World’s First
The South Korean government has initiated UHD broadcasting with terrestrial broadcasting stations on May 31. A ceremony for celebrating the initiation is scheduled for that day at the KINTEX Convention Center located in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province.
The three terrestrial broadcasting stations, that is, KBS, MBC and SBS, have conducted experimental UHD broadcasting with shared parameters since late February this year. “At present, there is no problem with the initiation of the regular UHD broadcasting on May 31,” said an industry source, adding, “Although KBS needs to test the technology for about one month, MBC and SBS are currently in the final test stage.”
Still, there are some problems when it comes to reception environments. According to experts, the number of households that can enjoy it is likely to be very small for the time being. UHD broadcasting reception requires a direct reception of terrestrial broadcasting by means of a new UHD TV following ATSC 3.0, a U.S. standard. In the case of those who use existing UHD TVs following the European standard of DVB-T2, an additional converter like a set-top box has to be installed.
LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics launched UHD TVs following the U.S. standard in late February and early March, respectively. The sales volume of these products is still insignificant though. Besides, the converter has yet to be released. Samsung and LG are expected to begin the supply of the converter late this month. In addition, consumers should buy an additional set-top box, estimated to be priced at 60,000 won or so, even if the converter becomes available. The number of households currently using the existing UHD TV following the European standard is estimated at approximately one million.
According to industry sources, households that have their own antennas account for merely 2% of the total households directly receiving terrestrial broadcasting as of now and, as such, the UHD broadcasting is likely to be enjoyed by few for a while after the initiation. As of 2015, the ratio of direct terrestrial broadcasting reception was 5.3%.