The 4K HDR Summit will be a meeting point for Spanish companies that are making UHD a reality

• Spanish companies such as Hispasat, Cellnex Telecom, Gsertel, AEQ, Axión and Aicox, which will participate alongside its partner Small Pixels, Sapec, Alfalite, MoMe and Datos Media are leaders in promoting and positioning Spain as a leader in UHD.
• The eleventh edition of the 4K HDR Summit will take place from 11 to 14 November, with two in-person days (Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12) at the Cartuja Auditorium in Seville TechPark and two virtual days.

In recent years, Spain has positioned itself as one of the most active European countries – perhaps the most active – in the transition to Ultra High Definition (UHD). The new standard for top-quality television is becoming established over time and in Spain it is already a reality enjoyed by millions of Spaniards free-to-air and free of charge via Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) thanks to public radio and television.

The start of regular RTVE broadcasts in UHD via TVE’s La 1 channel in February 2024 marked a milestone in broadcasting, not only nationally, but also in Europe and worldwide. At that time, Spain became the first country in the world to have a channel on DTT in Ultra High Definition. This step towards the television of the future was announced at the 4K HDR Summit 2023, and the 2025 edition will once again feature the leading operators, manufacturers, engineering and technical solutions companies, telecommunications, infrastructure, broadcasters, and public and private television stations in our country.

It will take place from 11 to 14 November in Seville, where the eleventh edition of the 4K HDR Summit will be held over four days — two in person at the Cartuja Auditorium in Seville TechPark and two virtual. This meeting, “where technology and content have time to talk”, has established itself as the leading forum for discussing the technological, regulatory and production advances that will define the future of the audiovisual sector.

Spanish companies as a benchmark for UHD

Collaboration between all players in the audiovisual chain has enabled test broadcasts and pioneering projects that place our country at the forefront of UHD innovation. Among these players are a multitude of Spanish companies whose work in promoting Ultra High Definition has enabled Spain to position itself as a benchmark.

Francisco Javier Palenciano, commercial manager of Sapec, during the 4K HDR Summit 2024.

The eleventh edition of the 4K HDR Summit will be a meeting point for many of them, who will not miss what is now an unmissable event in the UltraHD calendar. Hispasat, Cellnex Telecom, Gsertel, AEQ, Axión and Aicox, which will participate alongside its partner Small Pixels, will share all their latest developments, advances and innovations in UHD over the four days.

In total, a dozen Spanish companies, including Sapec, Alfalite, MoMe and Datos Media, will collaborate and be present in the exhibition area during the latest edition of the 4K HDR Summit. The UHD Spain association, of which many of these companies are members, will also play a special role and will hold its annual General Assembly, which will be attended by representatives of the 34 companies that form part of this association, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary in January 2026.

Sapec exhibition area during the 4K HDR Summit 2024.

From Seville to the world

Many of these companies associated with UHD Spain are the basis for the technological development of Ultra High Definition and, thanks to them, the broadcasting of content in UHD is a reality. Since 2014, Hispasat has been supporting the 4K HDR Summit as a sponsor and technology partner, and has been promoting Ultra High Definition via satellite for more than a decade. Jorge Rodríguez, Hispasat’s head of product and marketing, will offer his vision of the present and future of UHD from the perspective of satellites on the third day (the first virtual day), as well as some data indicating that “satellite is the second most energy-efficient option, behind only DTT, and much more sustainable than IPTV or Internet streaming”.

Jorge Rodríguez, Head of Product and Marketing at Hispasat, during the 4K HDR Summit 2024.

Cellnex Telecom, the leading independent provider of wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructure, has established itself as one of the companies most involved in promoting UHD in Spain. Xavi Redón, Product Manager at Cellnex, will participate in the third day, the first virtual day, of the 4K HDR Summit, where he will talk about his company’s contribution to the evolution of UltraHD. Among many other projects, Cellnex participated in the first 4K opera broadcast from the Teatro Real in Madrid in 2016, the simultaneous broadcast of three 4K programmes on a DTT channel that same year, and other pilot tests such as UHD-HDR and next-generation audio (NGA) broadcasting using 5G communications in 2023.

Gsertel, a company specialising in measurement, monitoring and broadcasting, will also be a key player at the 4K HDR Summit. Manuel Ángel Álvarez, technical sales director for LATAM and Europe at Gsertel, will share driving tests and quality of service measurements in UHD services and some use cases of its innovative measurement equipment such as Hexylon, which supports signal analysis, 4K content visualisation and includes functions such as UHD signal recording/playback.

A member of Gsertel presents its demo area during the 4K HDR Summit 2024.

The eleventh edition of the 4K HDR Summit will also feature the participation and exhibition area of AEQ, a Spanish company with more than four decades of experience dedicated to the design, manufacture and integration of professional audio, video and communications solutions for the radio, television and broadcasting sectors. AEQ has established itself as an international benchmark and has contributed tangibly to the advancement of Ultra High Definition in the broadcast field, particularly through two main lines: its reference monitors with UHD/4K capabilities, and intercom tools for large-scale production.

AEQ exhibition area during the 4K HDR Summit 2024.

Axión, a network operator and telecommunications infrastructure provider with a special presence in terrestrial broadcasting, will once again participate in the opening day of the 4K HDR Summit. Marta Pérez, Broadcasting and Media Project Engineer at Aicox, will talk about the new frontier of television distribution, together with Fabio Clabot, CEO of Small Pixels.

Araceli García Cuartango, CEO of Axión, during the 4K HDR Summit 2024.

The 4K HDR Summit 2025, “Where technology and content have time to talk”, is organised by Medina Media Events and supported by Appear, Ateme, RTVA, Elecard, AJA, AEQ, Axion, Aicox with Small Pixels, Lawo, UWA, Rohde & Schwarz, SES, Eutelsat, Canon, Cellnex, Gsertel, Hispasat, Alfalite, Netgear, Synamedia, Mome, Datos Media, Techex, Sapec, Avixa and Vestel, among others.

All conferences will be available for viewing on demand through ‘The Observatory’, Medina Media Events’ digital platform, where each conference will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge.