Layer3 TV, the Denver-based next-gen cable operator, said it has begun to offer some live and on-demand video in 4K, noting that all of its deployed boxes support the format.
Early on, Layer3 TV is offering on-demand access to Planet Earth II (all six episodes as they become available each week through late April), as well as the Nasa TV channel, in 4K/Ultra HD.
Those customers, who will also require a 4K-capable TV to view content in the format, can get Layer3 TV’s 4K content for no additional fees, the company said, noting that customers on its allHD Platinum package, can access Planet Earth II on demand through April 24, and can tune in any time to the Nasa TV UHD feed on channel 350.
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Layer3 TV joins a growing mix of MVPDs that offer some 4K programming and content. Among examples are DirecTV, Dish Network and Comcast, which is sampling some 4K on-demand fare via an OTT app for select smart TVs from Samsung and LG but will expand on that when it introduces a 4K-capable box for its X1 service.
Additionally, more than a dozen telcos and cable operators, including Frontier Communications and Buckeye Broadband, are testing the delivery of nine UHD channels (including Nasa’s 4K channel) to a subset of customers working in tandem with SES.
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U.S. consumer adoption of 4K-capable TVs has been outpacing, and will continue to outpace, the transition to HDTV sets, according to a recent study from the Consumer Technology Association.
Layer3 TV has launched its IPTV service in the Chicago and Washington, D.C., metro areas. Its web site still says that the service is “coming soon” to Layer3 TV's hometown of Denver.
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“Our planet and universe provide a perfect canvas to showcase Layer3 TV’s 4K capabilities,” Lindsay Gardner, Layer3 TV’s chief content officer, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring Planet Earth II and NASA TV UHD to our customers and committed to adding more 4K linear channels and 4K VOD as content becomes available.”
