Eutelsat and SES prepare for 4K - Samsung and LG show OLED 4K Displays

posted:

08/09/2013

Eutelsat and Samsung used the giant IFA electronics show to announce a dedicated 4K/Ultra HDTV channel, and Eutelsat’s 3rd ‘test 4K channel to go on air. The idea is for this channel to show a rolling loop of high-quality video for Samsung-equipped retail outlets. Samsung unveiled a 98” 4K set at IFA (along with a new 55” OLED display) although the 98” is strictly in the domain of Russian oligarchs and sporting superstars who can afford the minimum $40,000 price tag. Samsung also showed off a 110” U-HDTV display. Eutelsat is using its 10A craft for the transmissions.

Markus Fritz, Eutelsat’s recently appointed Director of Commercial Development and Marketing, added: “This showcase underscores the full compatibility of our satellites with the most advanced and sophisticated broadcasting services. Having launched the first demonstrations of Ultra HD in January, we are delighted to take the most exciting development in TV to a new level with Samsung. As a core broadcasting infrastructure for the direct delivery of Ultra HD content to consumer TV sets, we are proud to demonstrate once again Eutelsat’s pioneering role in driving innovative TV broadcasting technologies for the broadcast industry.”

SES has also been showcasing 4K at IFA, and will do much more at the IBC broadcasting technology show in a few days, in co-operation with Sony, Harmonic, Pace, Broadcom and some other key integrators, not least Sky Deutschland which seems to be happy to make much of the running as far as Rupert Murdoch’s European Sky-branded pay-TV services are concerned.

LG’s 77-inch Ultra HD Curved OLED TV follows in the footsteps of the company’s 55-inch Curved OLED TV, which was introduced to the public eight months ago at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

“LG was proud to be the first company to commercially launch an OLED TV and we are once again setting our sights high with the Ultra HD Curved OLED TV,” said Havis Kwon, president and CEO of LG Home Entertainment Company. “This 77-inch TV is proof that we will never stop pushing the boundaries and exploring new possibilities.”

LG’s 77-inch OLED TV is also LG’s most advanced next-generation TV to date. Spanning a total of 77 inches diagonally, the massive screen’s IMAX-like curvature fills the viewer’s field of vision more completely than a flat-screen TV. The TV combines LG’s OLED and Ultra HD technology, enabling it to produce infinite contrast ratio and resolution four times greater than regular Full HD .

The TV is “a true home entertainment wonder that has to be seen to be believed,” Kwon added.