DirecTV: 4K is the “Killer App” for satellite
March 18, 2015
From Chris Forrester in Washington
DirecTV’s senior management, including its CFO, are firmly behind the launch of 4K services, says Philip Goswitz, SVP/Video, Space & Communications, at the broadcaster. Moreover, he told delegates at the Satellite 2015 conference in Washington DC, that by 2020 he was confident that it would be broadcasting between 50-70 Ultra-HD channels.
Goswitz said that three types of channel would make the difference in 4K: “Sport, sport and sport!”
While not divulging a start date for 4K full transmissions on DirecTV, Goswitz, said the whole satellite industry should be taking note that consumers were buying 4K sets in record numbers. “4K is the Killer App for satellite, and it should be the Killer App for this whole conference. There’s a huge demand from consumers once they have seen [the technology]. This is the next thing and people want it. They are buying ‘smart’ phones every year, and tablets every year, and we have a conviction, a passion, to deliver this wonderful experience to the new screens they are buying now.”