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First hinted at during IBC last week, it is now official the first 4K HDR (HLG) channel, is now encrypted and launching as a commercial service.
"We started the test feed on Eutelsat's HOTBIRD neighbourhood at the beginning of the year and kept it Free-to-Air to enable operators and hardware vendors to access an HLG HDR content feed. As the world's first 4K HDR channel, we are extremely grateful to all partners, vendors and stakeholders who have made this happen. Quality is at the forefront of Travelxp 4K and viewers are going to love the quality of content that we have produced", Travelxp 4K CEO, Prashant Chothani, said about the imminent launch as a commercial service of his 4K HDR travel channel.
Starting the commercial service, means the channel is now no longer free to be watched by all with the right equipment, but only via clients of Travelxp 4K. No information on the launch as a direct to home satellite service is provided, so most likely the channels will only be available through MVPD's, the operators refered to above.
Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications confirms this strategy: "Travelxp 4K, the world's first 4K HDR channel, will leverage HOTBIRD's market-leading penetration into cable and IPTV networks across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa".
Travelxp 4K will be available in English, Spanish Polish, Serbian, Croatian and Dutch in the coming months. Localisation in other languages will shortly be announced. The channel will initially feature 100 hours of world class travel programmes filmed across the world with multicultural hosts. The 4K version of the Travelxp brand follows the success of Travelxp HD that offers 100% of originally-produced premium travel and lifestyle programming distributed to over 50 million homes globally.
The long test and market priming Free-To-Air period is and has been used by most of 4K channels on Eutelsat's Hot Bird satellite neighbourhood. The 4K version of Sony Pictures International's Funbox channel was the first to launch as a commercial service, a year ago.
Travelxp 4K is owned by India's Media Worldwide Limited, UK and Celebrities Management Private Limited, that operates ten satellite channels across the globe.
Travelxp 4K is encoded in HEVC, at 50 frames per second (50p), with 10 bits of colour depth (1 billion colours), in the BT2020 colour space, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) with the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) standard developed by the BBC and NHK that creates richer and more dynamic images by increasing the contrast ratio between the lightest and darkest areas of the screen and expanding the volume of colours displayed. The HLG standard enables Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) TV sets to display an Ultra HD image (in SDR mode).
"We started the test feed on Eutelsat's HOTBIRD neighbourhood at the beginning of the year and kept it Free-to-Air to enable operators and hardware vendors to access an HLG HDR content feed. As the world's first 4K HDR channel, we are extremely grateful to all partners, vendors and stakeholders who have made this happen. Quality is at the forefront of Travelxp 4K and viewers are going to love the quality of content that we have produced", Travelxp 4K CEO, Prashant Chothani, said about the imminent launch as a commercial service of his 4K HDR travel channel.
Starting the commercial service, means the channel is now no longer free to be watched by all with the right equipment, but only via clients of Travelxp 4K. No information on the launch as a direct to home satellite service is provided, so most likely the channels will only be available through MVPD's, the operators refered to above.
Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications confirms this strategy: "Travelxp 4K, the world's first 4K HDR channel, will leverage HOTBIRD's market-leading penetration into cable and IPTV networks across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa".
Travelxp 4K will be available in English, Spanish Polish, Serbian, Croatian and Dutch in the coming months. Localisation in other languages will shortly be announced. The channel will initially feature 100 hours of world class travel programmes filmed across the world with multicultural hosts. The 4K version of the Travelxp brand follows the success of Travelxp HD that offers 100% of originally-produced premium travel and lifestyle programming distributed to over 50 million homes globally.
The long test and market priming Free-To-Air period is and has been used by most of 4K channels on Eutelsat's Hot Bird satellite neighbourhood. The 4K version of Sony Pictures International's Funbox channel was the first to launch as a commercial service, a year ago.
Travelxp 4K is owned by India's Media Worldwide Limited, UK and Celebrities Management Private Limited, that operates ten satellite channels across the globe.
Travelxp 4K is encoded in HEVC, at 50 frames per second (50p), with 10 bits of colour depth (1 billion colours), in the BT2020 colour space, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) with the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) standard developed by the BBC and NHK that creates richer and more dynamic images by increasing the contrast ratio between the lightest and darkest areas of the screen and expanding the volume of colours displayed. The HLG standard enables Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) TV sets to display an Ultra HD image (in SDR mode).