Brightcove – Embracing UltraHD: The next phase of visual and auditory experience
Yuriy Reznik, Vice President of Research, Brightcove
As technology advances, the demand for higher quality visual and auditory experiences grows. Ultra-High Definition (UltraHD) formats, which significantly exceed the quality of traditional High Definition (HD), are becoming increasingly common across various devices. However, despite the progress, the industry still faces challenges in ensuring these formats effectively reach all users.
What is UltraHD?
UltraHD marks a significant improvement in media quality. Visually, it offers higher resolutions (4K with 2160 lines versus HD 1080 or 720 lines), faster frame rates (up to 120fps compared to HD’s 29.97 or 59.94fps), a wider variety of colors (BT.2020 vs BT.709), higher dynamic range (HDR vs SDR), and higher reliability in visual representation (10- or 12-bit color depth vs 8-bit in HD). This results in clearer, more life-like images with more vibrant colors and greater detail.
When it comes to audio, UltraHD uses next-generation audio codecs, which transmit not only traditional channels but also “audio objects.” These objects enable more precise spatial audio rendering and richer immersive audio experience. Features such as dialog enhancements, multi-language options, and extensive metadata also improve the audio experience.
The evolution of UltraHD
The journey of UltraHD began in the early 2010s as advancements in technology were accelerating at a rapid pace. The ITU-T’s BT.2020 specification, which offered a wider color spectrum, emerged in 2012, followed by the HEVC video codec in 2013. By 2014, the first HDR video specifications were developed. The formation of the UltraHD Forum in 2015 also played a crucial role, offering guidelines for content preparation, encoding and post-production workflows.
Today, UltraHD is widely implemented, with around 250 TV channels and OTT services delivering content in this format – and major media companies like Sky, BBC, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video are leading the charge. User-generated content on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook now also appears in UltraHD formats. The widespread adoption of this technology has set a new standard for media consumption, making UltraHD the expected quality for new content.
UltraHD across different devices
For devices to support UltraHD formats, they require upgrades in hardware, operating system software, and applications. TV sets were the first to make the switch, with most Smart TVs now capable of supporting UltraHD. This early adoption is why these devices are often referred to as UltraHD TVs. Despite a slow start, mobile devices soon followed, accelerated by Apple’s adoption of HEVC and HDR formats into iPhones and iPads, which significantly boosted the availability and consumption of UltraHD content on mobile platforms.
Despite the early uptake for TVs and mobile devices, PCs and laptops lagged behind due to their multi-purpose nature. Video watching is just one of the many functions these devices perform, so the need to upgrade to UltraHD was less urgent. It wasn’t until the early 2020s that HDR-supported displays for consumer PCs became common. Windows 11’s support for HDR and updates in web browsers now enable UltraHD playback on these devices, marking significant progress. Today, high-end gaming laptops as well as regular productivity-category laptops are increasingly built with HDR-capable screens and playback, allowing a broader audience to experience UltraHD content.
Opportunities and challenges
The growth of UltraHD support across a wide range of devices opens up a host of new opportunities. UltraHD content offers more realistic, vibrant, and engaging experiences, comparable to a top-class cinema. The demand for higher-quality content can increase premium pricing and viewer engagement across numerous industries. For example in advertising, brands can benefit from better visual and audio quality to create more immersive adverts and ultimately increase viewer retention and response rates.
However, some challenges still remain. Ad insertion in UltraHD content requires careful consideration to avoid visually unpleasant and distracting transitions due to much higher dynamic range realizable by video and ad creative content. For example, transitioning from a dark scene in the main content to a brightly lit advert can be visually unpleasant – likened to being blinded by car headlights. Ensuring smooth transitions and maintaining a consistent visual experience across ads is essential to avoid disrupting the viewer’s experience.
Device fragmentation also creates a challenge, as not all devices can support HDR and UltraHD formats consistently. While OTT systems can manage multi-format streaming, there is still work to be done when it comes to broadcast and mixed delivery methods. This fragmentation means that content providers must prepare multiple versions of their content to accommodate different device formats, resulting in higher costs of content distribution.
What’s next for UltraHD?
As the industry continues to evolve, the broader adoption of UltraHD across all devices is inevitable. This shift offers numerous opportunities for richer media experiences but also requires coordinated efforts to overcome the challenges of widespread UltraHD adoption.
By working together, industry-wide organizations such as UltraHD Forum, Streaming Video Technology Alliance, and UltraHD Alliance can ensure that the benefits of UltraHD reach everyone, transforming how we experience digital media. Ensuring that all devices and platforms can deliver consistent, high-quality UltraHD content will be the key to unlocking the potential of UltraHD and providing viewers with the best possible experiences.
