Ericsson has been awarded one of the television industry’s highest honours, the NAB Technology Innovation Award, for its pioneering work in Ultra High Definition TV (UHDTV) 4K. The award was formally presented to the company at a gala ceremony on April 9, 2014, in the Paradise North Ballroom, Las Vegas Hotel by NAB President and CEO, Gordon Smith.
Ericsson has been a leading light in the development of ‘true’ 4K UHDTV and has been responsible for a number of high profile 4K UHDTV landmarks over the past two years, undertaking over twenty five live trials with major industry partners, such as BT Sports, Korea Telecom Skylife, Intelsat, Measat, and Sky Sports.
Through its annual ConsumerLab research, Ericsson recognised that consumers increasingly expect and demand the highest quality services, which provide truly immersive viewing experiences. Ericsson’s 4K UHDTV content exchange solution was specifically developed to enable the transition of the living room experience towards cinematic quality and to transform the way consumers watch content.
Gordon Smith, president and CEO of NAB says: “This prestigious NAB Innovation Award marks the importance of UHDTV and shows TV service providers that now is the time to start building the necessary ecosystems and libraries of compelling UHDTV content.
“Ericsson has been instrumental in pushing forward this next evolutionary step in television broadcasting quality. Its technology and expertise has played an integral role in enabling trials across the globe such as the world’s first live full multi-camera 4K UHDTV sports production and delivery.”
Consumer demand for “true” 4K UHDTV quality is expected to increase drastically in 2014 with the onset of a number of very high profile sporting events. Ericsson’s continued involvement in the delivery of these events will be critical in driving the further promotion of the technology’s profile, and eventual adoption in the home.
Dr Giles Wilson, head of TV Compression, Ericsson, says: “4K UHDTV technology has been the pre-eminent topic of interest at NAB 2014 as innovative service providers look to deliver a new, stunning dimension to the viewing experience ahead of a number of major events this year.
“As the industry readies itself for the roll-out of commercial 4K UHDTV services, we have had very strong customer demand for our ‘true’ 4K UHDTV solutions. Winning this award is the icing on the cake of a very successful NAB and represents an extraordinary achievement for the Ericsson compression team. It is yet another testament to our leadership and heritage in a market where we have been innovators for more than two decades.”
At NAB 2014, Ericsson provided demonstrations of its live, real-time ‘true’ 4K UHDTV video content exchange solution. The demonstration, in co-operation with industry partners BT, Intelsat, Newtec and Sony, included daily live broadcasts from London in p60, 4:2:2, 10-bit resolution, showcasing Ericsson’s end-to-end 4K UHD ecosystem from acquisition to delivery.
