M+E Daily

By Chris Tribbey

Ultra-High Def (UHD) technology is expected to be among the top stories at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). So it was fitting that the UHD Alliance made the first major splash at the weeklong event.

On Monday the consortium of consumer electronics manufacturers, five of the six major studios, content distributors and tech companies unveiled its specifications for 4K UHD displays, content and distribution, along with an “Ultra HD Premium” logo for UHD devices, content and services. The goal is to deliver a seamless UHD experience across the entire UHD ecosystem.

UHD Alliance president Hanno Basse, the CTO of 20th Century Fox Film Corp., said during the CES presentation that the home entertainment industry banded together a year ago in anticipation of UHD becoming the successor to HD, something IHS Technology forecasts as inevitable: the research firm sees worldwide UHD shipments going from 12 million in 2014 to more than 300 million by 2020. “Clearly we see a very strong ramp-up with the technology,” Basse said. “But we felt it wasn’t all that well defined.

“The diverse group of UHDA companies agreed that to realize the full potential of Ultra HD the specs need to go beyond resolution and address enhancements like HDR, expanded color and ultimately even immersive audio. Consumer testing confirmed this.”

During a panel discussion moderated by Jim Bottoms, executive director of the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) Europe, Ron Sanders, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, offered another reason: “There’s alignment. The alternative is a format war, and that’s obviously not the best outcome.”

The home entertainment industry hamstrung itself early on with the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray Disc format war, added Man Jit Singh, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. With most everyone on the same page for UHD at the outset (and with the first UHD Blu-rays coming this year), there’s a good chance consumers will latch on, he said.

“We have to be very careful not to confuse the consumer,” Singh said. “We have to be very consistent with our messaging … when they see it, they’ll buy in.”

The new UHD specifications set metrics for high dynamic range (HDR), resolution, black levels, peak luminance, wide color gamut and more, and offer recommendations for audio and other features. The specs cover multiple display technologies, and employ standards and practices from several industry groups, including the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and the International Telecommunications Union.

And what consumers can expect from these standards for UHD is a top-tier home entertainment viewing experience, something that represents filmmakers’ original intent like never before, according to Mike Dunn, president of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

“It’s a full step [up] in the consumer experience,” he said.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) — the group behind CES — quickly praised the new UHD specs. “CTA and the UHDA share the goal of helping consumers and retailers understand the incredible benefits of UHD technologies and services,” said CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. “The UHDA’s new ‘Ultra HD Premium’ specs complement CTA’s new guideline for HDR-compatible displays. Both will help consumers and retailers navigate the rapidly growing 4K UHD marketplace.”

Other early news out of CES:

Technicolor, Philips Collaborate on HDR

In 2015, Dolby, Technicolor and Philips all saw their respective high dynamic range (HDR) technologies gain acceptance in the home entertainment industry. To start 2016, the latter two announced they would work together to advance one of the top selling points for UHD TVs and content.

Technicolor and Philips have agreed to “merge their ongoing delivery roadmaps for HDR solutions,” the companies said, collaborating on encoding and decoding software and content creation tools. The joint HDR delivery offering simplifies HDR deployments for distributors, providing backwards compatibility with Standard Dynamic Range displays.

HDR technology offers consumers the best-possible contrast between light and dark images (i.e., brighter whites and darker blacks).

“Combining the HDR research from two of the most prominent and trusted names in imaging is a significant step in the maturity of HDR technologies,” said Manuele Wahl, SVP of technology and trademark licensing at Technicolor. “Philips is bringing years of experience in consumer electronics and silicon partnerships. This combined with Technicolor’s heritage in content creation and technology licensing will provide a compelling backwards compatible solution which will accelerate HDR adoption.”

Technicolor and Philips will still pursue their own, respective HDR products and solutions, the companies stressed. For their combined solution, Technicolor will take the lead on compliance, sales and licensing.

“This move is a reflection of how fast the market for HDR is developing, and how important it is to partner and scale up to effectively serve industry demand for high-quality video delivery,” said Jako Eleveld, head of IP licensing for Philips.

In related news, Technicolor announced it will be working with LG Electronics to optimize video enhancement and HDR delivery technologies for inclusion in LG displays, and would integrate LG OLED TVs into Technicolor’s postproduction facilities worldwide.

“LG and Technicolor are collaborating to extend the wonder of next-generation video experiences to more consumers by focusing on excellence in each stage of the delivery chain — from content creation to distribution and rendering the very best images on the very best displays,” said Mark Turner, Technicolor’s VP for business development and strategic partnerships.

DTS Touts Expanded Adoption

Sound technology company DTS came into CES with plenty to celebrate: four major studios will release multiple home entertainment titles this year featuring DTS:X, the company’s next-gen, object-based, multi-dimensional audio offering.

Consumer electronics companies Denon and Marantz both have upcoming firmware updates for products that add DTS:X, and both Texas Instruments and Analog Devices have recently completed DTS certification for the decoding of DTS:X content.

As for DTS Play-Fi — the company’s wireless, lossless audio offering for devices via Wi-Fi networks — DTS announced that Klipsch Group, Rotel Electronics and Polk Audio all have Play-Fi speakers in the pipeline, and that Amazon Prime Music and iHeartRadio are launching on the Play-Fi app.

“Over the past couple of years, DTS has introduced innovative, next-generation audio solutions to the market from Play-Fi to Headphone:X to DTS:X technologies, along with the recent addition of HD Radio technology to our portfolio,” said Jon Kirchner, chairman and CEO of DTS, in a statement. “In 2016, DTS will continue to expand its reach for listeners to experience enhanced entertainment no matter where they are.”