Press releases Archives - HD Forum Italia

The States-General continue

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 13:34:02 +0000

The HDFI General States opened in Salerno last September, in the shape of a technical consultation among delegates from all HDFI Associates, to meditate on the evolution of the use of television media over the next decade. The event had been preceded by a due market investigation prepared by IHS Markit and shared during the meeting.
The activity continues in 2019 with a second survey, conceived and managed directly by HDFI along with the wave of what emerged last year, through a web questionnaire of about thirty questions, to which a sample of three hundred guests responded, technology experts in the field of media, audiovisual, and information technology. A new session of the States-General will take place in Lucca on June 6th and will examine a preview of the investigation results. The meeting is reserved for a representative delegation from all HDFI Associates and for a number of selected potential future associates, with a significant presence in new emerging sectors, such as OTT, 5G, AI, Big Data, and Blockchain operators. These topics are increasingly important in the near future television supply ecosystem, as well as the ability to measure, profile and guide consumption trends, both at the content and device level.
Plenty of results will be studied, reworked, and organized by the same IHS over the next few months. IHS will release a document, as the basis of an HDFI booklet with the title “Age of Disruption”, scheduled for presentation at the next annual HDFI conference, in Rome, this autumn. The booklet will outline the macro-trends highlighted by the survey and the main consequent actions for a multi-year HDFI agenda.

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Milan will be the venue for the next Annual Conference of HD Forum Italia

Thu, 04 Oct 2018 11:34:34 +0000

The important event of the Annual Conference of HD Forum Italia was held on 25th and 26th October 2018 in the splendid scenery of the Grand Hotel Villa Torretta.
A very awaited appointment, also to take stock of the most current issues and look at the future and the new fronts of blockchain, artificial intelligence, 5G, and Ultra High Definition.
The two “keystones” that guided the development of this event were the “Ultra HD: Beyond the television screen” and the “Guide Thought: Trends towards the Real World”.

The main themes, addressed by the distinguished invited speakers were:
The ecosystem of Italian television and the reconfiguration of 2022
The vision of the Italian Authority
The future of OTT distribution
Trends of the public

The association had the immense pleasure to present the HbbTV Competent Center during the event.

Of particular value, the presentation was presented by IHS Markit, a company specialized in the analysis of the media sector and technologies, which on commission of HDFI had the honor to present the important results of the sector of great interest to the industry, the manufacturers, broadcasters, technology development companies, and stakeholders.

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HD Forum Italia brings the General States on September 27th and 28th 2018 in Salerno

Wed, 08 Aug 2018 11:38:35 +0000

The meeting was designed to project the Association over the next 10 years through an industry study, developed in collaboration with the international research company IHS Markit and the active debate among the Associates.
The intention is to reveal the elements that will guide the evolution of the audiovisual communication sector in the next decade and will allow the Forum to be prepared to renew its commitment to new technological challenges. The trends of the digital age of the media will be studied in relation to the current technological scenario and with respect to the evolutionary projections that the industry, broadcasters, distribution operators and the supply chain will all want to compare.
The event will see the contribution and participation of important sector players:
the prestigious University of Salerno – Department of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, which will host the first day of the event at the “Campus Fisciano” and will support the research of HDFI also contributing with the studies that the same university has already undertaken with respect to the evolutionary technologies of audiovisual.
Will also partecipate:

Representatives from the 25 member companies will be attending, who will focus their interventions on the trends to be undertaken for the transformation of HDFI. The outcome of the General States will be elaborated and presented at the Annual Conference of HDFI which will be held in Milan on 25 and 26 October 2018.

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Press Release UHD BOOK 1.0 – Unified Volume

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 16:47:08 +0000

The “holistic” vision of cross-platform TV. The new NGX paradigm: very high definition for images, audio and interactivity.

Download the press release

Rome, 19 December 2017 – A new leading-edge contribution on the “Vision of the TV of the Future” is announced today by HD FORUM ITALIA (HDFI), with the release of Ultra HD BOOK 1.0 – Unified Volume, prepared in collaboration with Confindustria Radio TV (CRTV). This technical compendium is the latest in a series containing specifications for manufacturers of television receivers, to meet the requirements of the multi-platform TV system in Italy.
As a result of the activities of the Joint Technical Group (a technical body set up within HDFI), the Book is a breakthrough contribution to the development of Ultra HDTV, in the frontline promoting the uptake of international standards that include new image (HDR, WCG, HFR) and sound (NGA) technologies.
The Ultra HD Book 1.0 – Unified Volume represents a new generation of specifications that considers a “holistic” television through the cross-platform concept – satellite, terrestrial and broadband – to guarantee to the users a unique, integrated, innovative and engaging experience, thanks to the extremely high definition of images, the immersive sound of latest generation and the performance provided by the interactivity with HbbTV 2.
The collection of technical specifications will guarantee consumers with a choice of innovative and durable technology, also in view of the technological changes concerning the first generation of terrestrial digital television, which will take place in 2022, so as to provide manufacturers with useful indications to introduce compatible TV receivers in the Italian market.
“Our ambition has always been to meet the future of technology and to safeguard the market and consumers from the risk of an evolution not governed by leading-edge standards widely shared by industry“, says Benito Manlio Mari, President of HDFI. “The Unified Volume is the result of a year of intense work which was contributed by eighty and more experts from all over the world. It has already attracted great interest from main international organizations such as DVB, EBU and HbbTV, and from the major Italian and European stakeholders“
Particularly innovative is the definition of the NGX paradigm – Next Generation Experience, meaning that Ultra High Definition, along with HDR, WCG, HFR, NGA and HbbTV 2 technologies, is a formidable mix of advanced solutions, applicable to video-shooting systems, to related audiovisual production equipment, to content already available in dedicated libraries, to TV receivers and to new generation screens. Solutions, which altogether show and stimulate a renewed user experience for the use of, and interaction with, contents and services.
“HbbTV association congratulates HDFI on the publication of UHD Book 1.0 – Unified Volume. The Association is excited to see the first specification that brings together broadcast UHD channels with HbbTV services. The Association is pleased that the UHD Books 1.0 includes all of HbbTV 2, which will strengthen its global rollout”, said Klaus Illgner, Chair of the HbbTV Association.
Ultra HD Book 1.0 – Unified Volume

Contacts:
Web: www.hdforumitalia.org – Email: info@hdforumitalia.org
Person responsible for press relations on behalf of HDFI:
Eugenio Bonanata +39 349 29 48 54 – eubonanata@gmail.com
About HD Forum Italia Association (www.hdforumitalia.org):
Founded for the purpose of promoting, supporting, presenting and disseminating the use of audiovisual and multimedia content, as well as high-definition products and technologies, the Association HD Forum Italia has followed the evolutionary path of High Definition, by producing important technical literature that gave rise to what we called HD Book collection: a series of guides, protocols and documents with specific recommendations that over the years have become a precious compass for broadcasters and manufacturers.

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HD Forum Italia: satisfaction for the success of 6° HbbTV Symposium

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 15:23:44 +0000

HD Forum Italia expresses great satisfaction for the success of 6th HbbTV Symposium, held in Rome on October 17 and 18, at the Auditorium Antonianum, jointly promoted and organized by HbbTV and HDFI associations. Strengthening the link between the two entities, the event has allowed to orientate the technological path towards TV innovation, along a European dimension.
We registered more than 260 attendees, 40 speakers, widely representing the value chain of the audio-visual segment and 18 sponsors that animated a valuable exhibition area. Furthermore, thanks to the involvement of several representatives of the news sector, a vast remote audience of readers and viewers has been given visibility of the work done so far by the Italian technology media industry.
In the exhibition space, the new HbbTV2 platform has been shown at work in numerous demonstrations that have allowed ‘to touch’ the latest generation of interactive services through SmartTV and advance set top boxes. “The TVs that we will find in the Italian stores shelves in the coming months”, says Benito Manlio Mari, president of HD Forum Italia, “are the result of a new paradigm driven by technological convergence. The keywords are: Ultra HD, interactive, and hybrid. Also, multiplatform, since content feeding is jointly assured, in a way that is seamless for the user, by all signal distribution networks: digital terrestrial, satellite and IP.” Thanks to the work of HDFI, which is going to give soon its latest fruit with the Ultra HD Book 1.0, the TV becomes a holistic terminal by all effects.

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‘Passing through: communication and technology beyond frontiers’, – The event to be held on 6 and 7 October in the Vatican is approaching

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:20:53 +0000

The event celebrates the tenth anniversary of HD Forum Italia Association.

Just a few days to go to ‘Passing through: communication and technology beyond frontiers’, the HD Forum Italia (HDFI) 2016 conference that celebrates the association’s 10^th anniversary. The event, organised in partnership with the Secretariat for Communication (SPC) of the Holy See, will take place on 6-7 October at the ‘San Pio X’ Media Center, in Via della Conciliazione 5. To participate, online registration is recommended through our website www.hdforumitalia.org where conference program details are available .

The welcome and opening address by mons. Dario Edoardo Viganò – prefect of the SPC – and Benito Manlio Mari – president of HDFI – will be followed by the presentation of ‘Behind the Scenes’, the Ultra HD/HDR reportage video giving a backstage view of the opening ceremony of the Jubilee of Mercy which will be presented in a new version, with the application of the HDR curves indicated in the recent technical recommendations issued by ITU.

The next item will focus on the Association’s first ten years with a round table discussion led by the vice-presidents, Sebastiano Trigila, Marco Pellegrinato and Luigi Rocchi. Speakers for this session relating to the years marked by international collaborations, include: Barbara Lange, Executive Director ofSMPTE – United States; Leonardo Chiariglione, founder of the MPEG Group; Klauss Illgner, Chairman of the HbbTV Association; Thierry Fautier, President of Ultra HD Forum; Stefano D’Agostini, Director of the Vatican Television Center.

Next on the agenda will be a discussion on the TV of the future, above all in light of the growing progress being made in Ultra HD. On the stage: Massimo Bertolotti, Director of Innovation & Multimedia Distribution for Sky Italia; Sean Durkin, Engineer, Media Engineering & Partnerships Netflix; Eugenio Pettazzi, CTO Mediaset Premium; Emanule Valli, Director General AASS San Marino.

The following will be present to enrich the discussion : Franco Siddi, President of Confindustria Radio Televisioni; Yvonne Bertalot, Senior Sales Manager Europe MX1; Luca Balestrieri, Executive Board Member of Tivù; Renato Farina, CEO of Eutelsat Italia.

The moderators will be Emilio Carelli, editorialist, Raffaele Barberio, Director of Key4biz, and Mario Frullone, Director of Research – Fondazione Ugo Bordoni.

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Stefano D’Agostini, Director of the Vatican Television Center, appointed honorary member of HD Forum Italia.

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 06:50:38 +0000

HD Forum Italia (HDFI) announces that Stefano D’Agostini, Director of the Vatican Television Center (CTV), has been appointed honorary member of the Association, in recognition of his ongoing commitment to innovation with a particular focus on the high technical quality of televised images. His role as head of the Holy See national broadcaster is as intense as it is concrete, and it is through this activity that we can trace the progress made by the entire department over the last few decades. The appointment, endorsed unanimously by HDFI’s Executive Council, also underscores the attention that D’Agostini has always dedicated to the value of cooperation, above all on the occasion of historical events marked by the use of Ultra High Definition.

Stefano D’Agostini, Director of CTV, stated: “I am honoured to become part of HD Forum Italia. In its 10 years of activity the Association has always strived to involve the entire audiovisual supply chain through international discussion forums. This approach, moreover, promotes a kind of longstanding relationship between a group of friends and leading professionals united by the idea of placing innovation at the service of a well-defined purpose, while overcoming the boundaries of current technology at each single step.”

Benito Manlio Mari, President of HDFI, commented: “With the appointment of Stefano D’Agostini, the Association is enriched by the remarkable professionalism of a man with a verve for initiative and technological research, which will enable us to pursue projects in the area of audiovisual production. He will be an excellent resource that, with his innovative ideas, will encourage the exploration of new techniques to activate the convergence of languages used in multimedia communication.”

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HD Forum Italia enrolls as Associate Member to Ultra HD Forum

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:53:46 +0000

HD Forum Italia is proud to announce that, following informal cooperation started as early as November 2015 and confirmation of interests to interact in a more organised way, an Associate Membership Application has been sent to Ultra HD Forum. A more than enthusiastic reply has been immediately received from Thierry Fautier, the chairman of Ultra HD Forum, expressing his intention to announce HD Forum Italia application in a meeting with Ultra HD Forum members present at IBC, Amsterdam. Benito Manlio Mari, president of HD Forum Italia, will be invited to participate.

Mr Fautier commented: “We are glad about HD Forum Italia joining Ultra HD Forum, as we know the extremely valuable work carried out by them for promotion and advancement of HD and UHD technologies in a major marketplace as Italy. I am honored to connect this initiative, with their forthcoming 10th anniversary of operations”.

Mr Mari expressed “the interest of HD Forum Italia in cooperating with Ultra HD Forum, by bringing in all the experience developed in the last years”. “The Italian marketplace “, continued Mr Mari, “is particularly challenging because it welcomes several global players related to audiovisual technology and thus requires harmonization of global technical solutions in the spirit of preliminary cooperation in voluntary standardization for more efficient competition, and in the interest of the Italian citizens, that must be offered the best user experience, at an affordable and reliable innovation pace”.

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IBC 2016: the Vatican broadcasts first ever worldwide Ultra HD/HDR satellite transmission

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 08:32:48 +0000

Acclaim by the international technological community for the initiative of the Secretariat for Communication conducted by CTV in collaboration with Eutelsat, DBW Communication, Globecast and Sony

Great interest was shown at the IBC 2016 in progress in Amsterdam, in the presentation of the case history on the first ever live worldwide Ultra HD/HDR transmission of the ceremony of the opening of the Holy Door in the Vatican on 8 December 2015.

In the prestigious setting of the session on technological conferences held during the IBC, Cristiano Benzi from Eutelsat delineated the operational details of the initiative promoted by the Secretariat for Communication and conducted by the Vatican Television Center in collaboration with a pool of companies consisting of Eutelsat, Globecast, DBW Communication and Sony.

In the foreground the technical capability displayed in transmitting of an event that, among other things, enabled the successful testing of HDR production and transmission, in despite the fact that at the time the international standard had not yet been ratified. The ability to overcome the issues related to availability on the market of products necessary to shoot and broadcast live in Ultra HD was also underscored.

To relive the experience the attendees were presented with a brief excerpt from ‘Behind-the-scenes’, an experimental report filmed in Ultra HD-4K/HDR and produced by the Vatican institutions together with HD Forum Italia, an audiovisual industry association. The film revolves around the backstage activities surrounding the ceremony held last December with the inclusion of images filmed in the past using different technologies.

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‘Passing through’: registration is now open for HD Forum Italia’s 2016 Conference promoted together with the Secretariat for Communication of the Holy See

Fri, 15 Jul 2016 08:11:09 +0000

Registration is now open for ‘Passing though: communication and technology beyond frontiers’, the traditional annual conference of HD Forum Italia (HDFI) Association, this year jointly promoted by the Secretariat for Communication of the Holy See and the Association. The event, part of the strategic partnership entered into by the two parties, will take place on 6 and 7 October at the Media Center ‘San Pio X’, a Vatican structure at via della Conciliazione 5, Rome.

The new Television will be the underlying theme of the two days to which many exponents of the worldwide technological community have already accepted an invitation to be speakers.To participate you are required to register by filling in the form available on our web site www.hdforumitalia.org where you will also find the event program.

This event will celebrate HDFI’s 10th anniversary by offering two days filled with new ideas and insights. On the agenda: the restructuring of the Vatican media led by the Secretariat for Communication; the experience gained by the Vatican Television Center in the field of innovation; the presence of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) which will lead a specialist workshop on the emerging standards – that is HDR, WCG and HFR – that are the basis of the ever-growing progress in the field of Ultra HD TV production.

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