After months of uploading 4K videos on its YouTube channel, NASA has now announced plans to launch an Ultra HD TV channel. The forthcoming NASA TV UHD will offer 4K content to a variety of platforms.
To bring its plans to fruition, NASA is partnering with Harmonic, a company that specializes in video compression and delivery, to bring 60fps videos to 2160p screens.
The UHD channel is expected to launch on November 1 and feature some of the recycled films from the company’s YouTube page and high-resolution images, as well as some completely remastered footage from historical missions.
So where will you be able to watch all the grandeur of space in 4K? According to the post, Harmonic is negotiating with cable and satellite TV providers for distribution. However, given that NASA’s HD channel isn’t available on every network, chances are good that it’ll be a few years before companies like Comcast and Verizon consider adopting NASA’s 4K footage.
“As NASA reaches new heights and reveals the unknown, the NASA TV UHD channel can bring that journey to life in every home. And as organizations at the forefront of innovation, together we are leading the adoption of this exciting technology,” said Peter Alexander, chief marketing officer at Harmonic. “As the leader in UHD development, Harmonic provides a complete solution for Ultra HD video production and delivery, enabling content and service providers to offer better video quality at a low total cost of ownership.”
Robert Jacobs, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Office of Communications, shared, “Partnering with Harmonic gives NASA an outlet for its UHD content, which has four times the resolution of HD and is the next iteration of digital television.”
That said, if you can’t wait to see space in Ultra-HD, NASA will provide a stream online for users with at least a 13Mbps internet connection.
