Watch NASA's first 4K broadcast from space on April 26th
Live 4K video from Earth's orbit, but we still can't watch Netflix without buffering.
If you've ever wanted to see Earth orbit in stunningly real high-def, here's your chance. On Wednesday, April 26th, you can watch the first 4K livestream from the International Space Station 250 miles above the Earth. Commander Peggy Whitson will speak as part of a panel called "Reaching for the Stars: Connecting to the Future with NASA and Hollywood." While we've seen 4K video from space before, this is the first time it will be live. You'll need a 4K-capable television or monitor to see the full resolution, of course, but there will also be lower-resolution streams on NASA Television as well as the agency's Facebook page and website.
The panel, moderated by Carolyn Giardina of the Hollywood Reporter, will focus on advanced imaging and cloud technologies and how they are advancing scientific research and filmmaking. Additional speakers include NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, NASA imagery expert Rodney Grubbs, and Dave McQueeny from the IBM Watson Group, among others.
A 4K UHD encoder and similarly-capable video camera (the RED Epic Dragon, for you camera nerds) came aboard for this purpose via a Japanese cargo craft last December. Commander Whitson will speak with Sam Blackman, CEO of AWS Elemental, the company that certified the encoder.
The livestream will take place 1:30 PM. EDT on Wednesday, April 26, so be sure and tune in. Because, really, it's amazing that we can transmit live 4K video from space but still get buffering issues when we try to watch Netflix on Earth.
