Technicolor and Sinclair Broadcast Group have successfully tested a live broadcast in 4K resolution with high dynamic range through the proposed ATSC 3.0 system. “There’s been a lot of attention on new Ultra HD (4K) TVs, which have the potential to display four times the resolution of today’s HD; and HDR, a feature that increases the range between the whitest whites and blackest blacks for a more realistic picture,” explains The Hollywood Reporter. “But currently, there isn’t a system in place to broadcast these images live and over the air.”

“We’re building a path toward new broadcast TV services that are appropriate for UHD and HDR,” said Vince Pizzica, Technicolor’s senior executive VP of corporate development and technology. “We’re excited to reach the first milestone in our testing of real-world, challenging environments. This latest series of over-the-air tests confirms that Technicolor’s HDR video solutions support broadcast at HD and 4K resolutions, as well as for standard dynamic range and mobile devices.”

Technicolor and Sinclair used the ATSC 3.0. system to broadcast the high-resolution video. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The companies claim its system met many of the requirements of the new proposed television standard from the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC).” Technicolor will unveil more of its HDR strategy at NAB this week.

Netflix and other streaming services have added some 4K content to their libraries, while “the Blu-ray Disc Association has developed an updated format with Ultra HD and HDR support that it plans to begin to roll out later this year,” notes THR.

By 2018, there will be more than 100 million 4K TVs worldwide, according to research from Futuresource Consulting.