UHD SPAIN WILL BE THE TEST BED FOR THE NEW ULTRA HIGH DEFINITION CHANNELS ON DTT

• Víctor Sánchez, Director of Media and Operations at RTVE and President of UHD Spain, offered the technical coordination so that all broadcasters who so wish can have access to UHD Spain’s multiple test channel to experiment and develop Ultra High Definition tests.
• RTVE and UHD Spain are holding a conference on the evolution of DTT to Ultra High Definition with the presence of the main players currently working on the implementation and development of Ultra High Definition in Spain.

RTVE and UHD Spain held an informative conference on 8 May entitled ‘Evolution from DTT to Ultra High Definition’. A meeting that brought together key representatives of the audiovisual sector in the Auditorium of the RTVE headquarters in Prado del Rey to address the process of transition from Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) to Ultra High Definition (UHD).

In a context in which technological innovation and the improvement of signal quality are increasingly relevant for the media ecosystem, the conference served to share all the main elements derived from the application of the new National Technical Plan for DTT and to learn about the latest developments, also generating a space for dialogue and collaboration between the different agents in the sector who attended the event.

Offering UHD Spain as a test bed

Víctor Sánchez and Xavi Redón, president and vice-president of UHD Spain, as representatives of the association, offered UHD Spain’s infrastructure to all television operators in Spain, both at national and regional level.

“The association offers its support to those who are going to start UHD broadcasts through the new RGE2 network,” said Víctor Sánchez in “an open invitation, with no commercial interests, which only seeks to facilitate the implementation of UHD in Spain.

For years, Televisión Española has conducted multiple technical tests before broadcasting relevant content in UHD, such as high-profile sporting events. These tests gave the necessary confidence to move forward. Now, UHD Spain is offering itself as a unique test bed for the whole industry chain: from broadcasters to manufacturers, operators and technology companies.

“Our goal is to continue incorporating more UHD content into our regular broadcasts,” said Víctor Sánchez, now referring to himself as RTVE’s Director of Media and Operations. The Spanish public broadcaster was a pioneer in regular Ultra High Definition broadcasting and in the near future more DTT channels will be able to take the step towards Ultra High Definition.

The collaboration between the companies associated with UHD Spain has been key in the promotion of Ultra High Definition in Spain. Technical tests, the provision of content from various sources and the broadcasting of these have been the fundamental steps. Now, “we offer these resources as a prelude to the evolution towards UHD and DVB-T2, allowing operators to test signals before starting regular broadcasts“, insisted the vice president of the association, Xavi Redón.

“UHD is the way for DTT to remain a free, competitive and high quality platform. There are no additional costs for the user, as is the case with pay platforms,” said Víctor Sánchez to conclude a conference that was opened by Roberto Lakidain, director of Corporate Development and Public Service at RTVE, with the participation of Julia Criado, deputy director general for Planning and Management of the Radio Spectrum at the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service.

Also participating were Sara González, director of the Technological Support and Media Area of CRTVG; Toni Roig. Director of Operations at CCMA; David Jiménez Bermejo, researcher at the RTVE Chair at the UPM; Ramón Salat, Director of Cellnex Telecom; Jesús García, Director of the Technical Area of Television at TVE; and Javier Sánchez, Director of Audiovisual Policies and Public Service at RTVE, who closed the event, which was also attended by several representatives of the Board of Directors of UHD Spain, such as María Medina, General Director of Medina Media Events; Emili Planas, CTO of GRUP MEDIAPRO; and Miguel Ángel Cristóbal, CEO of SAPEC, as well as Miguel Ángel García Argüelles, Manager of Singular Projects at Hispasat.

The evolution from DTT to Ultra High Definition

As main conclusions, the critical importance of broadcasting over the airwaves, both television and radio, was underlined, not only in the broadcasting of major live events, but also as a guarantee of access to information for citizens in emergency situations such as natural disasters or unforeseen events such as the recent blackout in Spain. Broadcasting platforms are by far the most widely consumed in radio and television. With free-to-air broadcasts for all citizens, without paying per connection and with maximum coverage, both territorially and socially.

As regards television, the sector’s commitment to the DTT transition to Ultra High Definition under the new National Technical Plan was reaffirmed. Thanks to the migration to the DVB-T2 standard, the viewing experience of citizens will be improved (Ultra High Definition and Next Generation Audio beyond multichannel audio in 5.1) by making more efficient use of the radio spectrum. At the same time, the new National Technical Plan will allow the start of regular broadcasts of “RNE for All”, a first and a reference at European level that enables access to radio for the hearing impaired.

Furthermore, the strategic value of DTT as a pillar of sovereignty for the provision of the audiovisual television communication service was strongly defended, as it is based on European standards, horizontal markets and licences granted by public authorities as opposed to the growing vertical markets and proprietary solutions that are being advocated by large technology companies and third-party platforms. To this end, the need to strengthen DTT by defending its prominence has been highlighted.

The implementation of the new National DTT Technical Plan will provide a very favourable starting point for the 2031 World Radiocommunication Conference, where the use of the UHF band will be reviewed, with a view to extending its relevance and validity beyond 2040.

About UHD Spain

UHD Spain is a non-profit association created on 26 January 2021 to promote Ultra High Definition (UHD) in Spain. There are currently 35 associate members: Ametic, Ateme, Atresmedia, Axion, Canal Sur, Canon, CCMA, Cellnex, Cires21, COITT, Dolby, Fenitel, Forta, Fraunhofer, Grup Mediapro, Gsertel, Henneo, Hispasat, Hurí, Lavinia, Medina Media, Rohde & Schwarz, RTVE, Sapec, Synamedia, Tedial, Telecom CLM, Televés, TRedess, TVU Networks, UPM, Uteca, Vestel and Video-MOS.