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The Carnival: An Institution
The carnival, which dates back to the mid-18th century, is a major cultural event in Martinique. It is characterized by street parades featuring orchestras and costumed walking groups.
Each day is dedicated to a specific theme:
- Fat Saturday: Les reines du carnaval, venues de toutes les communes de la Martinique - The carnival queens, representing all the towns of Martinique
- Fat Sunday: Le roi du carnaval et son escorte - The carnival king and his entourage
- Fat Monday: Les mariages burlesques - Burlesque weddings
- Fat Tuesday: Le diable rouge - The red devil
- Ash Wednesday: Le cortège des diablesses et les adieux du roi - The procession of "diablesses" (she-devils) and the farewell to the king
The event is held annually, spanning from Saturday to Ash Wednesday during the week of festivities leading up to Lent.
To offer viewers the most immersive experience possible, France Télévisions has chosen to broadcast the carnival in Ultra-HD/HDR. This technology ensures that the vibrant colors, intricate costumes, and elaborate makeup that define the carnival are rendered with exceptional precision and realism.
The Programming Offer
Each day, the carnival parades are broadcast live in native Ultra-HD HDR. Beyond the live coverage, reruns from the previous day are aired, along with archival programs highlighting Martinique's cultural heritage. These programs amount to approximately 26 hours, spread across the entirety of the event. The archival content, initially in HD, is upscaled to Ultra-HD (a process of digital conversion).
Regarding HDR, France Télévisions has opted to experiment with two leading standards: Dolby Vision and HDR10+. This ensures compatibility across a wide range of television brands, making the experience accessible to as many viewers as possible.
Where to Watch the Carnival?
In Martinique
- Channel 23 on terrestrial television (TNT)
- Intelsat IS 35 Satellite, 325.5° East, frequency 11,595 MHz
- Channel 903 on Orange
In Mainland France
- Channel 53 on terrestrial television (TNT) (available in Paris and its region, Nantes, and Toulouse)
- Channel 444 on the FRANSAT package
- Channel 53 on WiBox.tv by Nordnet
- Channel 903 on Orange
- Channel 53 on OrneTHD
- Channel 53 on Vialis
France Télévisions and Ultra-HD
France Télévisions has been exploring Ultra-HD for several years, with landmark projects such as the broadcast of Roland Garros and the Grand Raid of La Réunion. However, until 2023, these productions were largely experimental, with limited viewer access.
In 2024, a pivotal shift is underway: in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Arcom has authorized the launch of france 2 UHD and france 3 UHD on terrestrial television (Channels 52 and 53 in mainland France, and 22 and 23 in the overseas territories). The first transmitters were activated at the end of 2023, with the goal of reaching 74.7% population coverage by June 2024. In parallel, France Télévisions has invested in infrastructure to ensure the sustainable production and broadcasting of UHD content.
- First Full-Scale UHD Broadcast: Roland Garros in June on france 2 UHD
- The Paris Olympics: Coverage on france 2 UHD and france 3 UHD
- December 7-8: The reopening of Notre Dame de Paris, aired in Ultra-HD on france 2 UHD
Following these sports and heritage productions, focus shifts to a major cultural and festive event in Martinique: its iconic carnival. For this occasion, a temporary channel, Martinique la 1ère UHD, was created and broadcast on france 3 UHD from March 2 to 6.
Ultra-HD: A Brief Overview
Ultra-HD represents a significant advancement over current HD standards, encompassing several key improvements:
- Higher Spatial Resolution: Quadrupling the pixel count (from 2 million to 8 million), resulting in significantly more detailed images.
- Increased Frame Rate: Doubling the frame rate from 25 to 50 frames per second, delivering smoother motion and reducing motion blur.
- HDR Standards: Enhanced dynamic range for grayscales and expanded color space, providing better contrast and more accurate colors (1 billion shades versus 15 million in standard HD).
With sharper details, richer colors, and unparalleled clarity, Ultra-HD offers visuals that are as close to reality as possible, creating a more engaging and immersive viewing experience.
To enjoy Ultra-HD programming, viewers must:
- Own a compatible Ultra-HD television
- Be located in an area with TNT coverage
- Or, alternatively, have satellite reception or a subscription with a partner internet service provider.
