To coincide with this week's EBU General Assembly in Geneva, the Technology & Innovation Department gave participants the chance to see one of the world's largest LCD televisions. Sony kindly facilitated the loan of its recently released 84" BRAVIA LCD television, boasting four times the resolution of full HD.

The consumer electronics and professional industries are strongly promoting next generation HDTV formats. Recognizing the limited window of opportunity that exists to influence the evolution of these formats, the EBU is ensuring that the requirements of its Members are taken into account.

Test Sequences

The BeyondHD Project Group has overseen the creation of a new set of test sequences that have been made available to Members for research purposes. The sequences, shot at the RAI Production Centre in Turin last June, will be used to test UHD-1 (equivalent to 4k), 3DTV and Higher Frame Rate formats.

Above: EBU's Hans Hoffmann gives GA participants an insight into potential Beyond HD formats; Top: The 4k test loop from Sony delivered impressive images on the 84" display.

The UHD-1 format, corresponding to a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels, delivers a highly immersive viewing experience with impressive detail and depth in the images. The EBU and its Members have embarked on a series of tests to assess how well the Beyond HD formats perform and what will be required to produce and deliver programming in future.

Also Hybrid

General Assembly participants were also able to see the latest developments in hybrid platforms for both radio and TV. Live HbbTV services from German and French broadcasters were available, as well as a demonstration using RadioDNS technology to enhance broadcast radio with additional content delivered over the broadband internet.