Simplay Labs announces certification program for transmission of 4K Ultra HD content

Simplay Labs Announces PrimePass™ Certification Program for Transmission of Premium 4K Ultra HD Content

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. — Simplay™ Labs, LLC, the leading provider of standards compliance and interoperability testing services for consumer electronics (CE) and mobile devices, today announced it has created the industry’s first program to certify devices that transmit or receive premium 4K Ultra HD (UHD) content. The PrimePass™ certification program will incorporate a logo that allows consumers to easily identify PrimePass-certified devices. Membership in the program is open to all device manufacturers and also to content distributors who wish to identify PrimePass-ready content.

“Simplay Labs developed the PrimePass certification and logo program with the consumer in mind. Our goal is to assist manufacturers and retailers to provide the best in-home, premium content experience for their customers,” said Solomon Langley, general manager of Simplay Labs.

With four times the clarity of 1080p/60 full HD video resolution, 4K UHD is ready to deliver the ultimate home theater experience. However, consumers currently lack a means to identify devices that have the right set of capabilities to access premium content. The PrimePass logo reassures consumers that the products they purchase are ready for premium 4K UHD content. In addition, the program also opens up the possibility of new business models in the delivery of premium entertainment, such as early access to movie releases, and live sports and music events.

”We want consumers to know that they can have the ultimate immersive experience when using a Samsung UHD TV in their living room,” said John Ryu, vice president at Samsung Electronics. “The PrimePass certification gives consumers the confidence they need as they get ready to move up to and start enjoying the life-like detail and picture quality of this next-generation TV technology.”

The PrimePass certification program will verify the transmission of premium content using proven industry standards for content delivery over wired interfaces such as HDMI® and MHL®, in addition to link protection such as HDCP. Submitted devices are subjected to a broad range of tests for 4K video, multi-channel audio, HDCP 2.2 link protection support as well as enhanced interoperability testing. PrimePass certification will initially be available for products with HDMI and MHL interfaces. Support for other interface standards will be announced as it becomes available. The first PrimePass-certified products are expected to be available at retail during the first quarter of 2014.

”Futuresource is forecasting strong growth for the UHD TV market, based on a simple and compelling value proposition for consumers. We predict an installed base of 46 million 4K UHD TVs globally by the end of 2017,” said Sarah Carroll, director at Futuresource Consulting. ”However, we recognize the risk of confusion regarding the capabilities of different devices and we believe that initiatives like the PrimePass program can be useful tools to simplify consumer choice.”