HPA Tech Retreat: Camera Makers Attempt to Demystify 4K Resolution

By Carolyn Giardina
February 16, 2012

A 4K camera panel featured Stefan Ukas-Bradley, ARRI, Larry Thorpe, Canon; Edgar Shane, JVC; Michael Bergeron, Panasonic; Stuart English, RED; Yasuhiko Mikami, Sony; and Phillip Jantzen, Vision Research. Mark Schubin moderated the session.
ARRI’s Ukas-Bradley: “We feel 2K currently is still a standard for digital projection and in the DI process. 4K is the exception, not the rule. For the time being that is what we optimized our technology for.”
Ukas-Bradley commented about Douglas Trumbull accepting his Oscar statuette at last weekend’s Sci-Tech Awards presentation: “When he spoke about his current project he mentioned higher frame rates and higher contrast… He didn’t mention resolution.”
Schubin pointed out that NHK is skipping 4K and working on an 8K system.
RED’s English: “The numbers may say 2K is good enough. The 4K image to my eye is far superior… There is no need to skip 4K. There are other reasons for high resolution (than display).” He cited framing as an example.
Mikami: “We have more than 10,000 theaters with the 4K projector. There is no reason not to distribute 4K content.”
How can 4K content be delivered to the home? English noted that “RED is working on that problem. It is more difficult than we though it was going to be.” He cited RED Ray, a 4K playback technology.
Schubin noted that ATSC 2.0 “has provisions that could potentially allow 4K broadcasting.”

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