Direct-to-home welcomes 4K UltraHD tech

The direct-to-home (DTH) industry isseeing a new surge in technology with the announcement of 4K ultrahigh definition (UHD) set-top boxes (STB) by two leading DTH players – Tata Sky and Videocon d2h. Both the operators have acquired the technology and will be manufacturing the set top boxes under their individual brand names.

The 4K Ultra HD STB is the interface required to receive the Ultra HD signals on Ultra HD TVs. Currently,brands like Samsung, LG, Sony and Videocon have a line of ultra HD television sets in the market, though the market share of these variants is fairly small.

4K Ultra HD resolution comprises of 3,840 pixels by 2,160p lines (8.3 megapixels, aspect ratio 16:9). In other words, UHD has twice the horizontal and vertical resolution and four times as many pixels overall as compared to the 1080p HDTVformat. This technology enables greater image clarity with finer detail and texture.

Videocon d2h is also looking at launching an initial public offering (IPO) by the end of this fiscal. It intends to raise Rs 700 crore from it, which will be deployed towards innovation in technology. Saurabh Dhoot – Director Videocon informs, “We are in conversation with our advisors and should have something to announce by the end of the fiscal. In the mean time, we want to continue our focus on innovation and technology investment for the long run. Our investment in DTH will be around Rs 5,000 crore by the end of this financial year and we are looking at creating a platform that will give different avenues of engagement to the consumer.”

He adds research and development is an integral part of the investments and currently his team is looking at developing platform services that will go a long way in engaging the consumers. The company will be first targeting its existing customer base to convert to 4K UHD set-top boxes.