Astro kicks off 4K broadcasts
August 13, 2018
Malaysian digital media company Astro is claiming an historic milestone with the August 12th launch of the nation’s first live 4K UHD broadcast, showcasing two live English Premier League games – Liverpool vs West Ham and Arsenal vs Man City – for football fans at its partner food & beverage (F&B) outlet, Souled Out. The list of matches covered is expected to grow over the next few weeks.
“At Astro, we are committed to provide a better viewing experience for sports fans in Malaysia,” commented Lee Choong Khay, Chief of Sports at Astro”. “As such, we will embrace the latest technology, 4K UHD to enhance our customers’ viewing experience. Today we are pleased to partner with Sharp and Samsung to provide Premier League fans with the first live match in 4K UHD broadcast in Malaysia. Besides Premier League, we will also bring Formula One racing events and blockbuster movies in 4K UHD to offer our customers’ a premium viewing experience.”
“We are delighted to partner Astro in delivering high quality 4K UHD broadcast to Malaysians,” declared Robert Wu, Managing Director of Sharp Electronics (Malaysia). “Our flagship AQUOS 4K UHD Android TV series features Real Contrast, Real Detail and Real Colour technologies that bring sensational close-to-reality picture quality. Combined that with its Eilex Prism sound system, football fans practically don’t even need to leave the comfort of their living room to feel like they are in stadium cheering for their favourite team! Malaysian football fans will truly be in for an exciting Premier League season ahead.”
“Samsung is proud to be working with Astro to introduce a next-level viewing experience with our 4K and Super Large Screen TVs offering the latest 4K UHD broadcast to Malaysians and football fans,” added Yoonsoo Kim, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics. “We aim to deliver the best immersive experience for football fans, to see nothing else but pure entertainment for the eyes, and enjoy every minute and every second, as if they were really there. With supersized screens, extraordinary picture quality and sound optimised for the game, 2018 QLED TVs are ideal for watching live football and sporting events.”
The roll-out of 4K UHD coincides with the start of the 2018/19 Premier League, with Astro planning to broadcast selected live matches in the format. The 4K UHD broadcast of Premier League is a preview of Astro’s plans to unveil its 4K UHD set-top box later this year. Astro, which has been investing in infrastructure to enhance the viewing experience with 4K UHD broadcast, will progressively roll out 4K UHD service in dedicated channels, a brand-new software and programme guide to make content discovery easy and intuitive as well as other innovative product features later in the year.