Can Tata Sky 4K be viewed on 1080p TV and HDMI 1.4 cable?

[sanjay0864]

Decoding part of STB is to just decrypt the signal. They dont convert the signals so your tv should support H.265 which the HDtv doesnt

I'm sorry to say, but not only are you wrong, but worse, you are stating incorrect information as fact.

The H.265 codec, or for that matter any other video compression codec, is decoded in the set top box, which further only outputs an uncompressed digital video signal. In fact, HDMI can only carry 'uncompressed' video and cannot carry compressed video codecs. However, it can carry both uncompressed PCM 8 channel audio and compressed audio codecs such as DTS & Dolby Digital.

Therefore as long as there is an option in the set top box to output a 1080p/1080i signal, which it most likely should have, there should not be a problem in viewing the signal on a 1080p HDTV using a HDMI 1.4 cable.

PS: The vast majority of UHD TVs sold so far, do not even have H.265 decoders and or HDMI 2.0 connectors. So if your contention were correct, then the majority of the existing UHD TVs that don't have HDMI 2.0 and or H.265 decoders, would not work with the TataSky UHD set-top box.

 

[sanjay0864]

Can you refer any article on this? Early (2013) 4K TVs did not have H.265/HEVC decoders. The STB is supposed to do the decoding and send a 2160p signal to the TV. H.265 decoder is needed on the TV itself if you want to stream content from the Internet or play HEVC content from a USB stick.

This is absolutely correct. The H.265 decoder is only required if streaming directly from the net and or to watch directly from a USB connected storage medium.

 

[sanjay0864]

There was no 4K broadcasting standards at that time and 4K was broadcasted in H.264 but now the standards have been defined. Those who bought old 4K tvs hve wasted their money coz they dont even hve HDMI 2.0

I am sorry, but this is more incorrect information. HDMI 2.0 is only required to carry 2160p 50/60 fps. For 2160p 24/25/30 fps, which is what almost all current UHD material is, HDMI 1.4 is sufficient. Regarding the lack of H.265 decoders in the older UHD TVs, as clarified in my earlier post, it is not needed to watch UHD from a set top box.

 

[sagar.patnaik]

I'm sorry to say, but not only are you wrong, but worse, you are stating incorrect information as fact.

The H.265 codec, or for that matter any other video compression codec, is decoded in the set top box, which further only outputs an uncompressed digital video signal. In fact, HDMI can only carry 'uncompressed' video and cannot carry compressed video codecs. However, it can carry both uncompressed PCM 8 channel audio and compressed audio codecs such as DTS & Dolby Digital.

Therefore as long as there is an option in the set top box to output a 1080p/1080i signal, which it most likely should have, there should not be a problem in viewing the signal on a 1080p HDTV using a HDMI 1.4 cable.

PS: The vast majority of UHD TVs sold so far, do not even have H.265 decoders and or HDMI 2.0 connectors. So if your contention were correct, then the majority of the existing UHD TVs that don't have HDMI 2.0 and or H.265 decoders, would not work with the TataSky UHD set-top box.

If you follow the news then you would know that the UHD standards were approved in November 2014. The tvs sold in 2014 had HDMI 2.0 but still do not comply with all the standards. Tvs sold before 2014 do not have HDMI 2.0 or support H.265 codecs. Approx 1,000 UHD tvs were sold in 2013 in India. If I go by your view then Tv is just a monitor which is not. Tv needs to support H.265 to run UHD. If tv did not require codecs then all would have bought PC monitors which are really cheap Rs 26,000 for a 4K Monitor

 

[sagar.patnaik]

I am sorry, but this is more incorrect information. HDMI 2.0 is only required to carry 2160p 50/60 fps. For 2160p 24/25/30 fps, which is what almost all current UHD material is, HDMI 1.4 is sufficient. Regarding the lack of H.265 decoders in the older UHD TVs, as clarified in my earlier post, it is not needed to watch UHD from a set top box.

I never said that you need HDMI 2.0 now. Television broadcasting happens at 60 fps not 30 fps. Still HDMI 1.4 is sufficient coz we will be broadcasting in 2160i not p. Codec support is needed in television to watch channels. The video signals will be recieved in H.265. You know every signal has a codec.

 

[sagar.patnaik]

This is for Sanjay

Start looking out for HEVC (or H.265) as a line item on TVs, Blu-ray players and other media players in the future. Nearly all major-brand 2014 4K TVs include the necessary hardware decoder, although 2013 4K TVs do not. There will also be more streamers like the Sony FMP-X10 that include the requisite hardware. This paragraph is taken from a renowned tech website CNET.

What is HEVC? High Efficiency Video Coding, H.265, and 4K compression explained - CNET

 

[Devesh]

This is very nice and much needed thread created by Shiwesh bro.... :clap

 

[jdrocks]

I never said that you need HDMI 2.0 now. Television broadcasting happens at 60 fps not 30 fps. Still HDMI 1.4 is sufficient coz we will be broadcasting in 2160i not p. Codec support is needed in television to watch channels. The video signals will be recieved in H.265. You know every signal has a codec.

I am not convinced H.265 decoder is required to playback content from an STB. As far as playing back signals from an STB, yes the TV does act as a simple monitor for displaying 2160i/p signals. It is the job of the STB to receive, decode and send the signal out to be displayed on the TV, which is why the STB has H.265 decoder built in. HEVC decoding on the TV is only required if the coded signal is received direct to the TV via Internet, USB or OTT. Decoder would also be required for DTT transmissions requiring the TV's inbuilt digital tuner to receive and decode terrestrial digital transmissions / channels. HDMI can carry only uncompressed video and compressed or uncompressed audio data, with the STB doing all the tuning and decoding.

We will have proof when we have the TS 4K STB in hand.

 

[sayan.sunny]

I have also same opinion jdrocks bro

 

[sagar.patnaik]

I am not convinced H.265 decoder is required to playback content from an STB. As far as playing back signals from an STB, yes the TV does act as a simple monitor for displaying 2160i/p signals. It is the job of the STB to receive, decode and send the signal out to be displayed on the TV, which is why the STB has H.265 decoder built in. HEVC decoding on the TV is only required if the coded signal is received direct to the TV via Internet, USB or OTT. Decoder would also be required for DTT transmissions requiring the TV's inbuilt digital tuner to receive and decode terrestrial digital transmissions / channels. HDMI can carry only uncompressed video and compressed or uncompressed audio data, with the STB doing all the tuning and decoding.

We will have proof when we have the TS 4K STB in hand.

Set top box recieves modulated H.265 signals and demodulates it. If your Tv hardware doesnt support H.265 im sorry you cannot play it. I hve given the cnet article link. They asked you to look for H.265 when you buy 4K tvs. Please read the article