Vienna State Opera claims first live 4K-streamed broadcast

One of the world’s most famous performance institutions, the Vienna State Opera (VSO), has partnered with Elemental to stream what is claimed to be the world’s first live production in 4K video coding (HEVC).

Rapid TV News reports the performance will be delivered via MPEG-DASH over the Internet for global viewing on Samsung Smart TVs and on special public display in the opera house.  The broadcast is set for 7pm CET on 7 May and will feature the production of Verdi’s Nabucco starring Plácido Domingo in the title role.

It will be streamed for global viewing on UltraHD smart TVs as well as to a 65″ Samsung UltraHD TV at the opera house.

Producing more than 40 live broadcasts annually, the Vienna State Opera, also known as Wiener Staatsoper, is a leader in the use of innovative technology for the arts and is making nearly all of its 2014/2015 season productions accessible to viewers via the Internet, smart TVs and mobile devices.

The new Wiener Staatsoper Samsung Smart TV app has already been released, is claimed to be the first of its kind. It has a fully integrated UltraHD playout functionality that will allow viewers worldwide to watch the broadcast at their respective prime time, through Vienna State Opera’s unique time-shift feature.

VSO’s broadcast is based on video processing solutions from Elemental Technologies. In addition to 4K HEVC real-time video streaming, Elemental will support live streaming and video-on-demand (VOD) for the Wiener Staatsoper full HD live streaming service, which enables viewers to purchase a selection of live performances over the Web to be enjoyed on computers, mobile devices (iOS and Android), connected TVs and on Samsung smart TVs, time-shifted for optimal viewing in each local market.