.
SES describes UHD-1, as a new dynamic Ultra HD channel for North American cable operators, telco's and their audiences. UHD-1 will be delivered over the SES-3 satellite, one of three satellites (SES-1, SES-3 and AMC-1
that make up SES's Ultra HD distribution neighbourhood at the centre of the orbital arc over North America. Vivicast Media continues to add new Ultra HD content and titles to the rich program line-up of feature films, television series, exclusive concerts and documentaries for viewers in America and beyond.
This is the fourth unique Ultra HD channel to be featured on SES's Ultra HD platform, which is accelerating the delivery of linear live Ultra HD programming to North American homes served by multiple video program distributors (MVPDs). In addition to UHD-1, SES's Ultra HD neighbourhood also features NASA TV UHD, Fashion One 4K and High 4K TV.
UHD-1 is the eighth unique Ultra HD channel delivered to cable, telco and DTH audiences across SES's global satellite fleet. A true leader in global video distribution, SES delivers a record 7,268 TV channels worldwide, including 2,230 HDTV channels. The current channel growth is driven as well as the further expansion of SES's Video business across emerging markets.
"Vivicast Media has been on the cutting edge of Ultra HD market development for years, preparing for its delivery on a large scale. Now that Ultra HD is becoming reality, we're very excited about our collaboration with SES, a true innovator in solutions that are accelerating the delivery of Ultra HD to the home," said Stuart Smitherman, President of Vivicast Media. "We're focused on providing the very best Ultra HD programming on UHD-1, and we continue to search for new partnerships we can explore to expand on our Ultra HD portfolio. Our relationship with SES enables us to offer content producers broad access to the North American marketplace, which will be a key driver in the timely delivery of this new frontier in television content."
"UHD-1 is yet another channel in our growing North America Ultra HD line-up that is delivered to virtually every cable TV head end over our unique end-to-end satellite-based Ultra HD platform unveiled last year," said Steve Corda, Vice President North America Business Development at SES. "As consumers continue to add Ultra HD TVs into their homes, a robust channel offering is essential to meet their thirst for compelling high quality Ultra HD programming. Our agreement with Vivicast Media and the launch of UHD-1 brings a fourth Ultra HD channel to our North American platform. SES and its centre of the arc Ultra HD satellite neighbourhood has become the partner of choice and place to be for cable operators and other MVPDs ready to deploy Ultra HD across their networks."
Harmonic the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, and AsiaSat, Asia's premier satellite operator, today announced a partnership to launch a new Ultra HD (UHD) channel "4K-SAT2/HVN," AsiaSat's second free-to-air UHD channel on AsiaSat 4 at 122 degrees East for Asia-Pacific.
Launching on "4K-SAT2/HVN" on March 1 will be 4K video content from Harmonic's broad video library, as well as content from the new NASA TV UHD channel, in 2160p60 with HEVC Main 10 profile, utilizing an end-to-end UHD video processing system from Harmonic. With the channel, consumers in Asia can explore the breathtaking beauty of the world and of space in stunning UHD. NASA TV UHD, the first UHD channel in North America, was launched jointly by NASA and Harmonic in North America in late 2015.
"With the cost of UHD TV sets dropping dramatically over the past year, demand for UHD content in Asia is expected to grow exponentially in the next couple of years," said Sabrina Cubbon, vice president, marketing & global accounts at AsiaSat. "Our partnership with Harmonic for this new channel '4K-SAT2/HVN,' following the successful launch of our first UHD channel last year, enables the delivery of a choice of rich and compelling UHD content on AsiaSat 4, allowing us to demonstrate the superior quality via satellite of a linear Ultra HD channel in 2160p60 resolution."
The UHD channels on AsiaSat 4's UHD platform are available free-to-air across the satellite's enormous footprint, spanning from New Zealand to Pakistan and part of the Middle East and encompassing more than 50 countries and regions. Asian TV operators and home viewers with an AsiaSat 4 C-band antenna and a HEVC set-top box will be able to receive the free-to-air UHD channels in native UHD quality.
The new "4K-SAT2/HVN" UHD channel deploys Harmonic's MediaGrid shared storage system, a highly scalable, Ethernet-based shared storage system optimized for digital media workflows; Polaris™ playout management suite; Spectrum™ X advanced media server system, which brings new levels of efficiency, simplicity and reliability to broadcast playout workflows; and the groundbreaking Electra™ X3 UHD media processor, to enable full UHD channel production and transmission from the AsiaSat's Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong.
"Harmonic is the only video infrastructure provider to offer a complete UHD workflow solution for delivery of live and linear UHD broadcasts. This expertise, combined with our UHD channel-as-a-service offering, technology leadership and active involvement in standards bodies and other industry groups, is creating the momentum needed for global UHD service deployment," said Peter Alexander, Chief Marketing Officer at Harmonic. "By providing AsiaSat with a full-scale workflow for delivering 2160p60 UHD video content, and also providing a complete slate of compelling content that showcases the medium of UHD, Harmonic is enabling UHD services to be rolled out quickly and affordably to consumers across the region, with amazing video quality."
Watch "4K-SAT2/HVN" free on AsiaSat 4 with the following reception parameters:
Orbital Location: 122°E
Transponder: A4-C13H
Downlink Frequency: 4120 MHz
Downlink Polarisation: Horizontal
Digital Transmission: DVB-S2
Symbol Rate: 29.72 Msym/sec
Modulation: 8PSK
FEC: 5/6
SES describes UHD-1, as a new dynamic Ultra HD channel for North American cable operators, telco's and their audiences. UHD-1 will be delivered over the SES-3 satellite, one of three satellites (SES-1, SES-3 and AMC-1
that make up SES's Ultra HD distribution neighbourhood at the centre of the orbital arc over North America. Vivicast Media continues to add new Ultra HD content and titles to the rich program line-up of feature films, television series, exclusive concerts and documentaries for viewers in America and beyond. This is the fourth unique Ultra HD channel to be featured on SES's Ultra HD platform, which is accelerating the delivery of linear live Ultra HD programming to North American homes served by multiple video program distributors (MVPDs). In addition to UHD-1, SES's Ultra HD neighbourhood also features NASA TV UHD, Fashion One 4K and High 4K TV.
UHD-1 is the eighth unique Ultra HD channel delivered to cable, telco and DTH audiences across SES's global satellite fleet. A true leader in global video distribution, SES delivers a record 7,268 TV channels worldwide, including 2,230 HDTV channels. The current channel growth is driven as well as the further expansion of SES's Video business across emerging markets.
"Vivicast Media has been on the cutting edge of Ultra HD market development for years, preparing for its delivery on a large scale. Now that Ultra HD is becoming reality, we're very excited about our collaboration with SES, a true innovator in solutions that are accelerating the delivery of Ultra HD to the home," said Stuart Smitherman, President of Vivicast Media. "We're focused on providing the very best Ultra HD programming on UHD-1, and we continue to search for new partnerships we can explore to expand on our Ultra HD portfolio. Our relationship with SES enables us to offer content producers broad access to the North American marketplace, which will be a key driver in the timely delivery of this new frontier in television content."
"UHD-1 is yet another channel in our growing North America Ultra HD line-up that is delivered to virtually every cable TV head end over our unique end-to-end satellite-based Ultra HD platform unveiled last year," said Steve Corda, Vice President North America Business Development at SES. "As consumers continue to add Ultra HD TVs into their homes, a robust channel offering is essential to meet their thirst for compelling high quality Ultra HD programming. Our agreement with Vivicast Media and the launch of UHD-1 brings a fourth Ultra HD channel to our North American platform. SES and its centre of the arc Ultra HD satellite neighbourhood has become the partner of choice and place to be for cable operators and other MVPDs ready to deploy Ultra HD across their networks."
Harmonic the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, and AsiaSat, Asia's premier satellite operator, today announced a partnership to launch a new Ultra HD (UHD) channel "4K-SAT2/HVN," AsiaSat's second free-to-air UHD channel on AsiaSat 4 at 122 degrees East for Asia-Pacific.
Launching on "4K-SAT2/HVN" on March 1 will be 4K video content from Harmonic's broad video library, as well as content from the new NASA TV UHD channel, in 2160p60 with HEVC Main 10 profile, utilizing an end-to-end UHD video processing system from Harmonic. With the channel, consumers in Asia can explore the breathtaking beauty of the world and of space in stunning UHD. NASA TV UHD, the first UHD channel in North America, was launched jointly by NASA and Harmonic in North America in late 2015.
"With the cost of UHD TV sets dropping dramatically over the past year, demand for UHD content in Asia is expected to grow exponentially in the next couple of years," said Sabrina Cubbon, vice president, marketing & global accounts at AsiaSat. "Our partnership with Harmonic for this new channel '4K-SAT2/HVN,' following the successful launch of our first UHD channel last year, enables the delivery of a choice of rich and compelling UHD content on AsiaSat 4, allowing us to demonstrate the superior quality via satellite of a linear Ultra HD channel in 2160p60 resolution."
The UHD channels on AsiaSat 4's UHD platform are available free-to-air across the satellite's enormous footprint, spanning from New Zealand to Pakistan and part of the Middle East and encompassing more than 50 countries and regions. Asian TV operators and home viewers with an AsiaSat 4 C-band antenna and a HEVC set-top box will be able to receive the free-to-air UHD channels in native UHD quality.
The new "4K-SAT2/HVN" UHD channel deploys Harmonic's MediaGrid shared storage system, a highly scalable, Ethernet-based shared storage system optimized for digital media workflows; Polaris™ playout management suite; Spectrum™ X advanced media server system, which brings new levels of efficiency, simplicity and reliability to broadcast playout workflows; and the groundbreaking Electra™ X3 UHD media processor, to enable full UHD channel production and transmission from the AsiaSat's Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong.
"Harmonic is the only video infrastructure provider to offer a complete UHD workflow solution for delivery of live and linear UHD broadcasts. This expertise, combined with our UHD channel-as-a-service offering, technology leadership and active involvement in standards bodies and other industry groups, is creating the momentum needed for global UHD service deployment," said Peter Alexander, Chief Marketing Officer at Harmonic. "By providing AsiaSat with a full-scale workflow for delivering 2160p60 UHD video content, and also providing a complete slate of compelling content that showcases the medium of UHD, Harmonic is enabling UHD services to be rolled out quickly and affordably to consumers across the region, with amazing video quality."
Watch "4K-SAT2/HVN" free on AsiaSat 4 with the following reception parameters:
Orbital Location: 122°E
Transponder: A4-C13H
Downlink Frequency: 4120 MHz
Downlink Polarisation: Horizontal
Digital Transmission: DVB-S2
Symbol Rate: 29.72 Msym/sec
Modulation: 8PSK
FEC: 5/6