SES S.A. announced that it hosted a conference in London to discuss the current state and future of Ultra High Definition (Ultra HD) technology and its market.
For more information visit: www.ses.com
Unedited press release follows:
SES Brings Together Experts of the Ultra HD Ecosystem
LUXEMBOURG — On February 12 SES S.A. (NYSE Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) hosted a conference on Ultra High Definition (UHD) in London. With a gathering of expert guest speakers, the event’s objective was to exchange views and debate on the current place of UHD in the media industry and its future. This event was also an opportunity for SES to demonstrate a live broadcast of its UHD channel, recently launched at 28.2E.
Andrew Neil, an influential journalist and broadcaster, opened the conference with a statement that the launch of UHD could be compared to the switch to colour TV in the 1960s. “The advent of UHD is a significant milestone in broadcast history,” he added.
Richard Lindsay-Davies, CEO of DTG, said that his organisation’s main focus was on implementation and collaboration in technical matters and that such collaboration is the key to success. Questioned on whether consumers should buy today’s UHD devices or wait for more defined standards to emerge, he was emphatic, saying, “Go and buy!”
While on the one hand, sales of UHD screens are expected to increase to two million by 2017, and the range of UHD devices is already widening – 75 models will be offered in 2015, on the other hand price erosion is also foreseen.
But the UHD screens are not the only element to consider in the debate. Dr. Giles Wilson, Head of TV Compression at Ericsson, explained that TV’s next evolution would be the truly immersive consumer experience: “UHD needs to be a compelling user experience, taking them from watching a box to being within the scene.” However, he cautioned that: “There is still work to be done to define a goal and the key steps for a commercial offering – including standardisation and production equipment.”
Two speakers from the production industry, Peter Sykes, Sony Professional’s Strategic Technology Manager, and Ruth Sessions, Director of Operations at Atlantic Productions, explained that UHD is now a key factor to consider for each content production. Sony Pictures and Sony Pictures Television currently have about 170 UHD productions, including Masters of Sex, The Blacklist, and Breaking Bad series. Atlantic productions indicated that they had been working with Sky in UHD and 3D productions for three years.
Thomas Wrede, VP Reception Systems at SES, closed the event by stating that SES was very aware that the pace of innovation in UHD was challenging. He noted that the broadcasters who have undertaken live tests have gone through a dramatic learning curve, but confirmed that they – and SES – were increasingly ready to start UHD transmissions. “UHD is here to stay,” he concluded.
About SES
SES is the world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.
SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.
SES (NYSE Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.