CES 2016: Harmonic demos HDR UHD NASA content

Harmonic has created Ultra HD (UHD) content in high dynamic range (HDR) with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and had it on display for the first time at CES 2016 last week in Las Vegas. Harmonic and a broad range of ecosystem partners, including Broadcom, LG Electronics, Sigma Designs, STMicroelectronics, and ViXS Systems, showcased how content produced and delivered in HDR UHD transcends the current UHD BT 709 video format, making the television viewing experience significantly more compelling.

“There has been a lot of buzz in the television industry about HDR UHD, but little content has been produced so far. At CES 2016, we unveil the first images from the new NASA TV UHD channel in this breathtaking new format,” said Peter Alexander, chief marketing officer at Harmonic. “This demonstration showcases the interoperability of Harmonic’s HDR UHD production and delivery workflow with a broad range of chipsets, TVs and set-top boxes.” Content was sourced from the new NASA TV UHD channel and demonstrated in the HDR-10 scheme.

The HDR UHD content shown at CES was created using an end-to-end UHD delivery system from Harmonic. At the heart of the UHD compression workflow is Harmonic’s Electra X3 advanced media processor, the industry’s first converged media processor for UHD content with live, full-frame, full-GOP UHD encoding. Powered by the Harmonic PURE Compression Engine, an advanced encoding technology that supports resolutions up to 2160p60 (HEVC Main 10) for broadcast and OTT multiscreen delivery, the Electra X3 enables video content and service providers to deliver superior video quality at minimum bandwidth. Additionally, for CES 2016, Harmonic’s ProMedia Carbon powered the HDR-10 UHD file transcoding in HEVC/H.265 format.