Devices
IBC 2017: Ultra HD Forum to Look at Future of UHD (MESA)
Story Highlights
The Ultra HD Forum, the global organization defining industry best practices for the introduction of technologies to facilitate the ultra-high-definition (UHD) viewing experiences. This year at IBC, the Forum will share insights from in-depth research on over 50 TV operators for technologies needed to deliver the next generation of entertainment based on UHD standards. The findings will first be revealed during a meeting of the Forum’s membership, then shared broadly, during a Masterclass open to all IBC attendees on Monday, Sept. 18, from noon until 2 p.m., in the RAI’s Emerald Room 102.
This in-depth information on the industry’s true priorities will help the Forum plan its future work on what it calls “Phase B,” the next generation of UHD technologies, expected to be deployed beyond 2018.
“Our masterclass will focus mainly on what’s still to come with UHD, reporting on major field trials and early launches of Next-Gen Audio and HDR. We’ll also dive deeper into the Next-Gen Audio technologies with the industry’s three key technology providers,” said Ben Schwarz, who chairs the Forum’s Communications Working Group.
In other UHD news, Thierry Fautier, President of the Ultra HD Forum, announced an increase of the Forum’s activities in the Asia-Pacific region, with public interoperability demos set for China in the Fall, followed by a member’s meeting in Korea prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics. Fautier said, “The Ultra HD Forum goes where the UHD action is, and China is the #1 country for UHD sets, while Korea has the first UHD terrestrial broadcasting deployment, using the ATSC 3.0 standard. Meanwhile, we are still growing with recent additions such as Travelxp, an HLG pioneer, and the Forum Audiovisuel Numerique, representing the vibrant French UHD ecosystem, which is leading UHD deployments in Europe.” Fautier added, “It is key for us to engage with regional organizations to understand operator needs from around the world. We’ll continue, for example, with our presence at the 4K-UHD Summit in Malaga this November.”
