Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) has teamed up with LG Electronics to demonstrate the first live over-the-air broadcast of 4K Ultra HD (UHD) signals in Korea using technology based on the ATSC 3.0 standard.
"This is a significant achievement in realizing the feasibility of new broadcasting technology and an important first step in preparation for next year's test transmissions here," said Youngsoo Park, CTO of SBS.
Both companies successfully transmitted and received 4K UHD and HD mobile signals simultaneously in a single 6MHz channel. They said LG also demonstrated the capability to receive HD mobile signals in a fast-moving vehicle using the technology that is likely to form part of the ATSC 3.0 “physical layer.”
The Seoul trial follows field tests in the United States in Cleveland and Madison, Wisconsin, undertaken by LG, its R&D lab Zenith, and GatesAir. Their innovations in the baseline physical layer transmission system may become an ATSC Candidate Standard next month.
LG Electronics, Zenith and GatesAir were co-inventors of the transmission system behind the ATSC A/153 Mobile Digital TV Standard, which the industry adopted in 2009.
The new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard will require higher capacity to deliver 4K UHD services, robust reception on mobile devices and improved spectrum efficiency.
The companies said the increased payload capacity of the physical layer combined with HEVC encoding will enable a greater range of service offerings for broadcasters.