Okay, so
maybe it won’t be here for another 12 years, but heck, that’s five years earlier
than previously thought! What is “it”? Super Hi-Vision, the next-generation
(okay, maybe the next-next-next-generation) HD technology, which offers a
whopping 33 million pixels and is also referred to as 8k.
I just
returned from a stunning demo that involved some amazing uncompressed images
plus some live fiber transmissions from London and live satellite transmissions
from Torino, with the latter at 140 Mbps (courtesy of 16 MPEG-4 h.264 encoders
working in parallel). Also expect it to eventually make use of BBC’s Dirac
coding, which recently allowed HD transmissions from Beijing to arrive via
pipes that previously handled SD.
In other Super Hi-Vision news, the DM-3400 56-inch LCD screen with 3,840 x 2,160 pixels from Astro offered even more wow factor with seemingly 3D images. Get over the $50,000 price tag and buy one today!