Video Age International October 2015

28 October 2015 V I D E O A G E T elevision production in 4K resolution is now all the rage among production companies, even if broadcasters and cablecasters tend to ignore it. 4K refers to a horizontal resolution of more than 4,000 pixels (a pixel is the smallest element on a display) and it’s slightly different from Ultra-High Definition Television, which has a horizontal resolution of 3,840 pixels. In comparison, 4K has four times the resolution of the traditional High Definition Television (HDTV), which is measured as 1,080 p vertical dimension (“p” stands for “progressive” scan). While the HDTV 1,080 resolution is named for the TV screen’s height, 4K is named for image width. If 4K were to be equated with HDTV, then 4K would be equivalent to 2,160 p. On the other hand, 8K has a horizontal resolution of 8,000 pixels. But, enoughwith “technicalities.” Let’s continue with more interesting “practicalities.” The “quad” (or four, in common parlance) problems with 4K are: 1) Little availability of 4K programs. 2) Questionable Optimum viewing distance from 4K TV sets. 3) Broadcasters and cablecasters’ reluctance to transmit in 4K. 4)Theemergenceof enhanced4Ktechnology. Now, these problems are not as severe as the fading 3D technology fad, but are of concern to the international TV industry. Even though 4K cameras have existed since 2003 and some 4K TV transmission started in 2014, production companies with an eye to the future only began producing 4K TV series in 2013, but they had to downgrade the resolution to HDTV for domestic and international program sales. However, current 4K production in the U.S. (which drives the international TV program market) is mostly confined to HBO, Netflix, Amazon, UltraFlix and YouTube, with the quantity of available programming very limited. In addition, Philip Laven, chairman of the EBU’s DVB Project, wrote in the April 2015 issue of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting that content makers shouldn’t rush to produce in “basic” 4K, but instead should wait for “enhanced” 4K. Otherwise, in the future, they will have to invest in converting to enhanced 4K. It is acknowledged that on a television screen, 4K offers a striking depth of field, giving the impression that a viewer is watching a 3D program without the special glasses. However, on a 40-inch TV screen, the full benefit of 4K is shown when viewers are at a distance of just 0.762 meters, while the full benefit for HDTV on the same screen is manifested at 1.524 meters. This means that at a distance of some 1.5 meters, viewers don’t perceive any difference between 4K and HDTV. Basically, the optimum viewing distance for HDTV is 3H (where H is the vertical height of the screen), while for 4K it is 1.5H. But coming soon to 4K’s aid is a technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range), which combines three images: One with normal lighting, one with underexposure and one with overexposure, to give more contrast to an image.  However, beyond production companies and digital video outlets like Netflix and Amazon, there is little enthusiasm for 4K. Even the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has no plans to cover the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games in 4K. The IOC takes its cues from its major broadcasting clients, many of whom have no plans to transmit in 4K, even though 4K services are technically feasible. The problem here is that 4K requires more bandwidth than HDTV. MSOs and satellite TV operators are reluctant to give broadcasters extra space on their cable and satellite systems for their Mux channels (indeed, often broadcasters have to choose between one HDTV channel or two extra digital channels) and barely tolerate cable TV networks’ HDTV channels. In addition, broadcast and cable TV networks are not jumping onto the 4K bandwagon in order to avoid jeopardizing their retrans and per-sub fees. New Higher TV Resolution Promises Better Picture With a Few Caveats The 4K “Quad”mire The Value of Shooting in 4K By Ricardo Medina* A year ago, when we decided to buy five 4K cameras to shoot one of our documentaries and factual series in UHD, most of the people in our [Spain-based] team had plenty of doubts about doing it. Today, everyone in our company agrees that this was the right decision — a visionary and risky decision, but nevertheless the right one. In less than a year, after hundreds of hours of work, we have produced 26 hours of 4K content ready for broadcast. Today we have a small but splendid 4K library that will be a valuable asset for years to come, even though many countries are still years away from starting to broadcast in UHD. We envision that this experience will allow us to position ourselves as valuable partners in the development of international co- production projects, which is something that we are eagerly interested in. Fromour experience, Spanishpublicbroadcasters, thoughnot broadcasting in UHD, are currently securing these broadcast rights for the future. No one can exactly predict when UHD broadcasts will happen in Europe or in the U.S., but for pay-TV the situation is very different. Asian manufacturers are flooding the market with more affordable 4K TV sets and the consumers are responding. As with HD, consumers will demand more quality from content. The new driving force of this “4K train” will not be the Olympic Games [but] will no doubt be the Football Leagues and the Champion League. These leagues have tens of millions of followers from all continents eager to pay and watch matches played by Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich to name a few. It is football and its frenetic calendar that will boost 4K. In the not-so-distant future we will be able to enjoy 4K programs from our homes through pay-TV. Figuring out how you actually get these programs (be it through cable, satellite, Internet, phones, tablets, etc.) is just a matter of time. At the most recent MIP-TV, a high-level executive from a leading European broadcaster admitted his disappointment in recognizing that millions of hours of primetime programs produced in analog format (and recently in SD) were now worthless in the international market. Not a single broadcaster or platformhad shown interest. Unfortunately, what they once thought was a gold mine turned out to be of zero value. *Ricardo Medina is CEO of Seville, Spain-based Medina Media