The Year of 4K Video Begins at the 2014 Winter Games

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The 2014 Winter Games are underway in Sochi, and Elemental is working with leading Russian satellite TV operator NTV Plus and semiconductor supplier Broadcom to power a telecast of the two-week event. NTV Plus announced the world’s first 4K high-efficiency video coding (HEVC/H.265) satellite transmission on February 12, with live streaming of the Games in Ultra HD to special public and cinema viewing points for Russian audiences.

NTV Plus pioneered the initiative to broadcast the Sochi 2014 Winter Games in 4K. Following an extensive period of testing during 2013, NTV Plus designed and deployed an end-to-end 4K HEVC workflow that features Sony 4K cameras, Elemental Live video encoders, NTV Plus satellite uplink and signal receiving systems and Broadcom-enabled real-time decoders for playback on Panasonic 4K TVs. A single video stream encoded by Elemental enables NTV Plus to reduce the 100Mb of bandwidth which would otherwise have been required for delivery of 4K HEVC content.

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The collaboration in Sochi between Elemental, Broadcom and NTV Plus validates the growing market for Ultra HD in 2014 and beyond. Elemental is independently working with more than 35 broadcasters across five continents to deliver the 2014 Sochi Games to millions of viewers across multiple screens and formats. Unlike fixed-hardware solutions, Elemental’s software-based platform allows for content providers to easily implement a flexible video processing solution to seamlessly support ever-changing video delivery requirements. And as with the Winter Games, Elemental’s award-winning HEVC implementation enables broadcasters to offer full frame rate live streaming of global sporting events in 4K to viewers worldwide, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup.