DirecTV to Begin 4K UHD Broadcasting

By AVSFORUM
Monday, March 14, 2016

Now that we have UHD TVs, streaming content, and optical discs and players, live broadcasting is one of the last puzzle pieces in the transition to a complete UHD ecosystem. Terrestrial UHD broadcasting—ATSC 3.0—is still under development and probably a couple of years away from full implementation, but satellite transmission is another story. According to a report at Digital Trends this week, DirecTV will launch its 4K channel by broadcasting the Masters Tournament golf classic from Augusta National Golf Club April 7-10, 2016.

Last December, DirecTV launched a satellite dedicated to 4K/UHD, which is parked in geosynchronous orbit at 99 degrees West longitude and uses an advanced beam-forming network to provide service to all 50 states and Puerto Rico. As far as I know, the service is not available elsewhere in the world—yet.