An initiative of the “Segreteria per la Comunicazione del Vaticano”, on December 24th from 9.30 pm from St. Peter’s Basilica, Midnight Mass was broadcast live on Rai 4K on free-to-air satellite platform Tivùsat
Paris, 2nd January 2017 — On December 24th, starting at 9:30 pm (local time), the Christmas Night Mass, presided over by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica, was broadcast live via satellite in Ultra HD on Rai 4K on channel 210 of the Tivùsat free-to-air satellite platform.
The initiative took place under the auspices of the “Segreteria per la Comunicazione” of the Holy See, led by the Prefect Monsignor Dario Edoardo Viganò, who managed the event. This was handled via the ‘Audiovisual Production’ part of the Vatican and saw the international debut of Vatican Media, the new brand that is managing and developing multimedia productions for the Vatican. This is one of the reforms of the Holy See’s communication system as requested by Pope Francis.
A team of world-class excellence consisting of Globecast, Eutelsat, Rai, Sony and Tivùsat provided the required resources to bring the event to Italian homes via the highest quality Ultra HD images.
The ceremony holds great meaning and was eagerly awaited all over the world, with Italian viewers who own a 4K-ready TV equipped with the Tivùsat CAM able to view the Ultra HD signal. The event was broadcast simultaneously on Rai 1 and on Rai 1 HD via digital terrestrial TV and satellite, as well across the world through the usual distribution used by the Vatican.
Alessandro Alquati, General Manager of Globecast Italia, commented, “One year after the transmission of the Holy Door Closing Ceremony in Ultra HD, and at a time of particular importance for the transition to 4K, Globecast is honored and proud to be involved in the Holy See’s Segreteria per la Comunicazione, working together with a powerful team of technological partners. Special thanks go to NTT Electronics for providing the 4K HEVC encoding equipment.”
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