THATCHAM, England—Phabrix has concluded nine months of HDR technology trials with U.K. pay TV service BT Sport, the company announced today.
For the tests, Phabrix provided its Qx rasterizers and technical expertise as BT Sport developed its live production workflow for the launch of BT Sport Ultimate, a new consumer offering that will deliver HDR, UHD and Dolby Atmos immersive sound. The BT Sport app for mobile devices will also provide HDR.
The Phabrix Qx rasterizers were deployed throughout the BT Sport production chain in more than 20 live trials. Those included tests at the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final in Madrid, the European Rugby Heineken and Challenge Cup finals in Newcastle, England, and the FA Cup Final, the company said.
BT Sport used the Qx Rasterizer to monitor and analyze SDR and HDR color gamut. Phabrix worked with BT Sport on identifying settings for SDR-to-HDR conversions and tone mappers in production trucks and networks.
The Qx rasterizer is a test and measurement instrument designed for HD/3G/6G/12G-SDI and IP ST 2110/2022-7/2022-6 environments. It offers tools for rapid fault diagnosis, compliance monitoring and product development, it said.
“HDR is an extremely important development for live sports broadcasting and in line with our innovation ethos brings our audience closer to the heart of sport than ever before: the ultimate viewing experience,” said Andy Beale, chief engineer at BT Sport. “Phabrix’s Qx rasterizer presents all the necessary HDR information we require in a clear, consistent display.”
Beale and Phabrix product manager Prinyar Boon will present a Production Masterclass at IBC 2019 entitled, “Delivering Live Football and Rugby in HDR.”
More information is available on the IBC website.
