Ultra HD - A new world of content

Delivering world-class content isn’t of much value if your consumers can’t experience it in the best way possible. That’s why Ultra HD is the premier solution for broadcaster and consumers alike. Ultra HD delivers the best video experience for your customers. 

At SES we have been working with Ultra HD since 2013 when we released our first Ultra HD demo broadcast via our prime European orbital position 19.2°E. In September 2015 we launched the first global Ultra HD channel, Fashion One 4k. By the beginning of 2017, we were broadcasting over 30 UHD channels all over the world with operators like Sky UK, Sky Deutschland and Viasat. In 2018 we broadcasted some of the worlds biggest sports events in Ultra HD including the Winter Olympics, Formula 1 races and the FIFA World Cup. 

There are many reasons Ultra HD is the best way to experience premier content. Primarily the benefits come in the form of better resolution, more colours,  higher dynamic range and higher frame rate. 

More pixels equals more detail
In comparison to HD, Ultra HD utilises 4x more pixels, 3840 x 2160 instead of 1920 x 1080. The higher pixel density makes the experience of watching your content clearer, sharper and with more texture. Watching the Champions League final in Ultra HD is a much more immersive experience when you are able to see each individual blade of grass or pearls of sweat on the forehead of the player just about to perform the final penalty kick. 

See over a billion colours in Ultra HD 
Thanks to the all-new BT.2020-standard and 10-bit colour, increasing the amount of available shades of each primary colour from 256 to 1024,  Ultra HD is able to display over a billion colours. In the same way, as the added amount of pixels gives more detail to Ultra HD content, this amount of colours adds a lot of detail and nuance placing you right in the action of whatever content you might be watching. The implication of more colours is easily spotted when compared to regular HD.  

More contrast with HDR
High Dynamic Range, HDR, refers to Ultra HDs capabilities of presenting the differences between the lightest and darkest parts of your video content. HDR makes the light clearer and brings a better balance to the video content. This contributes to a more detailed and lifelike experience, especially when watching content with muddy or dark parts like rally or nature videos.  

More frames, more action
Broadcasts in Ultra HD enables higher frame rates for your content. With 100 frames per second (FPS) compared to the previous standard of 50 or 25 FPS you can expect your content to be perceived smoother, more lifelike and less blurry by your customers. The experience of higher frame rates is best experienced when watching fast-paced action like Formula 1 or other high-speed sports.

With Ultra HD growing every day, the amount of Ultra HD-ready homes is estimated to be 446 million by 2020, now is the time to get in on the best viewing experience you can deliver to your customers!