Ultra HD Forum Returns to NAB with More Demos, New Industry Initiatives, and Updated Guidelines

• seven Ultra HD technology demos spanning three themes in a booth sponsored by Ateme, LGE, Fairmile West, and CTOiC,
• a new version of industry guidelines V2.6,
• industry initiatives for HDR interoperability over ST 2110 and for broadcasters to better manage luminance issues across SDR and HDR,
• conference sessions on the reality of Ultra HD deployments in 2022 and the Ultra HD uptake of the recent Olympic games,
• an update to the Ultra HD Service Tracker.

The Themed Demos

The Ultra HD Form booth W6132 in West Hall shows seven+ demonstrations. The main contributors are Forum members Ateme, BBC R&D, Dolby, Fairmile West, Fraunhofer, Harmonic Inc, InterDigital, LGE, NBCU, and Ross Video.

Advances in Ultra HD Delivery

• Next-Gen Codecs in UHD HDR using both VVC and AV1
• Efficiency improvements through Dynamic Resolution Encoding for ATSC3.0
• Serial ADM for Next-Gen Audio

Progress in Ultra HD Production

• Addressing HDR color management and interoperability challenges
• Testbed demonstrating HD HDR over ST 2110

Improved consumption of Ultra HD content

• ATSC’s SDR Past, HDR Present, and UHD Future
• Consistent and Optimized Display Rendering of SDR on Consumer TVs

Industry Guidelines V2.6

The comprehensive V2.6, released at NAB 2022, includes a new annex on NGA Production workflow tools and real-world examples, updated to color accuracy in converting between SDR/HDR and HDR/SDR, and an update to Brazil’s next-generation broadcast technologies. The new version also includes essential information on single stream HDR/SDR workflows from NBCU and an improved definition of HDR. Many updates throughout the document include IP production technologies, terrestrial broadcasting of UHD, trials of NGA audio, etc.

The Guidelines v2.6 will be released during the 2022 NAB Show and available for download at ultrahdforum.org/guidelines/.

Industry initiatives

Among its multiple activities, the Forum will show some of the work in two ongoing initiatives around industry pain points:

• HDR Interoperability over IP – With the ultimate goal of supporting all the Ultra HD production technologies: HDR, WCG, NGA, and higher resolutions and frame rates, the Forum’s current SMPTE ST 2110 testbed implementation demonstrates HD HDR.
• HDR and SDR interoperability through SDR production and rendering techniques, including compensation for ambient light and peak display luminance.

Conference sessions and meetings

The Ultra HD Forum is running two conference sessions in W6428 in the Connect Experiential Zone on Wednesday, April 27, starting at 10:00 AM.

• The Ultra HD Uptake of the Olympic Games on Wednesday, April 27 at 10:00
• The Reality of Ultra HD deployments in 2022 on Wednesday, April 27, at 10:45

These sessions will be followed by a meeting reserved for members and prospective members.

Update to the Ultra HD Service Tracker

Covid-related lockdowns have slowed down the uptake of new services, but the Forum is pleased to note that new Ultra HD services are regularly being launched.

###

Regarding the Ultra HD Forum

Formed in 2015, the Ultra HD Forum is the global organization promoting market adoption of Ultra HD by defining industry best practices for layering core and enhancement technologies for the next-generation television experience. The organization facilitates interoperability testing and collaborates with industry standards bodies to align standard development activities. A list of member companies and additional information about the organization is available at ultrahdforum.org and by following @UltraHDForum on Twitter.

Media and Analyst Contact:

Marta Twardowska-Rienks for Ultra HD Forum

E: [email protected], M: +31 621184585

Please reach out to secure a briefing at the show with a personalized guide of the demos. Remote briefings are also available.