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-   -   4K : UHD on Virgin Media (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/showthread.php?t=33704518)

OLD BOY 23-02-2017 11:10

UHD on Virgin Media
 
Since setting up my 2 V6s and supplementing them with my HDD recorder so that all my recordings are now in HD (where available), I have been pondering about what to do with future programmes broadcast in UHD, given that recording such programmes will be so hungry for space that it would be impractical to do so. I will not go back to watching live broadcast TV because I want to watch my selected content at times that are convenient to me, and without having to sit through advertisements.

I was beginning to think that the recording issue would be avoided by all UHD material on Virgin Media being made available on demand only, but I notice that Vodaphone in Spain have launched a UHD service which will allow you to watch programmes aired on UHD broadcast channels through the cloud.

This seems to me the most likely method that will be adopted by Virgin Media, although given their current philosophy, they could well decide to go down the on demand route only.

Does anyone have any information regarding the route that Virgin will take, and what would you prefer VM to do to being UHD to our screens other than by way of Netflix, You Tube and (hopefully) Amazon?

http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2017/...odafone-spain/

pythagoras 23-02-2017 16:54

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
A 4k uhd Movie roughly takes up 17GB of storage on my sky q silver so it is feasible with 2TB or greater storage.

OLD BOY 24-02-2017 20:10

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
While this is indeed feasible, it would nevertheless restrict how much I want to record, so personally, I hope we have a cloud recording ability before long. I just hope that this won't be coming with a small time window in which to view it, or that will be similarly pretty useless as far as I am concerned.

muppetman11 04-03-2017 20:02

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by pythagoras (Post 35887189)
A 4k uhd Movie roughly takes up 17GB of storage on my sky q silver so it is feasible with 2TB or greater storage.

The weekly episode of Lucky Man Series 2 in UHD (45 mins) comes in at around 6GB so as you say not to bad on a 2TB drive or greater. It's also pretty good PQ.:D

dodgem22 05-03-2017 18:24

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
I have a suspicion that the V6 may have a cloud recording function that has not been activated yet.

Travelstar 07-03-2017 15:39

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
I'm guessing the V6 rollout allowed both H264 and possibly H265 to be introduced. I could be wrong, but the V6 boxes may use multicast IP streams rather than DVB-C. Anyone know if this is the case?

muppetman11 07-03-2017 15:46

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgem22 (Post 35888702)
I have a suspicion that the V6 may have a cloud recording function that has not been activated yet.

Any basic IP device is capable of accessing the Cloud , Netflix and Amazon are already cloud based services.

spiderplant 07-03-2017 19:24

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Travelstar (Post 35888983)
I'm guessing the V6 rollout allowed both H264 and possibly H265 to be introduced.

VM can only use encodings that are compatible with all boxes that are in the field, except where services can be controlled by box type. For example, Sky Movies HD On Demand is H.264, but is only made available on TiVo boxes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travelstar (Post 35888983)
I could be wrong, but the V6 boxes may use multicast IP streams rather than DVB-C. Anyone know if this is the case?

DVB-C is already present on the network, so the V6 boxes may as well use it. It would be unnecessary duplication to also carry content with multicast IP.

Travelstar 07-03-2017 19:58

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderplant (Post 35889040)
VM can only use encodings that are compatible with all boxes that are in the field, except where services can be controlled by box type. For example, Sky Movies HD On Demand is H.264, but is only made available on TiVo boxes.


DVB-C is already present on the network, so the V6 boxes may as well use it. It would be unnecessary duplication to also carry content with multicast IP.

Agree. Just realised I had misunderstood the install of the new box as I had assumed (wrongly) it was all over Ethernet. That's a bit of a shame as this could be been a good time to go full IP and start looking to free up spectrum (not that it is in short supply). Also could have made installs more flexible.

OLD BOY 20-06-2017 17:02

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
I wonder if this will convince Virgin Media that their viewers ARE interested in having UHD programming?

http://advanced-television.com/2017/...-tv-set-sales/

GfK: UHD now leading TV set sales



Despite there being no major sporting event in 2017 such as the European Football Championship Finals or the Olympics to drive sales of Ultra HD TV sets, UHD is now the dominant HD type, according to Nick Simon, Account Director/Consumer Electronics, GfK.

Delivering a Keynote Address at the SES Ultra HD Conference in London, suggested that this was particularly the case in the >£350 and 44-inch and above categories. He nevertheless noted that prices were not declining as much as analysts would have expected. “Prices are not going down anything like the freefall before,” he noted.


He also noted that UHD was getting to the stage where it was approaching other categories in volume terms and was some two-thirds of TV sales. “Compared with previous conferences, it’s no longer a case of: ‘It’s going to happen’, it’s happening. It’s the currency of TV sales now,” he declared, noting that UHD overtook ‘Full HD’ in volume terms in 2016.

OLD BOY 22-06-2017 08:45

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
An interesting article here in relation to the BBC and UHD.

http://advanced-television.com/2017/...-ultra-hd-hdr/

BBC fully backs Ultra HD, HDR


Andy Quested, the BBC’s HD & UHD Head of Technology, told delegates at the SES Ultra-HD conference in London that the broadcaster was fully behind UHD and the ‘Rec 2020’ standard which allows for High Dynamic Range images. “Everything we do today has to stand the test of time. Planet Earth 1, made some 11 years ago, is still being watched and is still selling [to overseas buyers]. We are investing in the very best images that can be generated, and also paying considerable attention to audio which is the cherry on the top.”

He explained how important it was that a single standard was employed so as not to disenfranchise existing viewers, and to avoid having to create multiple streams of video for those viewers. The BBC is behind its Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) transmission system, developed jointly by the BBC and NHK of Japan.

“All future commissions will be made in HLG (and PQ [Perceptual Quantiser] if needed by a co-production partner or overseas broadcaster) because we are an international broadcaster,” he added.

“These days the BBC makes very little ‘in house’ material. Even BBC Studios is now a separate organisation. As far as independent production houses are concerned, their archive is their long-term pension! They also want to produce in the highest-possible standard. So we are seeing more and more UHD productions underway. Many are utilising high-quality cameras, but storing the rushes because the client doesn’t need UHD today. But they can go back to them later if there’s a market. I am confident that you will see more UHD especially in high-end drama and episodic series, provided we have the budget.”

Quested said that despite pressures – not least from the TV retail sector – there was not a single UHD channel available in the UK. I can watch UHD on Sky, but that is not a traditional linear channel. I could describe it as a ‘live on demand’ service. This is a great way of doing it because it helps with bandwidth demand. Once Sky gets its act together on HDR, then everyone can see the trials we have done via the BBC’s iPlayer and seen on a much greater range of displays. I would say that one of the reasons we have invested in Natural History productions [in UHD] is because we are good at it. But there are also some high-end dramas and drama series which should be available as many of them are potentially UHD. I am sure Sherlock has been shot on suitable cameras, same with Happy Valley, and there are others. Once there is a revenue stream it is going to happen. The next few years will be a mixed environment. There will be HD with HDR, UHD with HDR and there might even be some 8K floating around eventually. But there will not be a single, fixed service, the way we work today. It is all about the value of the programme, the longevity of the programme and it is common sense that where there’s a value [in adopting the technology] it will be used.”

OLD BOY 18-09-2017 14:16

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
If UHD is now 'driving the market', perhaps Virgin Media will take note and give us what we've been asking for!

They could start by providing those Virgin Exclusives in UHD.

http://www.seenit.co.uk/futuresource...ng-the-market/

Raider999 18-09-2017 21:57

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY (Post 35916965)
If UHD is now 'driving the market', perhaps Virgin Media will take note and give us what we've been asking for!

They could start by providing those Virgin Exclusives in UHD.

http://www.seenit.co.uk/futuresource...ng-the-market/


As VM refuses to sort out UHD for it's loyal customers are we led to the conclusion that the V6 boxes are not capable of displaying UHD?

This thread started with a post about the amount of space taken up by UHD recordings on SkyQ - could it be the lack of disk space in a V6 (no bigger disk version) means UHD will not be practical?

The suggested cloud storage through V6 - is this just pie in the sky?

The only thing for certain is VM don't seem to be able to supply UHD transmissions, despite sky having had UHD football for over a year.

Not that impressed!

OLD BOY 18-09-2017 23:26

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Raider999 (Post 35917022)
As VM refuses to sort out UHD for it's loyal customers are we led to the conclusion that the V6 boxes are not capable of displaying UHD?

This thread started with a post about the amount of space taken up by UHD recordings on SkyQ - could it be the lack of disk space in a V6 (no bigger disk version) means UHD will not be practical?

The suggested cloud storage through V6 - is this just pie in the sky?

The only thing for certain is VM don't seem to be able to supply UHD transmissions, despite sky having had UHD football for over a year.

Not that impressed!

According to this link, DVR recording to the cloud will be rolled out by Liberty Global next February. This may explain why the V6 is limited to 1TB, and it may also be the solution to the problem of disk space for UHD recordings.


http://www.digitaltveurope.net/74598...ngs-next-year/

muppetman11 18-09-2017 23:34

Re: UHD on Virgin Media
 
From your link
Quote:

There’s one country in all of our operations where I don’t think we’ll ever cross that line of being able to do it, because we have some holdouts that just feel very strongly that their business model will be disrupted by it.
Probably the UK :D


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