IBC
While UltraHD is expected to dominate discussion at IBC2013, there are questions being asked against the sanity of pushing beyond HD so quickly. After all, what's wrong with high-definition anyway?
Ultra HD has been a hit demonstration and consumer technology suppliers are rapidly moving to promote 4K as the next new format, but some may question whether it is really necessary. It may have four times the resolution of HDTV television, but is it four times better?
William Cooper, Founder & Chief Executive, Informitv is chairing a debate on the topic at IBC and says there are strong arguments on both sides.
“On one hand there is the technical imperative to improve quality, which is a focus for many of those attending IBC,” he says. “There is a lot of room for improvement on high-definition television, which compromises quality in many respects. UltraHD or 4K promises the next big thing in television.
“On the other hand, beyond a few enthusiasts, most people seem happy enough with the television they have. If you ask people what could be improved about television not many would say the resolution. There are many ways in which the quality of television could be improved without adding more pixels. There is a diminishing return on investment in technical quality for the average viewer.”
The problem is that this is being driven by a technology push and marketing hype rather than any substantial evidence of consumer demand.
“There may be opportunities for pay-television operators but what are the prospects for free-to-air broadcasters?” he asks.
There are others voicing caution against the prevailing mood of UltraHD inevitability. Broadcasters are wary of getting bitten, as ESPN appears to have had done with launching and then shuttering a 3D channel, by leaping wholesale into a format that has next to no consumer base.
“The jury is still out,” admits IBC2013 Conference speaker Andrew Jordan, SVP, International Technology & Operations, NBC Universal. “The question for us is under what circumstances is it most appropriate. Like any big shift in the industry we have to understand its relevance. If everyone had jumped in with both feet and bought 3D sets the world would now look very different.”
West European TV set sales peaked at 51m HD units in 2010 followed by a 4% decline in 2011 and 12% last year. Analysts Future source predicts a similar slide in 2013. All this in a market where three quarters of homes contain HD screens but only half currently receive HD broadcasts.
“The single most important reason [for the push to 4K] is that TV manufacturers are losing money on TVs,” comments Jack Wetherill, senior market analyst. “They need to find a compelling reason for consumers to buy new more expensive sets.”
Nonetheless, Ericsson's 2012 ConsumerLab TV report highlighted a willingness among consumers to pay for 'extreme quality' as part of their overall TV and video service.
Stakeholders in the format's future are calling for a united front before the format hits the public consiousness.
“We must be patient and not rush to be first, because if we get it wrong it may be the end of it,” stresses Stephan Heimbecker, Head of Innovation and Standards, Sky Deutschland, who delivers a major presentation on UltraHD at IBC this year. “Let's do it right.”
Not confusing the consumer is the Digital TV Group's concern. “We still have enough time to do the strategic planning, to learn all the lessons from HD such as avoiding confusion with a UltraHD marque,” says Digital TV Group, Director General, Richard Lindsay-Davies, also an IBC2013 speaker. “We must be careful to manage the step change so that the specifications are right, that the value is right for the consumer, with the right timing and appropriate communication.”
Much of the testing surrounds what the attributes of a next generation TV service might actually be, with the feeling that resolution alone is not sufficient to convince the market of the need to upgrade.
“Something beyond HD might have no interlace, more resolution, finer pixels... but what else is there?” questions Chris Johns, BSkyB's Chief Engineer, Broadcast Strategy. “It has to deliver a new viewing experience. It has to be something consumers want to have.”
Discussion is also focussed on the presentation of 4K on increasingly large home screens, reckoned to be of the order of 60-inches for UltraHD visual benefits to be experienced. At the optimal viewing distance from the screen, around 60 degrees of the viewer’s field of view will be filled with the TV image. By comparison, today’s viewing typically fills around 30 degrees of the field of view.
“Does the production grammar have to change?” asks Heimbecker. “At screen sizes above 55-inchs at an average 2.7 metres viewing distance, then conventional close-ups would appear larger than lifesize which could be discomforting to people. Perhaps we need to use head to hip shots for a less disturbing experience.”
At IBC2012 Sky Deutschland was one of the first broadcasters to publically announce its commitment towards the launch of Ultra HD services. Over the past twelve months the German pay TV operator has added authority to that pledge in the form of several Ultra HD test productions, the support of respective standardization efforts, and the analysis of potential new concepts for Ultra HD.
For IBC 2013 Sky Deutschland has partnered with Sony Pictures, 3net, SES and Pace representing the end-to-end chain to create an Ultra HD demo live on air, which represent the current status of the development towards a regular service. In taking a step further compared to similar approaches at IBC last year, this time content has been encoded in HEVC by Harmonic and is received by a prototype Ultra HD receiver presented by Pace.
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