VietNamNet Bridge – The Saigon Cable Television (SCTV) said it would broadcast television programs using the 4K standard in Vietnam this September, the first of its kind in Vietnam.

SCTV will initially apply the 4K standard on one channel and then on others, with contents both produced by Vietnam and foreign channels.

The test will commence in September and the audience will officially enjoy the new standard next year. This plan turns Vietnam into one of the first countries in Southeast Asia providing 4K standard television programs.

During the trial period, SCTV will provide free 4K services.

However, to benefit from the new technology, the viewer must use SCTV television services, have a 4K TV set and a new digital set-top.

In the future, 4K standard will be not only provided on cable TV channels but also through satellite television or the Internet in the form of on-demand content.

In the domestic market, about 1/3 models of TV sets are UltraHD 4K resolution TV screens. However, 4K content is not available much as all television services in Vietnam currently supply contents of HD standards. Netflix is a rareonline movie services supporting 4K TV, but it is uncommon in Vietnam.

The name "4K resolution" refers to a horizontal resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. The use of width to characterize the overall resolution marks a switch from previous television standards such as 480i and 1080p, which categorize media according to its vertical dimension. Using that same convention, 4K UHD would be named 2160p.

Minh Nguyen