At NAB in Las Vegas, Japanese broadcaster NHK demonstrated its real-time, over-the-air transmission and reception of 8K for the first time outside of Japan. 8K technology is considered Ultra High-Definition — touting resolution 16 times that of HDTV. The U.S. and U.K. are currently exploring the possibilities of 4K technology, which seems more realistically applicable within the market at this point. Continue reading NAB 2013: NHK Demos Super Hi-Vision 8K Technology

In a room at the back of the Cisco NAB booth (North Hall, A113), and in a few session presentations by UK VP of technology Simon Parnall, Cisco is showing its vision of the next generation of in-home audiovisual experiences. The company has prototyped a system that allows browsers to work among multiple tiled screens, seamlessly joined in any configuration, and built into walls in the home. Continue reading NAB 2013: Cisco Unveils Vision of its Second Screen 2.0

With an array of 4K televisions taking center stage at this year’s CES, Sharp is showing a prototype 8K (7680 × 4320 pixels) TV in its booth, which the company describe as “The Future of Television.” While the technology is impressive, there are a number of challenges both 4K and 8K (known collectively as UHDTV) will need to overcome — including the cost to consumers, lack of available content, and significant changes to production workflows. Continue reading CES 2013: Ultra High Definition the Future of Television?

Sharp announced it has built the first 85-inch LCD panel with resolution it claims is 16 times that of current HDTV panels. The prototype was developed for Super Hi-Vision, a next-generation television system being developed primarily by Japan Broadcasting Corporation, NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai). Super Hi-Vision expects to provide four times as much detail horizontally and vertically (7,680 by 4,320 pixels) than today’s HDTV images.

According to Network World, the first public trials of Super Hi-Vision are expected to begin around 2020 (although Engadget reports there is a possibility of early demonstrations taking place during the 2012 Olympics). Each frame of a Super Hi-Vision image is equivalent to a 33-megapixel picture; therefore, as Network World points out: “…highly complex cameras, mixing and switching systems, and recorders and transmission equipment need to be made to handle the huge bandwidth of the video image.” Sharp’s prototype is the next step toward the realization of the next-gen system.

Sharp’s 85-inch LCD, which was not formally demonstrated in Los Angeles at SID Display Week 2011, will be unveiled to the public for the first time later this month at NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo.

Related Network World article: “Sharp develops super high-def screen for future TV” (5/18/11)

Related Sharp press release: “Sharp and NHK Successfully Develop 85-Inch Direct-View LCD Compatible with Super Hi-Vision, a World First” (5/19/11)