Eutelsat launches Europe’s first dedicated Ultra HD (4K) channel

Further proof that the Ultra HD (4K) movement is gathering pace comes with the news that Eutelsat has just launched a dedicated demonstration Ultra HD channel for Europe on the EUTELSAT 10A satellite. The first transmissions of content filmed in 4K have already begun.

The new channel will delivering a native resolution of 3840x2160 pixels at 50 frames per second, in progressive mode. It will be encoded in MPEG-4 and transmitted at 40 Mbit/s in four Quad HD streams. Eutelsat is partnering with ATEME, a video compression solution provider to the broadcast industry, for the transmissions that will be uplinked to the EUTELSAT 10A satellite from its teleport in Rambouillet, near Paris.

“This new step towards 4K continues Eutelsat’s longstanding commitment to achieving new broadcast milestones that over the last 20 years have included digital TV, HDTV and 3D,” said Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet, Eutelsat’s Commercial Director. “Early and close collaboration between all players in the broadcast chain will be a key success factor for this new revolution. This is the first Ultra HD platform for Europe.”