Encoding Ultra HD with MPEGRepairHD and ExpertHD

PixelTools products can encode MPEG-2 video for display on Ultra HD displays. The PC products MPEGRepairHD and ExpertHD now include presets specific for encoding Ultra HD content appropriate for the current Ultra HD monitors.

Launch MPEGRepairHD or ExpertHD and depress the down arrow adjacent to the Base Encoding Profile edit box to bring up a drop down list. Select the 3840x2160p option to configure the encoder for Ultra HD encoding.

The Expert Workshop SDK supports the identical parameters as MPEGRepairHD and ExpertHD. For Ultra HD, we recommend the following parameter changes to the default parameters:

Bit-rate: 48,000,000
Frame Size: 3840 x 2160
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Buffer Size: 880
Level: High 1920
Rate Control Kp 50; kb 70

Specifications

MPEGRepair, ExpertHD, and the Expert Workshop SDK are capable of encoding frame sizes of 16,384 x 16,384 and bit-rates to 500mbps.  These specifications exceed the requirements for existing and future Ultra HD encoding.

Ultra HD stands for ultra high definition. It is a prototype for a new digital video format and is also referred to as ultra high definition video (UHDV). Ultra HD is the proposed replacement for existing high definition television (HDTV).

The highest-resolution HD monitors currently available offer 1,080 lines of resolution in a progressive-scan format - also known as 1080p video. These screens have 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and are theoretically capable of displaying every pixel of the highest-resolution HD broadcasts. These sets are sometimes called “ultra HD” as a marketing term, but in fact are part of the current HDTV standard.

True ultra HD is so named because it provides a video resolution containing 16 times as many pixels as current HD. Whereas HDTV uses 1,080 lines of resolution, ultra HD contains 4,320. Ultra HD uses 7,680 x 4,320 pixels in a wide screen aspect ratio of 16x9, making for a total of approximately 33 million pixels (33 mega-pixels). Ultra HD also offers improved sound quality: a 22.2 channel sound system reproduces 24 different channels of audio in three vertical layers of speakers, compared to currently available surround sound systems that use 5 or 6 channels.

Why Ultra HD

Ultra HD was developed by a Japanese public broadcast company and research group called NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories. Their aim in designing ultra HD is to present images and sound realistic enough to give viewers the sensation of being part of the scene - one reason the ultra HD format is four times as high and four times as wide as HD. One screen built to demonstrate ultra HD spans 400 inches (10,160 mm). This provides viewers with a field of view perspective of about 100 degrees, compared to 30 degrees on commercially available screens. Some observers of ultra HD demonstrations have even reported vertigo. Super Hi-Vision, also known as Ultra High Definition Video, UHDV, Ultra High Definition Television, UHDTV and UHD is an experimental digital video format, currently proposed by NHK of Japan.

Ultra HD poses numerous practical problems for manufacturers seeking to bring the new format to consumers. The uncompressed video and audio recorded in ultra HD takes up high volumes of storage space - 3.5 terabytes for one 18-minute clip, requiring a hard disc weighing almost 600 pounds (272 kg). The prototype ultra HD screen can use more electricity than an entire house might in one month. An early ultra HD camera weighs more than 100 pounds (45 kg).

Because of these issues, ultra HD will likely be used in large venues such as museums before and if it becomes commercially available.  PixelTools can provide encoded content in support of ultra HD monitors.

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MPEGRepairHD and ExpertHD are trademarks of PixelTools Corporation. All other brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respected holders.

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