Europe’s first free-to-air UHD channel to go live at IFA

SES Platform Services launches pearl.tv UHD via satellite and internet stream

BERLIN/UNTERFÖHRING — The shopping channel pearl.tv will start broadcasting in Ultra High Definition (UHD) via satellite and the internet to coincide with the IFA (“Internationale Funkausstellung”), held in Berlin in September.

For its entrance into the UHD era, via Astra’s prime European orbital position at 19.2 degrees East, Europe’s first free-to-air UHD channel will rely on the expertise of SES Platform Services GmbH, one of Europe’s leading technical media service providers. SES Platform Services will provide the HEVC encoding of the UHD live signal, as well as the uplink to the Astra satellites. Furthermore, SES Platform Services will prepare the TV signal and the internet stream, and manage the Content Delivery Network (CDN) supplying the stream.

Sophie Lersch, Chief Product Officer for Services at SES Platform Services, said: “We’re delighted to be launching Europe’s first free-to-air UHD channel both via satellite and the internet. UHD places specific demands on workflows in the content management, playout and encoding sectors, an area in which we’ve gained a lot of know-how over the past few years. As a result, we can now offer all services that broadcasters and content providers need in order to market and distribute their content in UHD – linear or on-demand, and via satellite or the internet.”

Dr. Michael Sichler, Managing Director of Enstyle GmbH, added: “With the launch of pearl.tv UHD, we’re seeking to raise the quality of our product worlds to a whole new level. SES Platform Services GmbH is the ideal partner for the preparation and playout of our TV signal, as it provides us with top-quality UHD services and maximum transmission security.”

Following numerous and extensive live tests, SES Platform Services has developed into one of Europe’s leaders for the launch of Ultra HD projects. Since 2013, the company has been overseeing UHD tests and showcase transmissions for Sky Deutschland, including the first-ever live broadcast of a football game based on the newly-introduced HEVC compression standard in April 2014.

The live UHD broadcast of the Linkin Park concert in November 2014, in cooperation with Samsung, was another world first, which SES Platform Services encoded and uplinked to the satellite.

In addition to its own service portfolio in the UHD sector, the company has a comprehensive network and works together with a host of renowned partners, including MTI Teleport München (signal supply), Rhode & Schwarz and the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institut (HEVC encoding).

Reception of pearl.tv UHD 4K via Astra 19.2 degrees East

Transponder: 1.097
Frequency: 12.344 MHz (Horizontal)
Symbol-rate: 30.000
FEC: 2/3, Pilots ON
Video: 2160 50p, HEVC Main 10