World’s First Native 4K TV Channel Goes Live in Europe
Shelly Palmer
Hot on the heels of CES, where 4K TVs stole the show, comes news that the world’s first 4K TV channel is now live in Europe. Eutelsat, a French-based satellite provider, has just begun broadcasting in 4K on a demo channel. 4K, also called “Ultra HD,” has four times the resolution of current high-def broadcasts. The format doubles the pixel count in both directions, which can result in a much sharper picture at larger screen sizes. While 4K TVs made headlines at CES, there is currently very little native 4K content, leaving the super-sharp TVs upconverting lower-resolution video most of the time. Eutelsat’s 4K channel aims to point the way toward changing that. The provider says 4K doesn’t require any modification to its systems, although if you’re a customer you’ll obviously need a 4K TV and the 4K-capable receiver to see the broadcasts at full resolution.
