DirecTV is relying on Elemental Technologies for software based transcoding to help deliver 4K video starting next year. The satellite broadcaster is using Elemental Server, a file-based transcoding solution, to prepare Ultra HD content for delivery.
In mid-November, DirecTV became the first MVPD to announce plans to offer 4K content on demand, sometime in 2015.
DirecTV subscribers will need an appropriate 4K TV (thus far, the only examples on DirecTV’s list include models from Samsung) and a DirecTV Genie HD DVR. The service will require professional installation.
The company recently lofted a satellite that could be used for 4K video delivery.
DirecTV wanted to avoid increasing the amount of bandwidth required to deliver 4K video. Elemental said it spent months optimizing its HEVC compression algorithms to accomplish that. Keith Wymbs, chief marketing officer for Elemental said, “Because Elemental’s architecture is software-defined we were able to rapidly deliver new permutations of our software for testing.”
Elemental has been demonstrating the ability to deliver 10-bit 4K video, which among other things renders a richer color palette than 8-bit video. DirecTV will be taking advantage of this capability.
Wymbs also said Elemental has proved interoperability with multiple chipset, set top box, and TV vendors.
“We’ve worked closely with Samsung to ensure seamless interoperability with their latest 4K TVs,” Wymbs said. “This allowed DirecTV to launch a unique service without the need for a set top box upgrade. However, widespread interoperability beyond Samsung TV set gives 4K service providers like DirecTV with confidence that they can grow their delivery infrastructure over time.”
There is still a limited amount of content available in the 4K format, though it is rapidly accumulating, feeding a pipeline primed by Netflix and Sony, both of which have been streaming 4K video.
As of today, DirecTV has lined up only about two dozen titles, coming from Paramount and from K2 Communications.
DirecTV also vowed to subsequently start offering 4K linear channels, also sometime in 2015.
DirecTV subscribers would need an appropriate 4K TV (thus far, the only examples on DirecTV’s list include models from Samsung) and a DirecTV Genie HD DVR. The service will require professional installation.
