[Satnews] Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (AsiaSat) announces the launch of its first Ultra-HD (UHD) television channel “4K-SAT” at 122 degrees E on AsiaSat 4, marking a new era for AsiaSat’s satellite broadcasting services in the region. 

This new UHD channel will be available free-to-air (FTA) across more than 50 countries and regions within AsiaSat 4’s enormous footprint, spanning from New Zealand to Pakistan and part of the Middle East. Asian TV operators and home viewers with an AsiaSat 4 C-band antenna and a HEVC set top box will be able to receive the UHD channel directly. 

The new “4K-SAT” channel broadcasts full UHD produced videos featuring fashion, lifestyle and documentaries from content partners including Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, FashionTV and Rohde & Schwarz. 

The compelling UHD content from FashionTV includes major fashion shows from all over the world as well as features highlighting the latest in beauty and lifestyle trends, all delivered to Asian viewers in clear ultra-high definition. FashionTV, the global multimedia network leader in fashion and lifestyle content, also broadcasts its HD and SD channels on AsiaSat 5 and AsiaSat 7 in the Asia-Pacific. 

“We are delighted to be at the forefront of next generation broadcasting technology, bringing to Asian viewers true UHD content. We look forward to working closely with our content and technology partners to drive UHD audience penetration in Asia,” said Sabrina Cubbon, Vice President, Marketing and Global Accounts of AsiaSat. 

AsiaSat 4 [Boeing BSS]

“The launch of this UHD channel on our new AsiaSat 4 UHD broadcast platform provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to experience and promote UHD content in Asia. This reaffirms our commitment to promoting leading edge technologies for the broadcast community. We shall continue to focus on compelling UHD content to enhance the quality of the television viewing experience.”

The “4K-SAT” channel encoded in HEVC, is broadcasting at 50 frames per second (fps) with 10-bit colour depth. Besides offering 3840 x 2160 pixels resolution, four times the resolution of the full HDTV, the UHD specification also means a richer color palette, with more saturated colours and fine colour gradations. The superior quality of UHD broadcasting will deliver to consumers much better quality and more realistic picture and sound, offering an immersive viewing experience, particularly for sporting events and action movies. 

The UHD channel is available free-to-air on AsiaSat 4 with the following reception parameters: 

• Orbital Location : 122 degrees East 
• Transponder : A4-C13H 
• Polarisation : Horizontal 
• Frequency : 4120 MHz 
• Video Format : HEVC DVB-S2 
• Modulation : 8PSK 
• Symbol Rate : 29.72 Msym/sec 
• FEC : 5/6 

AsiaSat will be showcasing this new “4K-SAT” channel at the CASBAA Convention in Hong Kong on October 27 and 28.