Complete Coverage: NAB Show 2013
As many vendors at the 2013 NAB Show were touting the
ability of their equipment to handle 4K or UltraHD productions, LG Electronics
USA has announced that the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four was
recorded in 4K as part of a closed-circuit demo of the technology, making it
the first major U.S. sporting event recorded in Ultra HD.
For
the April 6th demonstration,
LG Electronics worked with the NCAA, CBS Sports and Turner Sports to capture
the action in 4K, which was then displayed on LG's 84-inch Ultra HD TVs at
private viewing locations in the Georgia Dome.
"When
we first approached our partners at LG and CBS with this idea, we recognized
the unique opportunity to pair this inaugural 4K production with the 75th
celebration of March Madness in Turner Broadcasting System's hometown of
Atlanta," said Matt Hong, senior VP and GM of sports operations, Turner Sports
in statement. "We continue to embrace innovation and look at this test of
next-generation television technology as a way to potentially serve fans for
decades to come."
Ken
Aagaard, executive VP, operations, engineering and broadcast services, CBS
Sports, added in another statement that "CBS made high-definition sports
broadcasts a reality with the Final Four in HDTV over a decade ago,
and now we're leading the way into the 4K era. March Madness is always filled
with big moments, and this demonstration shows how Ultra HD TV can ultimately
become the future of sports broadcasting and enhance the viewer's experience."
Providing
widespread public broadcasts of 4K content will be much harder than delivering
a private closed circuit 4K broadcast inside the venue. Currently there is not
even a broadcast standard for 4K.
But
Gary Yacoubian, chairman of the CEA Ultra HD Working
Group and president and CEO, Specialty Technologies/SVSound, noted in another
statement that even though "there are still challenges ahead to deliver Ultra
HD content to consumers' homes, lucky fans in Atlanta are among the first to
experience the excitement of sports in this incredible new TV format, with over
8 million pixels, four times the resolution of today's HDTV."
