Deliver HD and UHD within existing broadcast spectrum
What if one broadcast service could deliver HD and UHD without additional spectrum?
Broadcasters want to introduce UHD, but most cannot justify a separate UHD service. With MPEG-5 LCEVC, existing receivers continue to decode the HD base layer, while LCEVC-enabled televisions and set-top boxes decode an additional enhancement layer to reconstruct UHD. This enables broadcasters to evolve a single broadcast service, using only a modest increase in bandwidth within their existing spectrum allocation.
The challenge
Broadcasters want to introduce UHD services, but existing HD audiences (i.e. existing consumer devices in homes) are not disappearing overnight. At the same time, many markets have little or no spare broadcast spectrum available for a separate UHD service.
The challenge is enabling a gradual transition to UHD without simulcasting separate HD and UHD services or requiring additional broadcast spectrum.
The solution
MPEG-5 LCEVC enhances existing codecs, including AVC, HEVC, VVC (as well as AV1 and AV2 in streaming), without replacing the underlying codec or broadcast workflow.
Its scalable architecture combines an efficient HD base layer with an LCEVC residual enhancement layer. Existing compatible receivers continue to decode the HD base layer, while LCEVC-enabled televisions or more cost-effective set-top boxes decode both layers to reconstruct UHD. This enables broadcasters to deliver HD and UHD from a single broadcast service, avoiding the need to simulcast separate HD and UHD channels and requiring only a modest increase in bandwidth within their existing spectrum allocation.
Broadcasters can introduce UHD incrementally, without waiting for the entire installed base to be upgraded.
Benefits
- Deliver HD and UHD from a single broadcast service
- Avoid simulcasting separate HD and UHD channels
- Introduce UHD using existing spectrum allocation
- Preserve existing broadcast infrastructure and workflows
Why it matters
Broadcast remains the most efficient way to deliver live television to millions of viewers simultaneously. As audiences increasingly expect UHD experiences, broadcasters need a practical way to evolve services without duplicating channels, consuming additional spectrum or leaving existing viewers behind.
LCEVC’s scalable architecture provides that migration path, enabling HD and UHD to coexist within a single broadcast service while supporting a gradual transition to next-generation television.
