Martyn Williams
IDG News Service Aug 1, 2016 3:57 PM
Japan began the world s first regular 8K television broadcasts on Monday, five days ahead of the opening of the Olympic Games.
8K refers to broadcasts with a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels. That s 16 times the resolution of today s full high-definition (FHD) broadcasts and four times that of the 4K standard, which is only just emerging in many other countries. (See chart below)
The format used by NHK, which it calls "Super Hi-Vision," also features 22.2-channel surround sound.
Public broadcaster NHK launched a satellite channel that will broadcast a mix of 8K and 4K content as it prepares to launch full-scale 8K transmissions in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
The channel will be on air daily from 10am until 5pm, with extended hours during the Rio Olympics.
A look at Monday s schedule reveals programming focused on the arts, sports, music and documentaries -- not dissimilar to early HDTV channels. Highlights of this year s Rio Carnival, the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, and Japan s Aomori Nebuta festival were among the 8K programs. A J-pop concert and program on Japanese botanical drawings was also broadcast.