AsiaSat 4 satellite before launch. Photo: AsiaSat

[Via Satellite 10-08-2015] AsiaSat and Rohde & Schwarz have partnered to advance next-generation Ultra-HD TV technologies by implementing a Free to Air (FTA) Ultra-HD channel on AsiaSat 4. Broadcasters and pay-tv platforms with an AsiaSat 4 C-band antenna in the Asia-Pacific region will be able to receive the Ultra-HD channel directly.

Operating at 122 degrees, AsiaSat 4 provides satellite solutions to clients for TV distribution, Direct-to-Home (DTH), as well as broadband services across the Asia-Pacific region. Its high power C-band footprint spans from New Zealand to Pakistan and part of the Middle East.

Rohde & Schwarz is providing a comprehensive broadcast solution that includes the R&S Clipster mastering station for editing, handling and playing out Ultra-HD data in real time. In addition, the R&S AVHE100 headend will be used for live encoding using a High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoder with 10 bit color depth.