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NHK demonstrates 8K 3D digital binoculars: 16x 'lossless' zoom at 1080p (hands-on)
Alongside its Super Hi-Vision TV demonstrations, Japan's national broadcaster had some 3D goggles also taking advantage of that 8K resolution. With 16 times the pixels of typical 1080p content, these prototype binoculars provide the same multiple of zoom from an 8K feed -- that is 16x zoom without losing any of original data. We got to grips with a the master model here at CEATEC, and were able to pan up and down, as well as manipulate a lever to close in on views of both Mount Fuji and Tokyo's very recent Skytree tower. NHK mentions that it could see the devices being used to show off other sightseeing spots in the future, but we don't expect home installations any time soon.
Panasonic's 145-inch 8K PDP eyes-on (video)
Tucked away into a dark corner of Panasonic's booth is the clear highlight of the outfit's IFA 2012 showcase: a 145-inch 8K plasma display panel. Developed in partnership with Japan's NHK, the prototype is merely a proof of concept for the broadcaster's planned 2020 launch of Super Hi Vision TV. In person, the flat screen is truly awe-inspiring, offering such richness of detail that even up-close we weren't able to discern any pixels, while colors appeared balanced and natural. Overall, the image quality -- 16 times that of regular full HD -- nearly apes the real-world images it replicates. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait sometime before this tech trickles down to the mass market level. In the meantime, content yourself with a brief video demo after the break. Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub!
ITU approves NHK's Super Hi-Vision as 8K standard, sets the UHDTV ball rolling very slowly
We'd heard that the International Telecommunication Union was close to approving Super Hi-Vision as an Ultra High Definition TV standard, and the UN agency hasn't waited long to confirm the rumors. The recommendation to use NHK's 7,680 x 4,320 format has gone unopposed and should define the parameters for incredibly detailed 8K video worldwide. This shouldn't lead anyone to return that 4K TV just yet -- once again, it's important to remember that NHK still won't start any kind of wider testing until 2020. That's also assuming that the first 8K sets are down to Earth instead of the incredibly expensive 145-inch variety.
Nikkei: ITU near recommending NHK's Super Hi-Vision as official TV standard
We've seen NHK preparing its Super Hi-Vision 8K video since time immemorial. Wouldn't it be nice if the TV broadcast technology was more than just a perpetual research project? If sources for Japan's Nikkei aren't dreaming, the International Telecommunication Union is now "likely" to declare the format an official standard for broadcasters and TV makers. Should it go ahead, the UN telecom body would ask the world to rely on Super Hi-Vision as an eventual successor to HDTV and reduce the balkanization of TV standards that we've seen in the past. Neither the ITU nor NHK is known to have commented on the claim so far, but NHK isn't exactly in a rush to get a seal of approval from anyone -- widescale test broadcasts aren't coming until 2020, and production TVs themselves are only just entering a 4K universe.
BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?
The first live Super Hi-Vision broadcast for public consumption was of the Olympic opening ceremony in London last week. We didn't get to see that premiere, or the second or third screenings either -- but the fourth? Oh yes. We grabbed a seat right up front of a small theater inside BBC Broadcasting House, watched a live 33-megapixel feed from the Aquatics Center and absorbed some very fond memories in the process. At the same time, a question hung over the footage like a watermark: why bother? The world is barely getting to grips with the notion of 4K, which already solves pixelation at regular viewing distances, so why did the BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK go to the expense of sending a dedicated SHV video truck, a SHV audio truck rigged for 22.2 channel sound, and the world's only three 8K Ultra HDTV cameras to London? Fortunately, we caught up with someone in charge who was able to respond to that question. Read on for what they said, plus a slightly fuller sense of what the footage was like to watch.
UK 2012 Olympics Super Hi-Vision tickets are available, grab a seat for some Ultra HDTV
If you're a UK resident, missed out a ticket to the London 2012 Olympics and find the extensive home and mobile coverage to be lacking in pixels have no fear -- free tickets are available for Super Hi-Vision screenings at three locations. While certain days and times are already fully booked, you can still get one of the first public glimpses of NHK's 8K Ultra HDTV technology at the BBC Radio Theatre, BBC Scotland (Glasgow) and the National Media Museum in Bradford (other viewing locations are in Japan and Washington D.C.) Before the games get started, the Radio Theater is screening a London Prepares promo from July 23rd to the 28th. During the games (July 28th - August 12th) all will have highlights of the previous day's action from the Aquatic Centre, Olympic Stadium, Velodrome, and Basketball Arena plus clips of the Opening Ceremony. The lone live feed is scheduled for Sunday July 29th, from the Aquatics Centre. Sure, you could be paying a fortune for scalped passes to be in the house when Usain Bolt, Ryan Lochte or Michael Phelps are doing their thing, or you could be enjoying 33MP video and 22.2 channel surround sound in one of the custom setups TechRadar previewed in March. Your choice.
NHK lays out Olympic broadcast plans, Super Hi-Vision test viewing locations in Japan
We've already run down Olympic broadcast plans in the US and UK, and now Japanese broadcaster NHK has unveiled some information. Similar to the others there is not only the TV production including data about ongoing competition, but also an online component complete with live video access on mobile devices, but also support for the acTVila video on-demand portal. The other notable information is that it's locked down locations and details for those trial Super Hi-Vision broadcasts, listing four spots where people can get their eyes on some sweet 8K UHDTV action. While most of them will be displayed by projectors, including a 520-inch screen in Shibuya, while Akihabara's Studio Park will feature a 360-inch LCD. The details for UK and US are a bit more vague, but if we have to track where in Washington D.C. NBC is letting the 33MP resolution video and 22.2ch sound out for a trial just by its scent, then that's what we'll have to do.
ITU lays out recommendations on 3DTV, Ultra High Definition TV standards (video)
The ITU has stayed busy, as we mentioned earlier it met to hammer out standards for UHDTV (Ultra High Definition TV), and also recently announced a new set of recommendations for 3DTV. On the 3D front it focused on standardization for delivering video in both 720 and 1080 line formats, digital interfaces used for studio production and methods to evaluate quality based on picture quality, depth and comfort levels. As far as UHDTV which is still quite a bit further off, the group has decided the term will cover both 4K and 8K (aka Super Hi-Vision) resolution video, as multiples of the existing 1080p standard. That means Quad Full HD (QFHD, or 3840x2160 resolution) and Digital Cinema 4K resolution (4096x2160) both fall under the umbrella of 4K (check the aspect ratios to see where the "missing" pixels went, or have a listen to this week's podcast. After the break we've got a video with Study Group Chairman Christoph Dosch discussing the future possibilities of both 3DTV and UHDTV, as well as press releases with a few extra details.
ITU meets to define 4K and 8K UHDTV parameters
This month NHK has been previewing a slew of Super Hi-Vision equipment, but there's still much work to be done to make high res broadcasts a reality worldwide. There's where the ITU steps in, and as it did for HDTV back in the 90s it's been meeting to decide just what 4K and 8K Ultra High Definition TV (UHDTV) broadcasts are and how they will work. There's no word on minimum pixel counts for the standards -- we expect that quad-HD vs. 4K battle to rage on, remember these are the people who "defined" 4G -- but they're establishing color range, frame rate, and whether the broadcasts will go over unused satellite bandwidth or regular antenna frequencies. If you're somehow confused by the 33MP video streams that are coming our way... some day, check out a video featuring European Broadcast Union Deputy Director of Technology and Development David Wood.
NHK and JVC develop 120fps Super Hi-Vision projector
If your cine-cave is already decked out with the Super Hi-Vision display, the Super Hi-Vision camera, and the Super Hi-Vision-supping antenna, we guess you just need the 120fps Super Hi-Vision projector to complete the set? Guess what? Working with JVC, NHK has developed just that. It might not be much to look at, but that hunk of tech up there comes with the extra frame rate that also makes it play fast nice with the sensor technology NHK was kind enough to develop first. The projector will be giving its first public demos on May 24th , and we hope that 7680 x 4320 resolution will make all those hi-res skate-slams come out a charm.
NHK makes first successful Super Hi-Vision OTA broadcast, man cave owners giggle with glee
Fresh off from successfully shrinking its Super Hi-Vision camera, Japan's NHK is sticking another feather in its cap -- the first over-the-air broadcast of its super-duper high-resolution technology. The broadcaster says it recently managed to send a compressed Super Hi-Vision signal from the roof of its Science and Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo to a distance about 4.2 kilometers away with no issues. NHK used two UHF channels during the experiment. To optimize and boost transmission capacity, NHK leveraged technologies such as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). Low-density parity check coding was also used for error correction. NHK has been constantly experimenting with its Super Hi-Vision high-resolution (7,680 x 4,320) video format, including a UK-to-Japan broadcast via a 24Gb/s internet connection in 2010. Folks who happen to be in Japan from May 24th to 27th can check the tech at the NHK labs' open house in Tokyo's Setagaya ward.
NHK shrinks its 8K Super Hi-Vision-ready camcorder to the size of HD cameras
We may still be years away from watching the sweet, sweet 33MP resolution video promised by Super Hi-Vision in our own homes, but over in Japan, NHK engineers are slowly working out the various kinks keeping it from us. Their latest development is this camera seen above on the left, capable of recording 8K in a camera head that is smaller and lighter than the previous unit (the new one weighs 4kg, about 1/5th the weight) shown on the right, and is more comparable to the size of a standard HDTV camera. According to the NHK the savings were achieved by developing a new single plate color imaging mechanism and eliminating the need for a prism to separate the colors beforehand, so it's small enough to be used with standard SLR camera lenses. Sure, it's not quite ready to go on your next vacation, but if you're in Japan you can get a peek at it (and that 145-inch 8K Panasonic plasma) at the broadcaster's open house later this month.
Panasonic teams up with NHK on 145-inch 8K Super Hi-Vision plasma TV (Update: video)
We thought the 8K 85-inch Super Hi-Vision LCD we saw during CES was impressive, but Japanese broadcaster NHK is already looking to surpass that by going even bigger. To that end it worked with Panasonic (above: that's Panasonic's Keishi Kubota on the left, Yoshio Ito of NHK on the right) to create this 145-inch prototype plasma, unveiled today as an example of the kind of displays we can expect to see once broadcasts jump to the higher resolution some day. The world's first self-illuminating Super Hi-Vision TV, it features every pixel of its expected 8K resolution -- 7,680 x 4,320. After working for months on smaller (only 85- or 103-inch) 4K plasmas, the two companies had to come up with an entirely new drive method for the display that works by scanning the pixels vertically to achieve a uniform picture quality. The NHK plans to show off the new display at its open house in May, although we're a bit more interested to see if we can watch the Olympics on it this summer. Check the gallery below for a few more pictures from DigInfo.TV's Ryo Osuga, or hit the more coverage link for a breakdown of the difficulties encountered in building a high resolution display that's this massive. Update: Now with video from DigInfo.tv. [Image Credit: Ryo Osuga, DigInfo.TV]
NHK's new Super Hi-Vision sensor captures 8K at 120fps, fast enough for Usain Bolt?
As amazing as Super Hi-Vision televisions are, most of the footage we've seen is of slow-moving cityscapes, nature and portraits. We may get more action sequences soon, thanks to a new CMOS sensor capable of picking up 8K (33MP) footage at 120 frames per second. The joint project between NHK, Shizuoka University and the Research Institute of Electronics is being shown off on the 27th at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference The chip is developed on a .18 micrometer process, with an enhanced analog to digital converter that enables the faster frame rates. That cut down data processing time and power consumption, all key to getting some sweet super high res televisions (16x more pixels than your current HDTV) in our living room sooner rather than later. Our only question? If they can build a new camera around it in time to catch the world's fastest human being do his thing at the 2012 London Olympics.
CES 2012: HDTV and connected devices round-up
The Consumer Electronics Show is always a big deal for HDTVs and the devices that plug into them, and the 2012 edition was no different. With the majority of households already owning an HDTV, manufacturers are pressed to convince you to upgrade, and are pulling out all the stops. We've got new display technologies like OLED, 4K and Super Hi-Vision, plus more 3D and internet connected features than ever. DVRs and media streamers haven't slowed down either, so while some services focused on eliminating the set-top box, those that remained either shrunk (Roku) or added features (Boxee, TiVo, Ceton -- pictured above). The pace of the announcements made it nearly impossible to keep up with everything going on last week, so we've wrapped everything up in one neat summary available after the break.
Sharp 8K Super Hi-Vision LCD, 4K TV and Freestyle wireless LCD HDTV hands-on
We got a hint of Sharp's plans during its CES 2012 press conference two days ago, but really nothing can prepare you for the sight of the company's 7,680x4,320 resolution 85-inch Super Hi-Vision 8K LCD. No matter how close we got, we still couldn't see the pixels, and the video reels being demonstrated showed an almost unimaginable level of detail. The worst part of it was, seeing that first almost ruined the experience of checking out the ICC 4K demo at the other end of the booth. We can say this -- after seeing Super Hi-Vision there's really no going back. Make an appointment to see those 33MP broadcasts from the London Olympics now. Also a concept, but packed in a more conventional design, were Sharp's Aquos Freestyle LCDs. These featherweight flat-screens were also featured in the press conference, and pack wireless HD streaming inside capable of extending up to 98 feet. The 20-incher in the video above even has a battery good enough for two hours of completely wireless 1080p viewing. While Sharp called them concepts, the displays seemed incredibly polished, so check them out in the gallery below because you may see them on shelves someday.
2012 London Olympics Super Hi-Vision broadcast coming to select US, Japan, UK locations
While Super Hi-Vision isn't expected to bring its 7,680 x 4,320 resolution (16x more detail than your 1080p display, for those keeping count) home for several years, the NHK and BBC have confirmed it will be available for public screenings next year during the 2012 London Olympics. Screening dates have been arranged for three countries (Japan, UK, and US), and it appears domestic viewers will want to plan on visiting the Washington D.C. area next July / August to get a taste of the 33 megapixel video and 22.2 channel surround sound for themselves. Next year's Games have already put extensive 3D coverage on the schedule and NBC has promised every event will be available for viewing live as it happens for the first time, so there's plenty for everyone to look forward to. The only question now? Whether or not that silly false start rule can be changed so we don't face the prospect of a men's 100m dash final without Usain Bolt in it.
NHK develops ultra high-def camcorder with single 33 megapixel sensor (video)
As still cameras go, a 33MP sensor is rather insignificant, considering you may already be walking around with 200 megapixels on your shoulder. When it comes to camcorders, however, this is the real deal, especially when each and every one of those 33 million pixels is captured by a single, ultra high-def sensor. NHK's research arm, which developed the cam, unveiled it at the company's technology open house in Tokyo. This seems like the perfect imaging device to show off Sharp's 33MP Super Hi-Vision TV, but that display must have been on duty at another booth. Also, the Sigma DSLR lens was focused on a still life, without any mention of frame rate, so we're a bit skeptical as to whether this thing is fully functional at this point. Either way, it's still just a prototype, so you won't be shooting your home videos in quasi-IMAX resolution just yet. In the mean time, jump past the break for that motionless video demo.
Sharp shows off the world's first Super Hi-Vision 85-inch LCD with 16x more detail than 1080p
While Japan's NHK has been working on the successor to HDTV, Super Hi-Vision, for years, there haven't been any direct-view HDTVs capable of showing its full 7,680 x 4,320 pixel resolution until this prototype unveiled today by Sharp. Its 103 pixels per inch may be just a fraction of those found in some of the pocket displays we've seen at SID this week, but that's still far more than the 36ppi of a 60-inch 1080p HDTV. If estimates are correct, we'll still be waiting until around 2020 for that 33MP video and 22.2 channel sound to actually be broadcast, although there's a possibility of some demonstrations happening during the 2012 Olympics. Skip past the break for the available specs and a video demonstration, or just head over to the NHK's Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo between the 26th and 29th of this month.
First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia
Super Hi-Vision is still very experimental, but the BBC and NHK's first UK-to-Tokyo SHV broadcast trial of a live musical set by the The Charlatans hints it is inching closer to commercial viability. A NHK-developed camera -- one of three in existence -- made it all possible, and featured a specialized lens and optical data transmitter to handle the retina-confounding 7680 x 4320 pixel signal. This SHV trial was also the first to use a blazingly fast 24Gb/s internet connection to broadcast in lieu of more expensive satellite transmissions used in previous tests. As if the brouhaha wasn't bleeding-edge enough, a lucky few at the BBC could even view the show on a prototype 103-inch plasma television developed by NHK to see a mere quarter of the signal's massive resolution. Sure, this may not be the kind of event kids will learn about in class someday, but it certainly makes us feel like giddy little school boys. To learn more, watch a behind the scenes BBC video on the event embedded after the break. [Thanks, Matt]
