As the industry hesitates over 4K/Ultra HD, perhaps from fear of getting a black eye a la 3D, testing remains a priority. It’s unclear whether the bandwidth or interest for 4K exists at this stage, but preparation abounds. Case in point: Intelsat and Ericsson announced this week a successful demo of true 4K, end-to-end video transmission over satellite to Turner’s facilities in Atlanta.
 
What’s special about this transmission? It marked the 1st transmission of a UHD signal over satellite in North American, which the companies said proves that satellite can handle next-gen signals when the industry is ready. Intelsat’s Galaxy 13 satellite delivered a 4:2:2 10-bit, 4K UHD signal at 60 frames per second. The 100 Mbps video feed was encoded and decoded in real time by Ericsson, using its AVP 2000 contribution encoders and RX8200 receivers, capable of 4K UHD operations as well as HD and SD contribution at the highest quality. Turner provided the satellite downlink antenna.
 
“4K UHD is the next evolutionary step for television broadcasting, and just as Intelsat supported the smooth transition from SD to HD, so too will we be ready to support the transition to full-time distribution in this new format,” said Peter Ostapiuk, Intelsat’s vice president of media product management.
 
CE makers are certainly hoping 4K takes off, with Sharp unveiling its first UHD TV for the US market this week, the 70” class AQUOS Ultra HD LED TV. Seiki surprised at this week’s CE Week by showing off a 39-inch 4K set for just $699. Does that price point have you more interested in Ultra HD? You can pre-order a set through Sears.
 

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