Deluxe Bolts 4K Features To On Demand Platform

Deluxe said it has added 4K-facing features and workflows to its cloud-based video-on-demand platform for service provider partners.

Deluxe, a partner for DirecTV’s recently launched 4K offering, said the 4K/Ultra HD enhancements added to its cloud-based Deluxe OnDemand platform include digital re-mastering and processing using HEVC/H.265 as well as High Dynamic Range (HDR) displays, such as those that will support Dolby Vision, a proprietary HDR system.

Other 4K-facing enhancements include ingest and re-mastered source files, support for adaptive bit rate transcoding and video packaging for a variety of device types, as well as on-net and off-net network hosting and delivery options, the company said.

Rather than building out those systems on their own, several service providers have opted to outsource content processing and delivery to Deluxe OnDemand, Todd Collart, general manager of Deluxe Digital Distribution, said, noting that the company has become a “general contractor” for the 4K market.

In addition to service providers, Deluxe is also handling 4K content processing, management and distribution for Ultra HD TVs from Samsung and LG Electronics

4K “is nascent market…and it’s complicated to get it work across devices,” Collart said. With the latest integrations, “we’re trying to get 4K out of the lab and getting it directly to the consumers.”

Deluxe is beefing up its 4K capabilities as the consumer adoption expands. 4K TV shipments surged 500% in the third quarter of 2014 versus the year-ago period, topping 3 million units, extending total shipments to 6.4 million units through the first three quarters of 2014, according to a recent report from DisplaySearch.