UHD SPAIN TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT 5G
- Pere Vila, president of UHD Spain, announced at ‘5G Forum 23’ that “the association is working on testing the production and broadcast of an event using 5G technology”. This proposal is formulated after noting the good results of the broadcast of the Qatar World Cup in 4K, fruit among others of the tests carried out by members of UHD Spain.
- “In addition, the idea is to test, to transport and production in the cloud, the 5G broadcast, so that the signal received by users does not consume data,” said Vila.
UHD Spain, the association that promotes Ultra High Definition in Spain, has participated once again in the sixth edition of the ‘5G Forum 2023’, held between May 8 and 12 in Seville, with two face-to-face sessions at the Palace of Congresses and Exhibitions of Seville (FIBES), and three virtual ones.
On the fourth day of the ‘5G Forum 23’, Pere Vila, president of UHD Spain, participated as a speaker in this edition that brought together the leading national experts in 5G and 6G technology from around the world. For Vila, the presence of the association in this event was essential since the 5G Forum is a “focus of opportunities in production, transmission and broadcasting”.
In his words, 5G technology is a central theme for UHD Spain: “Every year, the association works on specific topics and on this occasion, the partners decided to focus on this area (5G)”.
UHD Spain will produce and broadcast an event with 5G technology
Taking as an example the advances and tests that have been carried out in UHD Spain with the broadcasting of the Qatar World Cup in Ultra High Definition, now the next challenge will be to transfer it to 5G technology.
This milestone was a success, among other factors, due to the collaboration of UHD Spain companies that had participated in the tests and pilot broadcasts carried out in 2021 and 2022 and whose knowledge was used “for 4K broadcasts”. Now, the goal is 5G: “The idea is to carry out a production and broadcast of an event using this technology,” explained Vila.
An ambitious project on which the association is working and which will allow tests to be carried out that could set a precedent. The president has invited all the companies interested, although the initiative is already underway: “it is a very rich participation, it allows networking, learning about possibilities and being prepared”.
It is expected that this test will be developed in October, to present more solid conclusions in November with a production that allows to focus attention on technology. Moreover, Vila’s invitation is also extended to users “so that they can evaluate it from their experience”.
“The objective is also to test the possibilities of 5G Broadcast and that the signal received by users does not consume data,” said Vila. An advance that in addition to its economic impact is also functional: “Thousands of phones can be connected simultaneously without saturating the network”.
Thus, UHD Spain continues to bet on the following challenges to launch in Spain the television of the future, as evidenced by the broadcasting of the World Cup in Qatar, which showed that 4K broadcasts are not only viable, but also maintain “excellent quality levels”.
With the new objective in focus, the association celebrates the attendance to this international forum in which the leaders of 5G technology have met for the sixth consecutive year.
On the other hand, in the face-to-face sessions, UHD Spain, has been present with a space in the demonstration area, where it has shown a selection of the best UHD images produced in Spain, in addition to delivering some copies of the ‘White Book’ to the most curious attendees, by the hand of María Medina, member of the Board of Directors.
About UHD Spain
UHD Spain is a non-profit association created on January 26, 2021 to promote Ultra High Definition (UHD) in Spain. Currently there are already 39 associate members: ADM, Agile Content, Ametic, Ateme, Atresmedia, Axion, Canal Sur, Canon, CCMA, Cellnex, Cires21, COITT, Dolby, Egatel, Fenitel, Forta, Fraunhofer, Gradiant, Gsertel, Henneo, Hispasat, Hurí, Lavinia, Mediapro, Medina Media, Optiva Media, Rohde & Schwarz, RTVE, Sapec, Synamedia, Tedial, Telecom CLM, Televés, TRedess, TVU Networks, UPM, Uteca, Vestel and Video-MOS.
Among the founding partners is the Polytechnic University of Madrid, in particular with professors and researchers from the E.T.S. of Telecommunications Engineers who have been working on UHD issues since 2015 through the RTVE Chair at UPM. It should be noted that in Europe only five countries have professional associations on Ultra High Definition: Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.