Harmonic, Claro Chile partner on 4K UHD demo

Claro Chile and Harmonic are to demonstrate end-to-end Ultra HD (UHD) delivery via Claro Chile's distribution network.



nasa uhdOver the next few months, Claro Chile will showcase UHD images produced and delivered by Harmonic on Sony UHD TV sets.

The Claro UHD demo channel will be the first of its kind shown in the country, highlighting, said Harmonic, the growing momentum for UHD content. “The global Ultra HD TV market is projected to reach 102.8 million units by 2020, according to the latest market research from Global Industry Analysts.

"Partnering together on this demo, Claro Chile and Harmonic will demonstrate that the Latin American market is ready for the remarkable viewing experience that can be achieved with Ultra HD,” remarked the company’s vice president of sales for Latin America, Alvaro Martin.

“The demo will include footage from NASA TV UHD, the first consumer UHD channel in North America, and we are confident that it's the most amazing video quality anyone has ever seen.”

At the heart of this demo is Harmonic's Electra X3 media processor, a converged media processor for UHD content with live, full-frame, full-GOP UHD encoding. It’s powered by the Harmonic PURE Compression Engine, an encoding technology that supports resolutions up to 2160p60 (HEVC Main 10) for broadcast and OTT multiscreen delivery.

Demo content will be sourced from NASA TV UHD, an ambient video channel that was recently launched by Harmonic and NASA, showing consumers the beauty of space and the various facets of NASA's space programme.

“By partnering with Harmonic, we have joined forces with a company that sets the standard for innovation in Ultra HD production and delivery,” said Mariano Orihuela, director of residential markets at Claro Chile. “We look forward to bringing the very best in Ultra HD to our subscribers, elevating their entertainment experience to an entirely new level.”

In April, Intelsat and Harmonic expanded their linear 4K demonstration channel, HVN Intelsat UHD to include the Latin American region. The HVN Intelsat UHD channel was created to showcase and facilitate the introduction of compelling UHD and high dynamic range (HDR) content and its ability to create viewer interest and loyalty.