MediaKind and New Digital Technology partner to deliver 4K UHD content
MediaKind has partnered with New Digital Technology (NDT) to deliver high-quality recorded 4K content for BTV’s winter sporting events channel, which launched towards the end of 2020.
MediaKind provided a range of its encoding and decoding solutions to support BTV in enabling the first provincial-level 4K UHD channel broadcast on satellite in China. The entire project was carried out and on-air in less than three months.
The MediaKind solution includes the AVP 4000 HEVC encoder, MK RX1 multi-codec multi-service professional decoder and AVP 1000 stream processor. This stable, hardware-based, low-latency encoding/decoding 4K solution enables BTV to deliver the best possible experience to its subscribers across China.
The solution is integrated into NDT’s iSwiftMedia, an end-to-end multi-vendor Network Management System, Operational Support System and orchestration software solutions for the broadcast, satellite, cable, telco and mobile industry. As a core module of the latter, the NDT software-defined network management (SDNM) incorporates the video and audio broadcasting channel, coding transmission and 4K master control. SDNM management software adopts SDN architecture and is compatible with SDI over IP non-compressed and transport steam over IP compressed signal streams.
Wang Tong, president at NDT, commented: “We were delighted to enable the official launch of Beijing Radio & Television’s 4K UHD channel on 30 December 2020, and deliver coverage of exciting archive winter sporting events to viewers across China. We entrusted MediaKind to provide the coding, compression and 4K transmission of this exciting sporting content based on its rich pioneering heritage of building pure hardware solutions that deliver reliable, high-quality viewing experiences. The integration of our technologies enabled our IP-baseband hybrid architecture to power the broadcasting master control, ensuring BTV’s exciting 4K UHD channel went online smoothly and onto the screens of thousands of households nationwide.”
Narayanan Rajan, vice president of global channel partner sales at MediaKind, added: “We are delighted NDT chose MediaKind to build a high-quality, standards-based workflow for the delivery of 4K UHD archived winter sports content for BTV’s channel. NDT is a leading solutions provider across China and works with major national networks, so it was a fantastic opportunity to work together ahead of a major winter sporting event in Beijing next year. MediaKind prides itself on providing highly advanced solutions that enable best-in-class features to captivate audiences worldwide.”
The solution adopts the HEVC coding compression standard to direct content across cable operator Gehua’s large-scale network, while the AVS2 coding compression standard is adopted to facilitate satellite distribution. The last stage output enables stream fault detection and automatic switching. The system link supports embedded audio and Dolby-related standards to meet the application requirements of Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC3). The whole system is equipped to continue running satellite channels’ broadcast demand during emergency maintenance. The satellite receiving system can receive UHD signals with special encryption methods at home and abroad.