All Sections

Eurovision working on 4K Ultra HD product badge scheme

Televisions built to receive 4K Ultra HD broadcast could get a badge to help consumers identify them better. 

The badge scheme was decided on following a meeting of broadcasters and TV manaufacturers. The European Broadcasting Union said a key decision to cooperate on plotting a course for 4K (aka Ultra HD) rollout in Europe was agreed this week. 

Among the concrete actions agreed is collaboration with DigitalEurope (representing the consumer electronics industry) on a logo for 4K displays and closer engagement with the European Commission on related matters. 

Credit: Wikimedia

Read Recombu Digital’s guide to 4K Ultra HD and 8K Super Hi VisionThe new initiative comes under the auspices of a new grouping called FAME (Forum for Advanced Media in Europe). FAME is a consortium of public and private broadcasters, consumer and professional electronics manufacturers, satellite operators and national HD Forums that will look at analysing the barriers to making 4K a success in Europe. 

The sets needed to display 4K will be entering the shops in the months and years ahead. However, FAME participants emphasised this week that any future television system must provide significant enhancements over 1080p HD TV. 

The discussions on 4K are chaired together by the EBU’s Hans Hoffmann and Stephan Heimbecher of Sky Deutschland. Hoffmann said that 4K is the future of television: “This is the time to act together in the interests of the European public and industry, including the creative sector, and to create the right technical conditions in the full eco-chain for the launch of UHDTV.” 

Heimbecher said that making 4K successful will take more than just “more pixels”. 

“They will need to be ‘better and faster’ pixels”, he said. “UHDTV must represent a step change in the viewing experience for it to be a success. It therefore has to include more than just a resolution increase. We need to consider higher frame rates, better colours and higher dynamic range, too.” 

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *