BT and Ericsson to demo live HEVC 4K broadcast

BT Media and Broadcast (BT M&B) and BT Sport are due to make their first live demo of a high efficiency video coding (HEVC) contribution link used in the delivery of 4K ultra-high definition TV at IBC.

The single-slice HEVC link will be used to broadcast live rugby matches on BT Sport in 4K ultra HD during round two of the AVIVA Premiership.

The broadcast will be delivered using BT’s new links truck, while Ericsson’s new encoding/decoding technology supports HEVC and removes the need for complex AVC quadrant based UHDTV contribution – a technique Ericsson says offers TV service providers savings of up to 40% on bandwidth usage.

BT M&B will deliver the signal to Ericsson’s playout centre in Hilversum, Netherlands, and Ericsson will broadcast the rugby matches live to Ericsson’s and BT M&B’s booths at IBC 2016.

“Ericsson and BT have a proud history of working together to push boundaries in immersive TV, and this latest 4K HEVC project highlights our focus on delivering new and improved services to today’s demanding consumers,” says Elisabetta Romano, vice president and head of TV and media, Ericsson.

Mark Wilson-Dunn, vice-president at BT M&B, said: “We’re delighted to be using Ericsson’s state of the art encoding/decoding equipment for our 4K broadcast at IBC. The combination of the new equipment with our new UHD links truck will deliver unbeatable high-quality sports footage to viewers at this year’s event.”

Ericsson is exhibiting at IBC on stand 1.D61. BT M&B can be found at stand O.C01