2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the first significant public demonstration of 8K television when NHK and the BBC co-operated to present the London Olympic Games on 15-meter-wide screens in London, Glasgow, and Bradford, writes John Maxwell Hobbs.
Since that time, there has been widespread adoption of Ultra High Definition (UHD) television in the form of 4K, but widespread consumer adoption of 8K TV still remains an elusive target.
8K TV: 8K evolution
8K, also known as UHDTV-2, is 7680 pixels wide by 4320 pixels tall - sixteen times as many pixels as current 1080p HDTV. This is a similar level of detail to 70 mm IMAX film stock. However, UHD’s enhancements are not limited simply to pixel density. It also offers higher dynamic range and an expanded colour space in both its 4K and 8K flavours.
The first significant step on the road to 8K was in May of 2012 when NHK demonstrated the first UHD shoulder mounted camera. The Olympic games transmission followed shortly after and in August of that year, the ITU officially approved the UHDTV standard, incorporating both 4K and 8K resolutions.
The 10 years since then has seen significant consumer uptake of 4K – TV sets can be found for under £300 and there are a large number of 4K channels available. However, the story has not been the same for 8K. Sets that support the higher resolution made up only...
You are not signed in.
Only registered users can view this article.
Sustainable streaming: Delivering a greener vision for OTT
Increasingly powerful analysis platforms, infrastructure optimisation, improved resource utilisation and new methods of compression are among the developments helping the streaming sector to reduce its environmental impact, writes David Davies.
Creating a new sense of place for Welsh media innovation
The emergent virtual production scene in Wales has been boosted by the arrival of two new world-class facilities in recent months, both secured with the collaborative backing of Media Cymru. James McKeown spoke to Media Cymru’s Deputy Director, Professor Sara Pepper OBE, about the consortium’s mission to put Wales on the global media innovation map.
Flawless AI: “You can't put new lines in people's mouths without consent”
AI tools like Flawless visual dubbing are making a strong case for standard use in Hollywood.
Discoverability, engagement and reach: IBC365 roundtable explores the role of AI personalisation in broadcast
Last week saw the first IBC365 roundtable hosted at NAB. Industry leaders from broadcasters including beIN Media Group, Al Jazeera, Globo, TVN Warner Bros Discovery and Alaraby were joined by representatives from Vertex AI Search (Google Cloud), Host Broadcast Services, QTV, Xansr Media, V-Nova, The Media League and Norigin Media to explore how AI is impacting media personalisation.
NAB show review: Tariffs, technology and legacy business in the spotlight
Artist led, AI driven, fan-first media show the way forward at a NAB show dominated by tariff-suffering hardware vendors and advertiser weakened broadcast.
