Thakur
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MUMBAI: The era of India being a country that lags behind the more developed nations is gone.Indian DTH operators in the country are waking up,ancticipating future desires of Indian TV viewers. Which is why one of the oldest and
largest DTH operators Tata Sky, is keeping
itself and its subscribers up to date with the
introduction of its 4k Ultra HD service.
The first quarter of 2015 will see Tata Sky roll
out its set top boxes (STBs) for its 4k Ultra HD
service. The STBs are being made by
Technicolor and are based on the high
efficiency video coding (HEVC) format that 4k
uses the world over. However, prices of the
STB are not yet known as the DTH operator
wants to reveal it closer to the commercial
launch date.
At a demonstration event in Mumbai, Tata Sky
along with Sony Six unveiled the 4k UHD
service with a live uninterrupted broadcast of
the France versus Germany FIFA World Cup
2014 quarter final. The FIFA 4k signal rights
had been bought by Sony Six while the cost of
acquisition and transmission was split 50:50 by
the broadcaster and the operator. The telecast
took place live via satellite transmission.
Indiantelevision.com readers will note that
Videocon d2h had previewed its 4K service on
3 July 2014 too, a day before Tata Sky..
Even though most industry professionals claim
that it is too early to launch 4k Ultra HD in
India, Tata Sky chief commercial officer
Vikram Mehra feels otherwise. “When we
launched HD in 2010, people doubted us
saying it won’t work. As you keep enhancing TV
experience, the viewer will appreciate it. So,
Ultra HD is our endeavour in that area. A
technology becomes popular when mainline
pay-TV adopts it.”
Mehra feels that movies and sports will be the
initial drivers for 4k technology and talks with
broadcasters have already commenced. In
three to four years, he expects it to be the way
of life for most Indians TV viewers. Even
though currently there is a lack of 4k content,
he feels that it isn’t too far away. “We will
make a product that makes sense to the
customer. Customers will not buy STBs to
adorn their homes. They will buy it for
content,” he says.
Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan feels
that more sporting events should be produced
in 4k soon, probably in the next year or so.
“4K is the future of broadcasting, specially
sports. We saw technology move from SD to
HD and now HD has become standard. 4k is
next,” he says. Krishnan is aware that a full-
fledged 4k channel can’t be expected very
soon. Big sporting events will have 4k
production on crucial days such as the finals,
while the run up matches will be in HD and SD.
The 4k screening of the FIFA World Cup 2014
quarter finals that took place in Mumbai
yesterday, 4 July saw the Sony Six logo being
superimposed on the FIFA feed on an 84 inch
Sony television set that is soon to be launched
in India and across the world. 4k screens give
four times the clarity as compared to an HD
feed.
Mehra was not willing to venture any
guesstimates about how much uptake the Tata
Sky 4k service will have when it launches next
year as he feels making futuristic statements is
of no use. However, the fact that the DTH
operator is confident about its prospects is
clear from the contract that it has signed with
Technicolor, according to which deliveries of
4K set top boxes in "volume" are expected to
commence in early 2015. First look: Tata Sky announces 4K set-top box with the first ever 4K live broadcast in India Tech2 Mobile
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