BrightSign unveils 4K digital signage media player

ISE 2014 saw BrightSign take the wraps off its much-anticipated 4K digital signage media player. According to BrightSign, the new player is the first to deliver a true end-to-end 4K solution that accepts H.265-encoded content and delivers 60 fps output via HDMI 2.0. Each of these characteristics is necessary to deliver a true 4K solution, and BrightSign is the first to deliver on all fronts.

“There’s a great deal of excitement and anticipation around 4K, but unfortunately many of the purported 4K solutions currently available fall short and don’t deliver a true 4K experience,” said Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign. “However our BrightSign 4K player complies with the new standards to preserve video quality from encoding to output and support the complete 4K ecosystem, start to finish.”

For content to remain 4K native and be delivered at the highest visual quality, video must be captured on a 4K-capable camera, encoded and decoded using the new H.265 compression standard at 10 bits/channel, and fed to the display via HDMI 2.0 to preserve the original 60 fps frame rate. Any broken link in this chain of events adversely impacts video quality and the output falls short of what 4K is made to be.

Elemental Technologies supplies the encoding horsepower required to deliver a true 4K viewing experience. Elemental is the first to implement the HEVC specification with the capability of processing 4Kp60 H.265 content in real-time.

“Early 4K claims should be met with scrutiny, as some vendors rush to bring 4K solutions to market that lack the technical components essential to preserving 4K content as it’s encoded and passed through the player for display,” said Keith Wymbs, VP marketing at Elemental. “We look forward to working closely with BrightSign to deliver encoded HEVC content of the highest quality to create an immersive digital signage experience.”