SES Launches UHD Demo Channel in US

PRINCETON, N.J. & LUXEMBOURG – SES has announced that it has launched its first ultra HD demonstration channel serving the North American TV market.

The demo channel will enable cable operators to prepare their networks for UHD trials. Broadcasted from the SES-3 satellite at 103 degrees West, the demo channel has coverage over the North American market to deliver live and linear UHD. While this is the first this demo channel launched in the U.S., but SES has previously launched three across Europe.

The UHD demo channel is transmitted by SES’s Ultra-HD-ready linear content delivery network. The camera-to-screen ecosystem is built on satellite’s broadcast advantages combined with the multicasting capability of DOCSIS 3.0.

“Cable operators and content distributors can now begin to prepare their systems and test their networks for Ultra HD delivery, leading into major trials this summer,” said Steve Corda, vice president of business development for SES in North America. The UHD demo channel is expected to reach cable subscribers’ home later this year, according to Corda.