Technicolor’s Frank Debo: Network Service Providers in EMEA Turn up the Heat on HDR Adoption
AMSTERDAM – Sept. 15, 2017—IBC 2017—Network service providers (NSPs) across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are actively testing and making plans for the deployment of High Dynamic Range (HDR) content over their infrastructures, according to Frank Debo, Vice President for Business Development in the EMEA region for Technicolor’s Connected Home division, in a podcast interview for journalists.
The technology, he says, promises a dramatic, positive impact on the consumer viewing experience with more vivid colors, richer contrasts, deeper shadows, and brighter highlights. But there are challenges. NSPs need standard solutions that reduce the complexities of content creation, distribution, and consumption, and there’s still a shortage of HDR-capable TV sets.
The technology, he says, promises a dramatic, positive impact on the consumer viewing experience with more vivid colors, richer contrasts, deeper shadows, and brighter highlights. But there are challenges. NSPs need standard solutions that reduce the complexities of content creation, distribution, and consumption, and there’s still a shortage of HDR-capable TV sets.
“HDR is really seen as an opportunity, a game-changer,” says Debo. “It’s not only going to help the service providers bring great content to mobile devices—smartphones and tablets—it’s helping also to get superb HDR quality to the TVs in people’s homes. HDR will rapidly become much more widely adopted and, in fact, will become the de facto standard for video distribution.”
Key players in the region, including large service providers like British Telecom, Orange, Liberty Global, Vodafone, and Sky Europe are already engaged in HDR trials. Many, says Debo, are even announcing plans to launch HDR-capable channels in the near future.
“They’re starting field trials to get more familiar with the technology and see how they can also start to deploy it more widely into their footprints. What we also see is that many operators—when they ask for their next-generation solutions through requests for proposals (RFPs)—are seeking support for HDR. That’s an indication that HDR is well on its way to becoming more widely adopted by the service provider community in this region,” explains Debo.
Key players in the region, including large service providers like British Telecom, Orange, Liberty Global, Vodafone, and Sky Europe are already engaged in HDR trials. Many, says Debo, are even announcing plans to launch HDR-capable channels in the near future.
“They’re starting field trials to get more familiar with the technology and see how they can also start to deploy it more widely into their footprints. What we also see is that many operators—when they ask for their next-generation solutions through requests for proposals (RFPs)—are seeking support for HDR. That’s an indication that HDR is well on its way to becoming more widely adopted by the service provider community in this region,” explains Debo.
Frank Debo – Technicolor
An effective HDR strategy is also emerging as an important aspect of how NSPs address the rise of over-the-top (OTT) services that are gaining popularity in EMEA.
“I think it’s going to be an absolute must for the NSP. For example, look at Netflix, which is already deploying HDR content on its platform. We are having multiple types of conversations and engagements with service providers about how HDR should be integrated into their OTT response strategies. We are exploring how Technicolor can help to get HDR deployed to mass markets; what needs to happen to address a hybrid environment because all TVs are not HDR-capable yet; and how NSPs can move forward in an effective and cost-efficient manner,” says Debo.
To listen in on the entire podcast interview with Frank Debo, visit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ea3dw0d50e4dxe/6_30_2017_Frank…
Journalists and analysts are free to pull quotes from this Q&A feature with attribution in media and market reports. For more details and context, contact: Lane Cooper 323 817 7547 Lane.cooper@technicolor.com
Photo: https://www.prlog.org/12664812/1
“I think it’s going to be an absolute must for the NSP. For example, look at Netflix, which is already deploying HDR content on its platform. We are having multiple types of conversations and engagements with service providers about how HDR should be integrated into their OTT response strategies. We are exploring how Technicolor can help to get HDR deployed to mass markets; what needs to happen to address a hybrid environment because all TVs are not HDR-capable yet; and how NSPs can move forward in an effective and cost-efficient manner,” says Debo.
To listen in on the entire podcast interview with Frank Debo, visit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ea3dw0d50e4dxe/6_30_2017_Frank…
Journalists and analysts are free to pull quotes from this Q&A feature with attribution in media and market reports. For more details and context, contact: Lane Cooper 323 817 7547 Lane.cooper@technicolor.com
Photo: https://www.prlog.org/12664812/1
