Demonstrations of the transmission of ultra-high definition (UHD) content over broadband and satellite networks at the IBC 2008 kicked off speculation about the time frame for the possible commercialization of UHD broadcasts to the home.

In its latest report, In-Stat market research analysts expect the total installed base of UHDTVs Europe to approach 5% household penetration by 2021, and increase to over 28.2% penetration by 2025.

As originally proposed, UHD comes in two levels of resolution: 7680 x 4320 pixels representing 33.2 megapixels per viewing screen (i.e., 8K resolution), and 3840 x 2160 pixels representing 8.3 megapixels per viewing screen (i.e., 4K resolution). These UHD formats provide between four and sixteen times the resolution of Blu-ray or 1080p high definition.

In-Stat believes the commercialization time frame for both 4K and 8K UHDTVs will follow the implementation and deployment of several UHD-related or -enabling technologies in three segments of the media and entertainment value chain. First, digital cinemas will expose consumers to high resolution content. Then, UHDTVs will be made available through retail outlets to provide a similar digital cinema high resolution viewing experience in the home. Last, broadcasters will start offering UHD content to an addressable market of UHDTVs between 2017 and 2022.

In-Stat believes there will be a lengthy time period before the UHD market reaches a critical mass of 5% household penetration. “However, as the initial market debuts over the next five to ten years, there will be ample opportunities for technology companies, manufacturers, service providers and media companies to experiment with business models and strategies to make UHD a strong business in the long term,” says Michelle Abraham, In-Stat analyst.

In Asia-Pacific, Japan will be among the early adopter countries.

Click here for details on report.

Story filed 02.03.10