LG & SES demonstrate 4K 'High Frame Rate' via satellite transmission

LG & SES demonstrate 4K 'High Frame Rate' via satellite transmission

16 May 2017 | Rasmus Larsen |

HFR – or High Frame Rate – can reduce motion blur and make video much smoother and sharper. LG and SES are today demonstrating a HFR broadcast transmitted via an Astra satellite.

Extremely smooth motion

Movies are shot in 24 frames per second and sports broadcast in up to 50 frames per second. With HFR (High Frame Rate) the TV industry wants to make frame rates up to 120fps reality.

This is expected to greatly improve picture quality when watching sports, and make the players on the pitch look crystal clear even when in motion.

HFR is included as part of the ’DVB UHD-1 Phase 2’ specification. TV broadcasters in Europe follow the DVB tuner standard. The specification allows for up to 120fps, meaning 120 full-frame pictures per second, as well as previously introduced technologies such as 4K resolution and HDR. The standard was approved by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) in March 2017.

With existing infrastructure

At the SES Industry Days show, LG and SES are demonstrating how HFR can be made available to viewers. The live transmission in 4K HFR is beamed via an Astra satellite at 19.2 degrees East and shown on a LG OLED TV with prototype software.

SES wants to show that HFR and 4K resolution is possible with the existing infrastructure. LG wants to show that OLED display technology is ready to deliver ultra-smooth motion due to the fast response time inherent to OLED pixels.

- “We are very excited to demonstrate just how effective LG’s OLED TV is as a platform for 4K HFR and other high grade content,” said Sam Kim, head of TV product planning at LG. “LG is committed to offering consumers around the world the latest in TV technologies and High Frame Rate on OLED TVs must be seen to be believed. Watching 4K HFR content on an OLED TV as it’s being transmitted in real time by ASTRA’s satellite is a great example of pushing the limits of current TV technologies.”

LG has demonstrated HFR on OLED TVs in the past but never in combination with 4K resolution. When FlatpanelsHD asked LG about when to expect the first consumer TVs, LG replied “in 2018 at the earliest”.