Climbing the Ultra HD OTT ladder

By Thierry Fautier, Past President of the Ultra HD Forum, VP Strategy at Harmonic.

I will provide in this blog some personal insights and observations on the Ultra HD OTT market, looking at it from different perspectives: services worldwide, special events, characteristics of production and distribution, devices, interop, and challenges remaining.

Version 3 (major updates since the last version: inclusion of BT Sports)

Introduction

We must always consider two dimensions when talking about Ultra HD services: the number of services and the number of subscribers, which we do for the Ultra HD Forum service tracker [1]. As we only know the number of services for special events but not the associated subscribers, all the numbers I will provide are related to the number of services.

Ultra HD OTT services

The Ultra HD Forum Service Tracker lists 53 Ultra HD OTT services (15 Live and 38 VOD) out of 234 total, a 22% overall share, split into 72% for VOD and 28% for linear.

The @Ultra HD 4K News has recently published a list of UHD OTT services, as summarized in the picture below.

We can count  33 OTT services, smaller than the Ultra HD Forum service tracker.

Major events

OTT is becoming a more and more critical delivery mechanism, as highlighted by these figures I extracted from the Ultra HD Forum’s newsletters on the French tennis open 2021, the Euro 2020 (played in 2021), and the 2020 one (played in 2021) & 2022 Olympics.

Of those three major events, 24% of Ultra HD services were delivered OTT, much higher than the overall market, which was 18% for linear services. Considering that some of the content was also available in catch-up, I got close to the overall Live + VOD percentage of 22%.

Characteristics

I’ll now share a view of the service characteristics in HDR and NGA for the three separate events.

This graph shows a steady increase in the usage of HDR and NGA from none at the 2020 French Open to 75% for HDR and 50% of NGA during the Olympics (2020 & 2022).

Production

Let us now look at production figures for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and see the share of HDR.

These figures should be compared to 2 sets of data:

Based on this data, the 32% of Ultra HD HDR is very high compared to the VOD and Broadcast ratios.

Devices

Ultra HD OTT is consumed across the following devices:

The Ultra HD Forum has focused on TV and connected devices representing the most significant audience.

While I hesitate to include this in this blog as it will likely be out of date before it is published, I offer this as an informative snapshot in time and encourage the reader to consider how dynamic the Ultra HD marketplace is and the rapid rate of change and new devices. The Ultra HD Forum Guidelines have created a summary table of some major connected TV brands and their associated HDR support.

Brand	Reference		Support
Sony	https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00161421	UHD and HD models support HDR from 2017 onwards	HDR10, HLG, DV
LG	https://www.lg.com/us/experience-tvs/hdr/what-is-hdr	All 2017 and later UHD and HD models with HDR also support HDR.	HDR10, HLG, DV, SL-HDR1
Vizio	https://support.vizio.com/s/article/HDR-High-Dynamic-Range?language=en_US	Some 2016 models and all 2017 and later UHD models support HDR.	HDR10, HLG, DV
Samsung	https://www.samsung.com/global/tv/blog/what-is-hdr-and-why-is-it-the-future-of-4k-tv/	Mid-2016 and later, VIZIO SmartCast UHD HDR TVs (P, M, E series) support HLG.	HDR10, HLG, HDR10+
Roku TV (Hisense TCL, sharp, etc.)	https://support.roku.com/article/115007289948-what-is-hdr	All TCL 4K TVs after 2018 support HDR.	HDR10, (some) DV
Fire TV	https://www.amazon.com/b/ ?node=8521791011&ref=fs_ods_fs_smp_cp_t2	Hisense, Toshiba, Amazon, Insignia.	HDR10, DV
JVC TV	See link	TV and projectors	HDR10, HLG, DV
Panasonic TV	https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/televisions/4K-LED-TV.html	2016 models support HLG and HDR10m, DV on some models after that date.	HDR10, HLG, DV
Philips TV	https://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-so/tv/p/picture-quality	Philips Net, Roku TV, Chromecast TV	HDR10, HLG, DV

The Ultra HD Forum Guidelines have created a summary table of all the known connected STBs in terms of HDR support.

Notes:

• DV= Dolby Vision
  (2)  As of this publication, Apple TV devices support HLG10 HDR up to 2160p/60 
  (3) as demonstrated by Canal+ during the Champions League Final 2022
  (4) as officially announced at WWDC 2022, and not part of the Forum Guidelines at this stage

The @Ultra HD 4K News has recently published a list of UHD OTT devices (streaming media players), as summarized in the picture below.

This diagram is pretty much aligned with the Ultra HD Forum‘s view.

Interoperability

As I see it, the challenge for an OTT operator who wants to deploy a new service is to adapt the content preparation (encoding, packaging) to the devices’ capability.

The table below provides the different formats supported on the Video and Audio side by each connected device, to the best of my knowledge, at the time of writing this blog. Your feedback on this list and its completeness and accuracy is invited.

Device	Max Res.	Max Frame rate	HDR	Video Codec	Video Signalling	Audio Codec4	Packaging	System signalling
FireTV 4K Edition	2160	24/59.94	DV, HDR10, HDR10+ HLG	HEVC	SEI (2)	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	HLS/DASH	ISO (3)
FireTV  Cube	2160	60	DV HDR10	HEVC	SEI	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	HLS/DASH	ISO
FireStick 4K	2160	60	DV HDR10	HEVC	SEI	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	HLS/DASH	ISO
Android TV STB	2160	24/59.94	HDR10, HLG	HEVC	SEI		HLS/DASH	ISO
AppleTV 4K (1)	2160	24/59.94	DV HDR10, HLG	HEVC	SEI	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	HLS/DASH	ISO
Roku 4K	2160	24/59.94	DV HDR10 HLG	HEVC	SEI	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	HLS/DASH	ISO
Chromecast Ultra	2160	24/59.94	DV HDR10,	HEVC	SEI		HLS/DASH	ISO
Nvidia TV Shield	2160	60	DV HDR10,	HEVC	SEI	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	HLS/DASH	ISO
Nvidia TV Shield Pro	2160	60	DV HDR10,	HEVC	SEI	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	DASH	ISO
Xbox One X	2160	60	DV HDR10,	HEVC	SEI	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	DASH	ISO
Xbox One S	2160	60	DV HDR10,	HEVC	SEI	E-AC-3 w/JoC (Atmos)	DASH	ISO
Xiaomi Mi box	2160	60	HDR10,	HEVC	SEI		HLS/DASH?

Notes:

1. Currently, Apple TV devices support HDR up to 2601p60fps using HLG10.
2. HLG requires a VUI message for some backward compatibility modes.
3. ISO/IEC 14496-15 – Carriage of network abstraction layer (NAL) unit structured video in the ISO base media file format.
4. Audio codecs beyond legacy stereo and multichannel codecs (i.e., AC-3, AAC, HE-AAC, DTS-HD).

The Ultra HD Forum’s charter is to test those as much as possible those combinations during plug fests organized internally, with SDOs, CTA, or with different fora such as DTG (UK) or Deutsch TV Platform.

Ultra HD Devices used in US SVOD services

I provide a list of devices that support different OTT services for consumption on TV, which excludes PCs, Mobiles, and Tablets, based on information provided on the following sites :

• HBO Max Source
• Amazon Prime Source
• Netflix source
• Disney+ source

This list is not exhaustive and only indicates the depth of integration with various SVOD services in the US. Again, your feedback on this list and its completeness and accuracy is invited.

Devices	Type	SVOD Services
Amazon Fire TV	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Fire TV Cube	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Android TVs	BYOD	HBOmax	–	–	Disney+
Apple TV 4K	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix
Google Chromecast Ultra	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Chromecast with Google TV	BYOD	HBOmax	–	–	Disney+
NVIDIA Shield	BYOD	–	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku Ultra 4800x	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku 4k TVs	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku Premiere	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku Streaming Stick+	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Xiaomi Mi Box	BYOD	–	–	–	Disney+
Cox contour 2	Pay TV	HBOmax	–	Netflix	–
Cox stream player	Pay TV	HBOmax	–	Netflix	–
Xfinity X1 (Xi6)	Pay TV	HBOmax	–	Netflix	–
Xfinity Flex	Pay TV	HBOmax	–	Netflix	–
Atlantic	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Blue Ridge	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Cable One	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Dish	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
GCI	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Grande	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Mildcontinent	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
RCN	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Sudden Link	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Tivo	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Vodafone	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Wave	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
Wow	Pay TV	–	–	Netflix	–
PlayStation	Game	HBOmax	–	–	–
PS VISTA	Game	–	–	Netflix	–
PS 3	Game	–	–	Netflix	–
PS 4	Game	–	–	Netflix	–
PS 5	Game	–	–	Netflix	–
Xbox One S	Game	HBOmax	BYOD	Netflix	–
Xbox One X	Game	HBOmax	BYOD	Netflix	–
Xbox SeriesX|S	Game	HBOmax	–	–	–
Xbox X 360	Game	–	–	Netflix	–
Fire TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	–
Roku TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
XClass TV	cTV	HBOmax	–	–	–
4K Samsung TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
LG 4K TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Vizio 4K TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	–
Hisense 4K TV	cTV	–	Amazon Prime	Netflix	–
JVC 4K TV	cTV	–	Amazon Prime	–	–
Panasonic 4K TV	cTV	–	Amazon Prime	Netflix	–
Philips 4K TV	cTV	–	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Sharp 4K TV	cTV	–	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Sony 4K TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+

Out of this table, I can deduce the device penetration metric.

I see Netflix having the highs penetration (86%), followed by HBOmax (49%), Amazon (43%), and Disney+ (35%).

I can extract from this table the common denominator of the 12 devices supporting the four primary SVOD services

Devices	Type	SVOD Services
Amazon Fire TV	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Fire TV Cube	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Apple TV 4K	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix
Google Chromecast Ultra	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku Ultra 4800x	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku 4k TVs	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku Premiere	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku Streaming Stick+	BYOD	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Roku TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
4K Samsung TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
LG 4K TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+
Sony 4K TV	cTV	HBOmax	Amazon Prime	Netflix	Disney+

Ultra HD Devices used in Live services

I provide a list of devices that support different OTT services for consumption on TV, which excludes PCs, Mobiles, and Tablets, based on information provided on the following sites:

• BBC source:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/questions/supported-devices/uhd-supported-devices/
• Amazon Prime (FR ):  French tennis open https://www.primevideo.com/help/ref=atv_hp_nd_nav?nodeId=G96EC9QCLFDC95J6
• Fubo TV: https://support.fubo.tv/hc/en-us/articles/360011479911-Does-fuboTV-offer-any-content-in-4K-HDR-
• BT Sports: https://www.bt.com/help/bt-sport/orders-and-upgrade/hdr–high-dynamic-range–with-bt-sport-ultimate

This list is not exhaustive and only indicates the depth of integration with various Live services. Again, your feedback on this list and its completeness and accuracy is invited.

table v3

Service	Type	BBC	Amazon Prime French Open	Fubo TV	BT Sports
Fire TV	BYOD	–	Amazon Prime French Open	FuboTV	–
Fire TV Cube	BYOD	–	Amazon Prime French Open	FuboTV	–
Apple TV 4K	BYOD	–	–	FuboTV	BT Sports
Google Chromecast Ultra	BYOD	–	–	FuboTV	BT Sports
Roku 4K	BYOD	BBC	–	FuboTV	–
Roku Ultra 4800x		–	–	FuboTV	–
Roku Premiere		–	–	FuboTV	–
Roku Premiere+		–	–	FuboTV	–
Roku Streaming Stick+		–	–	FuboTV	–
Xbox One S		–	–	FuboTV	BT Sports
Xbox One X		–	–	FuboTV	BT Sports
Xbox SeriesX|S		–	–	FuboTV	–
Netgem 4K	BYOD	BBC	–	–	–
NVIDIA Shield	BYOD	–	Amazon Prime French Open		–
Blu-ray		limited models (1)	–		–
Android TV STB (NVIDIA Shield, Xiaomi Mi box)		BBC	Amazon Prime French Open	FuboTV	–
Virgin	Pay TV	BBC	–	–	–
BT TV Pro			–		BT Sports
Y ouview		BBC	–	–	–
Android TVs (Hisense, Sharp, Sony, Funai, Sony, TCL)		BBC	–	FuboTV	BT Sports
Roku TV (TCL, Hisense)	cTV	BBC	–	FuboTV	–
4K Samsung TV	cTV	BBC	Amazon Prime French Open	FuboTV	BT Sports
LG 4K TV	cTV	BBC	Amazon Prime French Open	FuboTV	BT Sports
Vizio 4K TV			–	FuboTV	–
CVTE	cTV	BBC	–	–	–
Difihome	cTV	BBC	–	–	–
JVC	cTV	BBC	–	–	–
Loewe	cTV	BBC	–	–	–
Manahatan	cTV	BBC	–	–	–
Panasonic	cTV	BBC	–	–	–
Philips	cTV	BBC	–	–	BT Sports
Sharp	cTV	BBC	–	–	BT Sports
Shenzhen	cTV	BBC	–	–	–
Toshiba	cTV	BBC	–	–	BT Sports
V estel	cTV	BBC	–	–	–
Walker	cTV	BBC			–

(1) See limitations in https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GNF8H853SMHNED6Z

Out of this table, I can deduce the device penetration metric.

If we look at all the devices supported, BBC iPlayer has the highest device penetration with 77%,  followed closely by FuboTV at 71%, BT Sports at 40%, and Amazon Prime last at 29%.

I can extract from this table the common denominator of the 2  device categories supporting the four major Live services.

Devices	Type	services
BBC iPlayer	Amazon Prime French Open	FuboTV	BT Sports
4K Samsung TV	cTV	BBC	Amazon Prime	FuboTV	BT Sports
LG 4K TV	cTV	BBC	Amazon Prime	FuboTV	BT Sports

Conclusion

Ultra HD OTT is getting more and more traction initially for VOD, now moving to linear channels and significant events (French Tennis Open, Olympics, Euro, FIFA world cup, Superbowl). The production ratio for significant events in Ultra HD is higher than for TV and VOD. We see a steady increase in the use of HDR and NGA for Ultra HD services. The critical aspect to understand moving forward is device interoperability, and the Ultra HD Forum is working actively on it. If you are part of the Ultra HD OTT value chain and want to test your products, joining the Ultra HD Forum is a great option. We will be happy to help you climb the Ultra HD OTT ladder (no ABR pun intended).

References

[1] https://uhdf.svta.org/uhd-service-tracker/

[2] https://uhdf.svta.org/newsletters/

[3] https://uhdf.svta.org/guidelines/