SES Launches 24/7 Satellite Ultra HD Test Channel with High Dynamic Range Content

SES S.A. announced today at its annual Industry Days event the launch of a 24/7 Ultra HD test channel for transmitting High Dynamic Range (HDR) content.

For the ninth edition of this event, SES, together with industry partners, will present and demonstrate several technologies for enhancing the quality of Ultra HD television with High Dynamic Range. This feature will be key for next generation Ultra HD picture quality, as HDR provides much higher contrast and offers a more realistic viewing experience.

Delegates of the event will be able to witness HDR implementations such as HDR 10, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log Gamma and the Technicolor/Philips solution on state-of-the-art flat screens of major manufacturers.

As the broadcasting industry is in discussions to establish a standard for HDR transmission, the goal of SES’s HDR demo channel is to allow industry partners to test the various technology candidates. At the moment the channel carries Ultra HD content provided by LG Electronics, with a backwards compatible HDR technology called Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG). HLG HDR content will be demoed on LG’s E6 4K OLED TV.

Thomas Wrede, VP Reception Systems at SES commented, “High Dynamic Range will be a major improvement for satellite delivered Ultra HD television. As industry and operators now face the challenge of standardising and implementing a plethora of technology candidates, we intend to support the process with our test channel. At the same time, we have started to implement relevant HDR technology at our Munich playout facility.”