On September 28th, Dragon TV, Jiangsu TV, Zhejiang TV, Shandong TV, Hunan TV, and Sichuan TV officially launched their 4K Ultra HD channels. Starting at midnight on September 28th, these six provincial and municipal TV channels were connected to cable TV and IPTV in 31 provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities) nationwide. They were also launched simultaneously on new media platforms such as China Audiovisual, WatchEastern, ailizhi, Z Shijie, Lightning News, Mango TV, and Sichuan Observer, providing a distinctive, high-quality, and differentiated audio-visual experience for both large-screen TVs and small-screen mobile phones. Now, TV viewers can enjoy the immersive experience of "every frame is a wallpaper."
Zhang Qing, head of the special report project for the launch of Dragon TV's ultra-high-definition channel, told the reporter from The Paper: On the first day of broadcast on September 28, Dragon TV carefully customized a special page for the whole day. The "screen is full of fine products" highlights the advantages and characteristics of ultimate sound and picture, diverse forms, and vivid expression. It focuses on presenting all program categories such as integrated media live broadcast, brand news, fine special topics, international communication, quality documentaries, classic film and television dramas, etc. The total duration of 4K programs in the page on that day was 15 hours, vigorously launching the "Watch 4K, Watch Dragon" ultra-high-definition brand. In addition to the special arrangement of over 15 hours of 4K content on the launch day, Dragon TV also leverages the station's advantages of laying out the 4K UHD track many years in advance and having rich 4K UHD program resources to regularly and carefully create four daily high-quality program bands: "New News Highlights, New Perspectives on National Communication, New Shanghai Documentary, and New Perspectives on Classics". It has created a 4K UHD program cluster covering all major news columns throughout the day, high-quality international communication programs, high-quality documentaries, classic dramas and films, etc., further highlighting Dragon TV's "more urban, more comprehensive, and more international" channel temperament.
Reporters learned that Dragon TV's audio-visual upgrade has four key highlights: First, a panoramic, fully open studio space featuring a newly constructed, 16.5-meter-long, 3-meter-high, ultra-large, continuous screen creates a visually stunning experience. Second, ultra-high-definition technology. The new 4K news studio boasts comprehensive domestically produced, high-end equipment, including ultra-high-definition subtitle recorders, fine-pitch LED displays, ultra-high-definition hard disk recorders, and multi-screen processors. The existing ultra-high-definition conventional channel has been upgraded to an ultra-high-definition movie channel, delivering cinematic-quality news footage for a truly exceptional experience. Third, virtual reality technology allows for a more expansive viewing experience, allowing the entire studio to instantly enter the metaverse with a single click. The interplay of virtual and real-world narratives immerses viewers in an instant. Fourth, intelligent media-based broadcast control. The studio adopts the ultra-high-definition production, broadcasting and transmission system independently developed by the Technology Center of Shanghai Radio and Television Station, consolidating the independent and controllable digital technology foundation, relying on the new integrated intelligent news production and broadcasting system to create a smart and collaborative central kitchen system, running through the entire chain of "collection, editing, broadcasting, storage, distribution, transfer and evaluation", forming a deeply integrated full-media production process, and building an independent, innovative and technologically advanced ultra-high-definition production and broadcasting presentation system, realizing a leap in the entire chain of intelligent media capabilities.
With the launch of UHD satellite channels in six provinces and cities, the UHD channels in nine provinces and cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Hunan, Sichuan, and Shenzhen, which were initially planned for 2024, have all gone live. This represents a fruitful achievement of the country's "Two New" strategy and a key step in the systematic transformation of radio and television media and the high-quality development of the industry. 2025 is designated the "Ultra-High Definition Development Year" by the State Administration of Radio and Television, and Shanghai is one of the three provinces and cities piloting China's UHD Pioneer Action Plan. Dragon TV's 4K UHD channel focuses on four daily premium programming streams: "New News Highlights," "New Perspectives on National Broadcasting," "New Documentary of Shanghai Style," and "New Perspectives on Classics." Dragon TV's UHD brand, "Watch 4K, Watch Dragon TV," continues to promote the optimization and upgrading of the entire industry chain, accelerate the development of an UHD industry ecosystem, and contribute to Shanghai's smart city development and digital economy.
