UltraFlix To Carry Live 4K Ultra HD Footage via NanoTech Licensing Deal With NFL Team

NanoTech Entertainment signed a licensing agreement with the San Francisco 49ers to offer streaming live 4K Ultra HD video of 49ers' pregame shows and a TV documentary series to UltraFlix users, it said Friday. The UltraFlix 4K channel is available on 2014 Samsung and Vizio 4K TVs in the U.S. In addition, UltraFlix is going through the quality assurance process with LG, Sony and Roku, which will make UltraFlix available in their next firmware updates for compatible TVs, an UltraFlix customer service rep told us. Harmonic supplies the 4K HEVC video encoding and adaptive streaming technology and Verizon EdgeCast manages delivery, NanoTech said. Using enhanced video compression, adaptive streaming and intelligent bandwidth management technologies, UltraFlix, Harmonic and Verizon can stream “visually lossless” live UHD video with uninterrupted viewing at 8 Mbps, said NanoTech. In a news release, NanoTech made a historical comparison between HD and 4K, saying mass adoption of HD “coincided with the advent of live HD events, such as sports and concerts.” UltraFlix is on track to be available on 90 percent of 4K TVs in North America this year, NanoTech said. UltraFlix offers more than 100 hours of free 4K content and 500-plus hours of VOD content at prices from 99 cents to $9.99, the rep told us.