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AsiaSat and Rohde & Schwarz develop FTA UHD TV service for Asia

AsiaSat plans for an UHD TV broadcasting service over satellite have taken a major step forward with the imminent launch of its first channel following an extensive technical evaluation carried out at the AsiaSat UHD laboratory

asiasat-4__1AsiaSat and Rohde & Schwarz have partnered to advance next-generation Ultra-HD (UHD) TV technologies by implementing the first free to air (FTA) UHD channel on AsiaSat 4. The R&S AVHE100 encoding solution and R&S CLIPSTER mastering station are key components of the UHD broadcast platform that will launch an UHD channel at 122°E on AsiaSat 4 this month.

AsiaSat plans for an UHD TV broadcasting service over satellite have taken a major step forward with the imminent launch of its first channel following an extensive technical evaluation carried out at the AsiaSat UHD laboratory. Through AsiaSat 4’s high-power coverage, broadcasters and pay-tv platforms with an AsiaSat 4 C-band antenna in the Asia-Pacific region will be able to receive the UHD channel directly.

Operating at 122°E, AsiaSat 4 provides leading edge satellite solutions to clients for TV distribution, DTH as well as broadband services across the Asia-Pacific region. Its high power C-band footprint spans from New Zealand to Pakistan and part of the Middle East.

Rohde & Schwarz is providing a comprehensive broadcast solution that includes the R&S CLIPSTER mastering station for editing, handling and playing out UHD data in real time. In addition, the R&S AVHE100 headend will be used for live encoding using an HEVC encoder with 10 bit color depth. Rohde & Schwarz technology not only gives AsiaSat the best UHD TV picture quality, it also provides a future-proof solution.

“We are very excited to work with Rohde & Schwarz in this new and evolving technology that will drive future consumer viewing experience of video content. Rohde & Schwarz has shown exemplary commitment to quality and support in helping us through the evaluation phase. We look forward to launching our first UHD channel and promoting this new technology together,” said Sabrina Cubbon, Vice President, Marketing and Global Accounts.