TF1 chooses Harmonic for live UHD sports delivery

TF1 Chooses Harmonic for Live UHD Delivery of Major Sports Events

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video delivery technology and services, today announced that TF1, a leading French TV channel, has deployed an Ultra HD (UHD) contribution and distribution solution from Harmonic to broadcast live sports events, including the world’s largest soccer tournament and a premiere motor racing championship. Using Harmonic’s platform, TF1 can deliver live UHD coverage of premium sports competitions directly to French service providers, providing exceptional video quality at low bitrates.

“We are gearing up to deliver one of the first live UHD transmissions via IPTV, a feat that can only be accomplished by partnering with a trusted technology provider,” said Hervé Pavard, CTO at TF1. “Harmonic delivers the best video quality we’ve seen at maximum bandwidth efficiency, and we look forward to showing viewers how incredibly immersive sports events can be when experienced in UHD. We’re especially excited that Harmonic’s contribution and distribution solution supports HDR and expect to use it in the future to further enhance our live sports feeds.”

Harmonic’s ViBE® CP9000 HD/UHD contribution solution preserves video quality at the front of the broadcast chain, with the ability to process uncompressed UHD signals which are eight-times more bandwidth-consuming than current HD sources, and creates pristine compressed video which saves TF1 tremendous bandwidth capacity.

“To be effective, UHD video quality must be preserved throughout the entire workflow, from the contribution phase to the consumer’s display,” said Ian Graham, senior vice president of sales, EMEA and LATAM, at Harmonic. “Our UHD platform is designed to maintain sharpness and image quality during the entire production and delivery process.”