NAB 2017: SES Offers Panoramic Glimpse Into the Future of TV With Live VR Demo

SES (Booth SU1910), along with Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI and Newtec, is demonstrating an immersive VR experience with a live 360-degree UHD VR satellite broadcast from the exhibit floor.

SES is broadcasting VR from the show floor.

The live VR broadcast originates from Fraunhofer HHI’s OmniCam-360 camera, which is capturing the sights and sounds of the SES booth. The 10K x 2K panoramic broadcast signal is being transmitted over an SES satellite to multiple UHD TV screens and VR goggles at the SES booth and other locations throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The transmission itself is being optimized using Newtec’s next-generation DVB-S2X modulator and demodulator, designed to drive better bandwidth efficiency and higher performance throughout the broadcast.

“Satellites offer the best, most robust distribution platform for the new era of immersive Ultra HD and virtual-reality television experiences because they can easily manage the huge volumes of video data these services require,” says Thomas Wrede, VP, reception systems, SES. “Using the innovative DVB-S2X transmission standard allows us to optimize bandwidth-efficiency and the service availability of such new services. This is an important milestone for SES and the television industry and shows that we continue to innovate and create new business opportunities for our video customers.”

Says Ralf Schäfer, head of division video, Fraunhofer HHI. “The SES demonstration brings together our Fraunhofer HHI camera systems with the capacity of satellite transmission for a virtual-reality experience as it is truly meant to be, on Ultra HD screens. VR is a fascinating and promising technology offering full immersion to the user when the conditions are right.”

Notes Hans Massart, market director, broadcast, Newtec, “The future-proof and award-winning Newtec MCX7000 Multi-Carrier Satellite Gateway is ideally suited to support innovative ideas. The easily upgradeable nature of this DVB-S2X platform allows us to keep optimizing not only efficiency but also the effective use of space segment. Single, multi- and channel-bonded transmission of high-bitrate content, such as Ultra HD TV and virtual-reality programming, can be supported.”