According to a report, MultiChoice Group is in plans to launch 4K content, hopefully in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Barry Dubovsky, the chief operating officer at MultiChoice Connected Video told TechCentral that the group is working hard to get 4K broadcasts and streams ready in time for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
What Is 4K?
A 4K display is one with at least 8 million active pixels. For televisions, that resolution has been standardized to 3,840 by 2,160. Digital Cinema 4K (the resolution in 4K movie theatres) is slightly higher at 4,096 by 2,160. However you define it, it’s four times the number of pixels on a 1080p display, and over 23 times the resolution of standard-definition television.
We’re well into the age of 4K now. HDTVs with 1,920-by-1,080 resolutions have been effectively placed with bigger, brighter 4K TVs with four times as many pixels. 4K has gone through its early steps and various growing pains for early adopters and is now solidly mainstream as the standard type of TV you can buy. You can find 4K TVs in all sizes and prices. If you haven’t made the jump to 4K yet, this is a good time to do it.
A leap from 1080p to 4K would be quite a significant upgrade in quality. At the moment, DStv’s streams hit a max of only 1080p which is often stuck in 720p or even 480p for slow connections.
While this sounds super exciting, please note that Dubovsky emphasised in the interview that the company’s priority remains minimising data costs for customers, “to make sure the content is accessible to everyone”.
“We want to make sure the quality of the streaming is sufficient, so that people don’t have a terrible experience and start complaining and move away. You have to get the basics right that’s the ticket to play,”
said Dubovsky.
MultiChoice’s new set-top box decoder, the Explora Ultra launched last year, is already 4K-ready and subscribers can access 4K content through bundled apps from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Asked whether the 4K content would be available to all MultiChoice customers, including those using the Explora Ultra, Dubovsky said: “Ultimately, it’s a similar proposition in terms of optimising the viewing experience for customers. I don’t want to give a generic answer here, but absolutely, it’s a priority. We can’t fall behind the market in this space. But we have immediate priorities to ensure the mass market and the middle market can consume our content as a starting point. We can spread the love initially and then progressively step up into the new world.”
