Astro launches first 4K UHD broadcast in Malaysia

Astro achieved a historic milestone today with the launch of Malaysia’s first live 4K UHD broadcast. The media company showcased live Premier League (PL) games; Liverpool vs West Ham and Arsenal vs Man City in the country’s first 4K UHD broadcast for football fans at its partner food & beverage (F&B) outlet, Souled Out this evening.

Lee Choong Khay, Chief of Sports at Astro said, “At Astro, we are committed to provide a better viewing experience for sports fans in Malaysia. As such, we will embrace the latest technology, 4K UHD to enhance our customers’ viewing experience. Today we are pleased to partner with Sharp and Samsung to provide Premier League fans with the first live match in 4K UHD broadcast in Malaysia. Besides Premier League, we will also bring Formula One racing events and blockbuster movies in 4K UHD to offer our customers’ a premium viewing experience.”

Robert Wu, Managing Director of Sharp Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd said, “We are delighted to partner Astro in delivering high quality 4K UHD broadcast to Malaysians. Our flagship AQUOS 4K UHD Android TV series features Real Contrast, Real Detail and Real Colour technologies that bring sensational close-to-reality picture quality. Combined that with its Eilex Prism sound system, football fans practically don’t even need to leave the comfort of their living room to feel like they are in stadium cheering for their favourite team! Malaysian football fans will truly be in for an exciting Premier League season ahead.”

Yoonsoo Kim, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics said, “Samsung is proud to be working with Astro to introduce a next-level viewing experience with our 4K and Super Large Screen TVs offering the latest 4K UHD broadcast to Malaysians and football fans. We aim to deliver the best immersive experience for football fans, to see nothing else but pure entertainment for the eyes, and enjoy every minute and every second, as if they were really there. With supersized screens, extraordinary picture quality and sound optimised for the game, 2018 QLED TVs are ideal for watching live football and sporting events.”

Cassie Wong, Head of Marketing of Souled Out said, “Souled Out has always been synonymous with sports and it is an honour that we get to host the first live 4K UHD broadcast of Premier League. Our customers who are avid sports fan will certainly look forward to more live sports events in 4K UHD.”

Mohd Sulaiman, an avid Liverpool fan said, “As a hardcore Liverpool fan in Malaysia, experiencing the Liverpool match earlier in 4K UHD was magnificent. I was so immersed in the game, it felt even better than watching the game live from the stadium!”

4 times more clarity than HD, brilliant view, and stunning details

4K UHD takes your viewing experience to the next level and offers stunning definition colour television experience and 4X more clarity. With 4K UHD, viewers will experience the most vibrant colour television experience possible, 4 times the resolution of HDTV including sharper detail, smoother lines and a richer colour palette. The roll-out of the 4K UHD will coincide with the start of the 2018/19 Premier League, with Astro planning to broadcast selected live matches in the 8 million pixel packed stunning format. The detail is so rich that you might even see the bead of sweat trickling down the player’s forehead.

The 4K UHD broadcast of Premier League is a preview of Astro’s plans to unveil its 4K UHD set top box later this year. Astro which has been investing in infrastructure to enhance the viewing experience with 4K UHD broadcast, will progressively roll out 4K UHD service in dedicated channels, a brand-new software and programme guide to make content discovery easy and intuitive as well as other innovative product features later in the year.