Spain confirms its leadership in UHD broadcasting: RTVE will give the keys at 4K HDR Summit

• Radio Televisión Española has become the first broadcaster in the world to regularly broadcast the programming of its main television channel in Ultra High Definition in DTT
• Seville hosts the 10th edition of the 4K HDR Summit, to be held at the Nissan Cartuja Auditorium from November 11 to 14 in hybrid format, coinciding with the 21st edition of the Seville European Film Festival

The broadcasting of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Ultra High Definition (UHD) through La 1 UHD has marked a milestone in the history of free-to-air television in our country. This RTVE bet has meant a great step forward in the quality of television broadcasting in Spain, as it was the first time that an international sporting event has been offered in UHD on a free-to-air DTT channel.

RTVE will present at the tenth edition of the 4K HDR Summit all the details about its open UHD-4K deployment through DTT. The public broadcaster will be represented by José Luis Muñiz, Director of Production and Media; Víctor Sánchez, Director of Media and Operations of RTVE and Ángel García Castillejo, Director of Audiovisual Policies, Public Service and International of RTVE.

It will be at this annual meeting, “Where technology and content have time to talk”, to be held in hybrid format with two face-to-face days (Monday 11 and Tuesday 12) at the Nissan Cartuja Auditorium and two virtual ones (13 and 14), where RTVE will detail everything that gave of itself at technical and production level coverage of the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 in UHD-4K quality with High Dynamic Range (known by its acronym in English as HDR, High Dynamic Range) and immersive audio in Dolby Atmos through La1 UHD.

New era of DTT in UHD quality

Precisely the broadcasting of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Ultra High Definition through La1 UHD served RTVE to “demonstrate that free-to-air television operators, and specifically public broadcasters such as Radio Televisión Española, are capable of making efficient use of the UHF band (whose viability is questioned by some who aspire to its management), to offer not only a better service, but the best television service in Ultra High Definition, with surround sound,” said Ángel García Castillejo, one of the representatives of the public corporation at the 4K HDR Summit.

“We are starting a new era in digital terrestrial television, in free-to-air television in our country, with Ultra High Definition broadcasts in 4K quality of a live event,” said García Castillejo, who is proud that Spain has been “the first country in the world able to offer an Ultra High Definition signal in free-to-air DTT and with a coverage of 99% in regular broadcasts”.

This television milestone will allow other operators such as Mediaset or Atresmedia to join in 2025 so that citizens can access audiovisual content in UHD quality, in an open, free, free and unrestricted way. “That is the challenge”, says Ángel García Castillejo in view of the new Technical Plan for DTT, who anticipates that in the not too distant future “100% of the free-to-air television offer in Spain will be available entirely in Ultra High Definition”.

RTVE’s commitment to UHD

Since the start of regular broadcasts of La1 UHD in February 2024, the public broadcaster has ensured that Spanish viewers enjoy sharper images, with more detail and more vibrant colors, significantly improving the viewing experience through their screens. And most importantly: with a coverage of more than 99% of the Spanish population, free-to-air, without subscriptions, free of charge and for all citizens, RTVE has established itself as a corporation at the forefront of the audiovisual industry.

The broadcasting of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in UHD-4K quality has put Spain on the 4K world map and demonstrated its international leadership in Ultra High Definition broadcasting through DTT.

Thus, the use of DTT channels, the operation of the mobile unit and continuity management, as well as the broadcasting of UHD content are some of the key aspects of the ambitious project that RTVE will present at the 4K HDR Summit, a reference event on technology and content in Ultra High Definition (UHD).

The conferences of the 4K HDR Summit 2024 can be followed on Medina Media Events’ ‘The Observatory’ and will be available 24/365. On this platform, attendees can also schedule video meetings with other participants and speakers, in addition to exclusive virtual demonstrations.

The tenth edition of the 4K HDR Summit is organized by Medina Media Events and has the support of the Digital Agency of Andalusia (ADA), Dolby, MOME, Vicomtech, Canal Sur Radio and Television, EVS, Synamedia, Fraunhofer IIS, Axion, Mediakind, Ateme, AJA, Hispasat, Quantum, Cellnex, Eutelsat, Rohde & Schwarz, Canon, Sapec, AEQ and UHD Spain, among others.