Comment la solution OneBeam a contribué à la diffusion en Ultra HD des sports d’hiver…

OneBeam technology allows the delivery of the iconic winter olympiad in stunning 4K Ultra HD (UHD) to viewers nationwide. This solution optimizes satellite bandwidth by enabling a single satellite feed to serve both Direct-to-Home (DTH) viewers and Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) transmitter sites.

A new milestone for UHD broadcasting over TNT

The 2026 winter olympiad marks a turning point for free-to-air UHD broadcasting in Europe. This major live sports event is distributed in 4K UHD over France's TNT through Direct to Home (DTH) and Direct to Tower (DTT) using a single uplink for both network distribution thanks to OneBeam, a solution developed and co-patented by ENENSYS & TDF.

This project showcases how broadcasters can now meet growing demand for UHD content while reducing infrastructure costs and complexity.

UHD Distribution at Scale challenge

Delivering UHD over DTT through DTH signal is no small feat. The technical requirements include:

• High bitratesfor HEVC-encoded UHD streams
• Precise SFN synchronizationacross transmitter sites
• Dual delivery chainsfor satellite and terrestrial - often requiring duplicated equipment and workflows

These challenges traditionally made UHD over-the-air broadcasting costly and difficult to scale.

ENENSYS OneBeam DVB-SIS solution

To overcome these limitations, OneBeam solution was chosen, leveraging the DVB-SIS standardto unify DTH and DTT distribution.

What is OneBeam?

OneBeam is the ENENSYS solution, co-developed with TDF, to reduce satellite OPEX costs by delivering Direct to Home (DTH) TVand Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) distributionover one or several satellite feeds.

With OneBeam, terrestrial operators can get immediate covering of 100 % of population since DTT black-spot are covered with DTH.

Key Components:

• OneBeam SIS Gateway: SmartGate OneBeam inserts SIS metadatas into DTH stream and timing info before satellite uplink.
• DTH viewersreceive direclty the UHD signal on their DTH-compatible TVs or set-top boxes.
• OneBeam SIS Receiver: TxEdge OneBeam are deployed at each DTT transmission sites to regenerate a DTT stream thanks to SIS metadatas and synchronized a new DVB-T/T2 signal.

MORE ABOUT OneBeam SOLUTION

The workflow from ski slope to couch

Here's how the UHD signal reached viewers:

1. Live capturein UHD from the snow field
2. HEVC encoding at France Télévisions Group & multiplexing at the head-endby TDF and towerCast
3. Satellite DTH uplink with DVB-SIS metadata via OneBeam Gateway
4. Nationwide distributionthrough satellite to DTH sites
5. Adapation to DTT transmiter site and SFN broadcastingin UHD using OneBeam SIS Receivers
6. UHD receptionand Immediate covering of 100% of the population

See full infographic: UHD Broadcast Journey

Results

The deployment of ENENSYS OneBeamenables to uplink a Single Illumination System (SIS) to address both DTH and DTT transmission networks, significantly simplifying operations and reducing uplink costs by two. Full Single Frequency Network (SFN) supportwas achieved for UHD delivery over DTT, ensuring synchronized and seamless national coverage. By using the same satellite feedenriched with DVB-SIS metadata, there was no need for duplicated equipmentsor parallel head-ends. The DVB-SIS standardwas fully implemented and demonstrated reliable performance, providing precise timingand PCR alignmentacross all transmission sites. As a result, France Télévisions Group, TDF and towerCastsuccessfully delivered consistent, high-quality UHD coverageof the eventacross France's TNT networkwithout signal drift and addressing 100% of population.

This deployment demonstrates how public broadcastersand network operatorscan offer high-quality 4K UHD experiencesover traditional broadcast infrastructure - without overhauling their head-end architecture.

By using OneBeam, broadcasters can prepare for the future, which increasingly includes hybrid IP, UHD, and cost-optimized workflows.

About France Télévisions

France Télévisions is France's leading audiovisual group, offering high quality, diverse and unifying programs for all audiences. The group's contents can be found on the france.tv and franceinfo digital platforms, on five national channels (France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5 and franceinfo), 24 regional channels and 9 global TV/radio/web media in overseas territories. Okoo, Slash and Lumni complement this diversified offering with programs aimed at young audiences, school children and teachers. 8 out of 10 French people watch the group's programs every week, making France Télévisions a real link builder.