Thomson to demo live UHD signal

Thomson Video Networks will demonstrate encoding of a live UHD TV signal to distribute high-dynamic-range (HDR) content at IBC 2015 on its ViBE 4K platform. ViBE 4K enables media enterprises to leverage high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) to provide live compression of UHD sources at up to 60 frames per second and in 10-bit colour. ViBE 4K with HDR support will be commercially available in early 2016, according to Thomson.

In the HDR demonstration at IBC2015, ViBE 4K will take a UHD HDR signal from a SMPTE 2084-compliant broadcast feed and encode it to provide a standard UHD HEVC Main10 compressed stream with specific HDR information. The stream can then be decoded using any HEVC Main10-compliant decoder.

“In order to launch successful UHD services, broadcasters need to effectively leverage all emerging technologies and standards at their disposal. By significantly enhancing high-luminance content like sparkling metal and glittering lights, HDR takes the UHD TV viewing experience to new levels. In fact, both the European Broadcasting Union and Japanese standards authorities will soon begin requiring HDR for UHD broadcasts, and the first HDR-compatible TV sets are already on the market. By adding HDR support for live content to our ViBE 4K, we have accomplished another industry first — an encoding solution that enables broadcasters to address both HDR decoders and nonHDR TV sets in a single stream, with minimal overhead for the HDR metadata,” said Eric Gallier, vice president of marketing, Thomson Video Networks.

“ViBE 4K is perfect for forward-thinking broadcasters that are already expanding their infrastructures to provide a premium viewing experience to their customers, and HDR support will take these broadcasters one step closer to delivering a truly immersive live UHD experience. ViBE 4K is just the latest example of our commitment to provide the most future-proof compression solutions on the market for contribution and distribution, especially since HDR support might soon become mandatory for UHD TV delivery.”

Separately, Thomson Video Networks has struck a deal with HP to develop a next-generation video delivery infrastructure based on the ViBE VS7000 software integrated with an HP Moonshot system equipped with HP ProLiant m710 server cartridges.

The new, all-in-one solution combines the VS7000’s video transcoding with other applications, such as back-office and CDN, running on different m710 cartridges in a single Moonshot chassis. By providing application-dedicated, low-power cartridges instead of traditional servers, the Moonshot system aims to reduce the total cost of ownership, according to Thomson.

“HP has been an important collaborator for Thomson Video Networks’ software-based solutions since 1996, and we’ve been pleased to work with HP on Xeon-based servers like the DL360/380 stand-alone servers and C7000 blade centres. The ViBE VS7000 software running on Moonshot is a breakthrough showcase for our Intel Core i7 video transcoding technology. As HP’s next-generation data center platform, Moonshot brings together massive compute performance and low power consumption. Its application-driven cartridge approach promises to fundamentally change data center architectures,” said Stephane Cloirec, director of product management, Thomson Video Networks.

“The collaboration between Thomson and HP comes at a time when the media and entertainment industry has high demand for rich media content and more robust cloud and Internet-based services. These requirements call for disruptive innovation from industry leaders. The agreement enables us to provide an all-in-one video delivery system based on Moonshot to pave the way for HP’s next-generation video delivery infrastructure, allowing customers broadcast-grade video applications for the future,” said Paul Santeler, vice president and general manager, Moonshot Business Unit, HP.

Thomson Video Networks will exhibit at IBC on Stand 14.A10