Dinesh jain
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Cricket fans in India will be able to
watch the cricket World Cup in ultra high-
definition (UHD) or 4K resolution as two direct-
to-home (DTH) operators, Videocon d2h and Tata
Sky, have launched their 4K set-top boxes
(STBs) ahead of the tourney.
In July last year, both Videocon d2h and Tata
Sky had announced their plans to launch the 4K
service this year.
Videocon d2h 4K STB will be available for Rs
6,590 and Rs 5,990 for existing customers. Tata
Sky has priced new connection at Rs 6,400, while
existing subscribers can avail the box at Rs
5,900. Both players have started pre-booking.
Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera told that the company has
launched the service and the delivery will be
within two weeks. “We have already got bookings
for over 1,000 4K STBs,” Khera said.
Tata Sky, meanwhile, said in a statement that
subscribers can enjoy it as their first connection
or an additional STB at home with the Tata Sky
MultiTV connection option. “The 4k STBs can be
pre-booked through the Tata Sky 24X7 helpline,
Tata Sky website and dealers,” the company
said.
Incidentally, with not much content available in
4K, the DTH operators will have to depend on
sporting events, as and when they are available
in 4K and whenever new channels launch.
However, as DTH players always have satellite
capacity crunch, they will have another issue of
bandwidth.
In simple terms, a UHD TV delivers four times
the detail of a full-HD quality picture or video.
That is equivalent of eight million pixels
compared to two million pixels in the HD format.
The image gets far better in clarity with much
greater texture and an almost photographic
emulsion of smoothness. This all without the
grid-like small boxes, even if a viewer is seeing
the broadcast on a large screen. In fact, the
minimum screen size to enjoy a UHD broadcast
is 50 inches, which is why most UHD TVs
available in the market are 50 inches plus.
While the compression technology will work on
high efficiency video compression (HEVC), which
is 50 per cent more efficient than the MPEG-4
technology that most DTH players use currently,
one channel will still occupy space equivalent to
two HD channels or eight SD channels.
Both Tata Sky and Videocon d2h are not
planning to charge anything extra from
subscribers for the World Cup, and Videocon d2h
is also looking at offering more content. “We are
planning to offer more 4K content other than just
the World Cup. We are working on monthly
subscription,” added Khera.
In an earlier interaction, Khera had said that till
broadcasters started producing content in 4K,
Videocon d2h would have one channel in 4K UHD
On a large scale, the Fifa World Cup in Brazil last
year was the first to be shot entirely in UHD by
Sony. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
had broadcast matches of the Fifa World Cup to
audiences in North America, Latin America,
Europe and Asia in UHD via SES’ NSS-7 and
SES-6 satellites.
As per a report from NSR, a global leader in
providing satellite industry market research and
consulting services, there will be over 820 UHD
channels across the world by 2025.
Videocon d2h, Tata Sky launch 4K ahead of cricket World Cup | TelevisionPost.com
watch the cricket World Cup in ultra high-
definition (UHD) or 4K resolution as two direct-
to-home (DTH) operators, Videocon d2h and Tata
Sky, have launched their 4K set-top boxes
(STBs) ahead of the tourney.
In July last year, both Videocon d2h and Tata
Sky had announced their plans to launch the 4K
service this year.
Videocon d2h 4K STB will be available for Rs
6,590 and Rs 5,990 for existing customers. Tata
Sky has priced new connection at Rs 6,400, while
existing subscribers can avail the box at Rs
5,900. Both players have started pre-booking.
Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera told that the company has
launched the service and the delivery will be
within two weeks. “We have already got bookings
for over 1,000 4K STBs,” Khera said.
Tata Sky, meanwhile, said in a statement that
subscribers can enjoy it as their first connection
or an additional STB at home with the Tata Sky
MultiTV connection option. “The 4k STBs can be
pre-booked through the Tata Sky 24X7 helpline,
Tata Sky website and dealers,” the company
said.
Incidentally, with not much content available in
4K, the DTH operators will have to depend on
sporting events, as and when they are available
in 4K and whenever new channels launch.
However, as DTH players always have satellite
capacity crunch, they will have another issue of
bandwidth.
In simple terms, a UHD TV delivers four times
the detail of a full-HD quality picture or video.
That is equivalent of eight million pixels
compared to two million pixels in the HD format.
The image gets far better in clarity with much
greater texture and an almost photographic
emulsion of smoothness. This all without the
grid-like small boxes, even if a viewer is seeing
the broadcast on a large screen. In fact, the
minimum screen size to enjoy a UHD broadcast
is 50 inches, which is why most UHD TVs
available in the market are 50 inches plus.
While the compression technology will work on
high efficiency video compression (HEVC), which
is 50 per cent more efficient than the MPEG-4
technology that most DTH players use currently,
one channel will still occupy space equivalent to
two HD channels or eight SD channels.
Both Tata Sky and Videocon d2h are not
planning to charge anything extra from
subscribers for the World Cup, and Videocon d2h
is also looking at offering more content. “We are
planning to offer more 4K content other than just
the World Cup. We are working on monthly
subscription,” added Khera.
In an earlier interaction, Khera had said that till
broadcasters started producing content in 4K,
Videocon d2h would have one channel in 4K UHD
On a large scale, the Fifa World Cup in Brazil last
year was the first to be shot entirely in UHD by
Sony. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
had broadcast matches of the Fifa World Cup to
audiences in North America, Latin America,
Europe and Asia in UHD via SES’ NSS-7 and
SES-6 satellites.
As per a report from NSR, a global leader in
providing satellite industry market research and
consulting services, there will be over 820 UHD
channels across the world by 2025.
Videocon d2h, Tata Sky launch 4K ahead of cricket World Cup | TelevisionPost.com
