AsiaSat and Rohde & Schwarz develop FTA UHD TV service for Asia

10/20/2015

Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (AsiaSat) and Rohde & Schwarz have partnered to advance next-generation Ultra HD (UHD) TV technologies by implementing the first free to air (FTA) UHD channel on AsiaSat 4. The R&S AVHE100 encoding solution and R&S CLIPSTER mastering station are key components of the UHD broadcast platform that will launch an UHD channel at 122°east on AsiaSat 4 this month.

The AsiaSat plans for an UHD TV broadcasting service over satellite have taken a major step forward with the imminent launch of its first channel following an extensive technical evaluation carried out at the AsiaSat UHD laboratory. The high-power coverage provided by AsiaSat 4 will enable broadcasters and pay TV platforms with an AsiaSat 4 C-band antenna in the Asia-Pacific region to receive the UHD channel directly.

Operating at 122°east, AsiaSat 4 provides customers with leading-edge satellite solutions for TV distribution, DTH as well as broadband services throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Its high-power C-band footprint spans from New Zealand to Pakistan and part of the Middle East.

Rohde & Schwarz is providing a comprehensive broadcast solution that includes the R&S CLIPSTER mastering station for editing, handling and playing out UHD data in real time. In addition, the R&S AVHE100 headend will be used for live encoding using an HEVC encoder with 10 bit color depth. Rohde & Schwarz technology not only gives AsiaSat the best UHD TV picture quality, it also provides a future-proof solution.

“We are very excited to work with Rohde & Schwarz in this new and evolving technology that will drive the future consumer viewing experience of video content. Rohde & Schwarz has shown exemplary commitment to quality and support in helping us through the evaluation phase. We look forward to launching our first UHD channel and promoting this new technology together,” said Sabrina Cubbon, Vice President, Marketing and Global Accounts.

“Rohde & Schwarz is the leading supplier for digital TV transmission networks in Asia and the world. We are happy to support AsiaSat in establishing their first UHD channel and look forward to a very successful implementation,” said Heino Gregorek, Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Asia Middle.

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Company profile:  Rohde & Schwarz