Ahead of a launch with a large North American cable operator, Deluxe announced today that it has added key 4K features and capabilities to its cloud-based content supply and video-on-demand (VOD) management platform.
New 4K features for Deluxe OnDemand include digital re-mastering using High Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC) or H.265, and Higher Dynamic Range (HDR) displays, such as Dolby Vision.
While Deluxe has worked on the digital re-mastering side of 4K with the likes of Samsung and LG Electronics, Todd Collart, general manager of Deluxe Digital Distribution, said the company has now built an entire on demand 4K ecosystem for service providers
“For this cable opportunity, we’re working on providing the end-to-end solution to deliver the 4K experience to this customer’s consumers,” Collart said of the upcoming cable operator deployment. “We’re not only doing the mastering, like we’re doing for DirecTV, but also the encoding of the content into a set of flavors for the devices, the packaging of that 4K content for the appropriate DRM and it also includes the delivery of a network to stream at a higher bit rate for consumers.
“We’re like a general 4K contractor for this space, except for instead of using subcontractors we’ve done all of this internally.”
Collart said the new features help service provider launch 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) services faster and without the need for additional infrastructure investment or workflow costs.
Deluxe previously announced 4K UHD content processing, management and distribution deals with Samsung and LG Electronics, which Collart said helped Deluxe come up with its turnkey 4K platform for cable operators.
“Something that I’ll add is that cable and telco service providers have a unique advantage in that they have their own delivery networks to guarantee a quality of service to their consumers that others, like Netflix, don’t have,” Collart said. “That’s a unique advantage given the size of those 4K files.”
Collart said that the 4K TV industry has reached a tipping point now that manufacturers are close to reaching the $1,000 price tag for 4K sets.
“This isn’t like the 3D; it’s more like the transition from SD to HD,” he said. “With the price points and penetration, and more content becoming available, next year is going to be big.”