NHK’s Super Hi-Vision 8K technology certainly makes for breathtaking demos. But you can do more than just melt eyeballs with a resolution of 7680×4320. Since that’s exactly 16 times as much resolution as a 1080P signal, NHK has cooked up a pair of prototype virtual HD binoculars that let users zoom in on ultra hi-def footage. More »
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.
Filed under: Cameras, Displays, HD
NHK demonstrates 8K 3D digital binoculars: 16x ‘lossless’ zoom at 1080p (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
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.
Continue reading Panasonic’s 145-inch 8K PDP eyes-on (video)
Filed under: Displays
Panasonic’s 145-inch 8K PDP eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
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.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD
ITU approves NHK’s Super Hi-Vision as 8K standard, sets the UHDTV ball rolling very slowly originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
BBC | 
ITU, NHK (translated) | Email this | Comments
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.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Nikkei: ITU near recommending NHK’s Super Hi-Vision as official TV standard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 22:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Nikkei (subscription required) | Email this | Comments
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.
Continue reading BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment
BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
