Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Watch this rocket launch TV’s future into space with DirecTV’s new 4K UHD satellite

By

directv launches 4k uhd satellite 14 rendering
It was one short flight for Arianespace’s VA221 rockets on December 6, but a significant leap for DirecTV as the satellite TV service’s new DirecTV-14 satellite was launched into geosynchronous orbit around the earth along with GSAT-16, a satellite to be used by the India Space Research Organization (ISRO). The launch took place from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 5:40 local time.

DirecTV LLC Big Time Savings

The company responsible for building DirecTV-14, Space Systems/Loral (SSL), reports that the satellite is functioning well and successfully executing post-launch maneuvers to establish its final orbiting position of 99 degrees West longitude.

Recommended Videos

DirecTV-14 is a 20-kilowatt Ka- and reverse-band digital broadcast satellite (DBS) that will ultimately bring 4K UHD content to DirecTV’s US customers. The satellite reportedly uses an advanced beam forming network to provide service to the lower 48 states, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. SSL states that, with this launch, 78 of its satellites are now in orbit around the planet, 12 of which are 7-ton, 20-kilowatt models like DirecTV-14. Once officially in operation, DirecTV-14 will be the company’s 7th functioning satellite.

Related

Earlier this year, DirecTV managed to beat cable companies to the 4K UHD punch with a streaming VOD service exclusive to Samsung 4K UHD TV owners, offering 19 titles from Paramount Pictures and K2 communications, highlighted by big-budget visual spectacles such as Transformers: Age of Extinction and 2009’s Star Trek. Comcast is expected to launch its own 4K UHD service early next year, and it is also expected to be exclusive to Samsung TV’s initially.

This development should come as good news to 4K UHD TV owners, as ultra high definition content has been scarce since the new resolution standard began appearing in next-gen televisions just over two years ago. DirecTV is the first cable or satellite operator to offer 4K content to viewers outside of streaming video services over the Internet, and now appears to be in a strong position to be one of the first to offer live 4K UHD content via satellite or cable.

Netflix was first to offer streaming 4K content to a broad US audience equipped with 4K UHD televisions, and Amazon is expected to follow suit with its own 4K streaming service, which, unlike Netflix, will be offered at no additional cost to Prime subscribers. Other 4K streaming services presently include M-Go (exclusive to Samsung for now), and UltraFlix (also currently exclusive to Samsung 4K UHD TV owners).

Considering the fierce rivalry that exists between DirecTV and its rival, Dish Network, it would come as a little surprise to learn the latter satellite service has its own 4K UHD broadcast strategy in the works, potentially making the announcement at the forthcoming CES 2015 trade show in January.

See the satellite launch in the video below.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Caleb Denison
Caleb Denison
Editor at Large
Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…
Leica launches the Hisense-powered $8,300 Cine 1, its first 4K Laser TV, at CES 2023
Leica Cine 1 Laser TV (angle view, dust cover open).

Legendary German photography company Leica Camera has debuted its first Laser TV at CES 2023. The Leica Cine 1 is a 4K, triple-laser ultra short throw (UST) projector made in partnership with Hisense.  It will be available in both 100-inch and 120-inch versions with prices starting at $8,295 when it hits the U.S. market in the third quarter of 2023. Leica plans to sell the Cine 1 in Europe in the spring.

Though the laser guts of the Cine 1 will be built by Hisense, Leica says it's adding its own distinct touches to the Laser TV to ensure it delivers on people's expectations of the Leica brand. This includes a Leica-engineered Summicron lens that has been matched to the projector's image size, as well as Leica's own image processing (Leica Image Optimization, or LIO) to optimize picture quality with special algorithms.

Read more
Samsung shows off the first two 77-inch QD-OLED 4K TVs at CES 2023
Samsung S95C QD-OLED 4K TV.

Samsung was the first company to show off a 4K TV based on QD-OLED technology at CES 2022, and now, at CES 2023 it has unveiled two new QD-OLED models -- the S95C Samsung OLED and S90C Samsung OLED -- and each will be available as 77-inch models. Both will also be offered in 55- and 65-inch sizes.  The news came one day after Samsung Display confirmed it would show its next-gen "QD-OLED 2023" panel at the show in a 77-inch size.

When QD-OLED-based TVs debuted in 2022, Samsung and Sony revealed the first two 4K TVs models within hours of each other: the Samsung S95B and the Sony A95K. Both TVs proved to be absolutely stunning in terms of picture quality, leaving our reviewer no choice but to award them a rare 10/10 rating. But the TVs themselves weren't especially large; only 55- and 65-inch sizes were introduced.

Read more
YouTube TV did 4K sports right — so maybe it’s time to cancel it
World Cup in 4K on YouTube TV.

Let us stipulate a few things: When it comes to video, higher resolution is better. Sure, there are diminishing returns — I wouldn't go out and buy an 8K television just yet. But going from 720p to 1080p is a huge leap in quality. Maybe a little less so when you go from 1080p to 4K, but that's also very much going to depend on your circumstances — television size, what room you're in, etc.

And one more stipulation: 4K for World Cup 2022 was pretty much a necessity. If you've ever watched live sports in 4K, you probably already knew that. FuboTV has had some live sports for years now, and YouTube TV — which is the most popular live service in the U.S., and more than five times larger than FuboTV with more than 5 million subscribers at last count — has had it as an option since the summer of 2021. You also could watch in 4K via the Fox Sports app, provided that you already had a subscription to a cable, satellite, or streaming service.

Read more