The world’s first end-to-end 4K broadcast using the next-generation ATSC 3.0 standard has been transmitted, according to the companies involved in the project.
Developed as a global standard by the Advanced Television Systems Committee, ATSC 3.0 is the world’s first IP-based broadcast system.
The broadcast was a joint project of LG, Korean broadcasters SBS and MBC, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) of Korea, conditional access firm DigiCAP, of Korea, French broadcast equipment supplier TeamCast, and US-based software supplier Media Excel.
The test broadcast featured a live camera feed with real-time IP transmissions from the SBS network studio in Mokdong to the broadcaster’s Gwanak Mountain transmitter. The IP signals transmitted over the air on Channel 53 were then received using a simple antenna and decoded by a 4K Ultra HD TV ATSC 3.0 receiver developed by LG.
Dr. Young-Soo Park, technical director at SBS, said, “The success of this trial highlights the potential for Korea’s launch of terrestrial UHD TV commercial services using ATSC 3.0 in February 2017.
“The fact that Korean companies are playing such an important role in ATSC 3.0 provides a good opportunity for Korean equipment manufacturers to advance in the US market.”
Signals in the Korean broadcast were delivered with next-generation IP technologies based on the DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) streaming media format and ROUTE (Real-Time Object Delivery Over Unidirectional Transport) IP delivery protocol.
