NHK to Present 8K Video at New NAB Labs Futures Park

Japanese public broadcaster NHK will present the latest iteration of its Super Hi-Vision system at the 2013 NAB Show. It will be featured in the new “NAB Labs Futures Park,” a section of the NAB Show exhibition floor reserved for broadcast-related research and development projects from around the world.

Established in 2009 as the “International Research Park,” the NAB Labs Futures Park will feature high-profile media technologies in development chosen by NAB Labs for presentation to the broad international audience at NAB Show.

A highlight of the 2013 Futures Park will be NHK’s Super Hi-Vision demonstration. It will feature a presentation theater for viewing the system’s 8k video and 22.2-multichannel sound (including content recorded in cooperation with the Olympic Broadcasting Service and the BBC at the London 2012 Olympic Games).

The system’s 7680 x 4320 video format provides 16 times the number of pixels as HDTV, for stunning clarity and an immersive visual experience. Meanwhile, the system’s massive multichannel audio system produces unprecedented immersion into a 3D sound space for viewers located anywhere within a large viewing area.

Besides the presentation in the theater, NHK will also show for the first time outside Japan the real-time, over-the-air transmission and reception of Super Hi-Vision broadcasts, using two UHF television channels.

NHK also plans to show its latest developments in production technology for the system, including a 120 Hz Super Hi-Vision camera, as well as the first compact Super Hi-Vision camera suitable for robust mobile use, and a 22.2 multichannel sound production system. The interactive capabilities of a converged broadband/broadcast service will also be presented in a demonstration of the NHK “Hybridcast” system.

The NAB Labs Futures Park will present a number of other exciting developments in broadcast technology at the 2013 NAB Show. A complete list of presentations planned for the 2013 Futures Park will be announced soon.