HFR 120Hz video on NextGen TV transmitter
October 18, 2019
In a broadcast industry first, High Frame Rate 120Hz video has been transmitted by a NextGen TV transmitter as part of the Phoenix Model Market project. The HFR 120Hz video was encoded by the DS Broadcast Model BGE9300 Encoder, received on the company’s Model BGD4100 Integrated Receiver Decoder, and displayed on Ultra HD screens in Phoenix.
Typical TV video is transmitted at 30 frames a second, which means that high-motion activity like sports seems to flicker and blur – particularly in high contrast situations where there is a lot of motion, such as a football or baseball game. Motion blur also affects things like video of waterfalls or ocean surf.
“The BGE9300 Encoder is ideal for high action sports or any content where there is a tremendous amount of movement, such as the fishing and running water video used in this first-ever US transmission,” said Chris Lee, Director of Marketing and Sales for Korea-based DS Broadcast, which is also a key supplier of ATSC 3.0 broadcast equipment for South Korean broadcasters.
“While NextGen TV will generally be transmitted at 60 frames a second, which will be a significant improvement, the ‘holy grail’ for sports fans is 120Hz (or High Frame Rate) transmissions paired with High Dynamic Range video. This combination creates an exceptionally immersive experience, even with 2K video sources. It’s even more impressive than 4K video to the average viewer. And the combination of High Frame Rate with High Dynamic Range is also very efficient for broadcasters, consuming little additional bandwidth,” said Dave Folsom, consulting engineer for the Phoenix Model Market project.
The BGE9300 HFR Encoder features ATSC 3.0 or MPEG-2 TS multiplex, HEVC Main/Main10 encoding at multiple frame rates (100/120/119.88). The encoder supports High Dynamic Range and Wide Color Gamut, IEEE 1588v2 PTP synchronization, and Dolby AC-4. Inputs include SDI or SMPTE ST 2110 with embedded 16x audio channels and is designed to operate 24 hours a day/7 days a week with continuous operation as a real-time encoded with a guarantee of 50,000 hours. Like other DS Broadcast ATSC 3.0 products, it’s also designed to fit into a 1U 19-inch equipment rack and contains a redundant power supply.