EBU moves forward with UHDTV

The EBU’s BeyondHD group met in Geneva last week to discuss codecs, image formats and higher frame rates for UHDTV.

EBU members joined with Japanese broadcaster and UHDTV pioneer NHK, pay TV broadcaster BSkyB and TV manufacturers Sony and Panasonic to discuss technology issues related to Ultra HD ahead of an expected push by the consumer electronics industry to market display devices next year.

The EBU is looking at UHD-1 – meaning four times the resolution of current HD – together with higher frame rates, and in particular whether multiples of 50Hz are still required in the future UHDTV standard, which currently does not include 100Hz, but does include 120Hz. The body is also looking at defining tests, in collaboration with bodies including SMPTE, ITU and HDMI, for new studio codecs and the HEVC codec for distribution to the home.