The International Telecommunication Union, a standards agency of the UN, has approved a new television format which boasts a resolution of 32 megapixels, which is 16 times bigger than the current HDTV standard. The new ultra HDTV 8K standard, also known as Super Hi-Vision, was partially developed and demonstrated by The Japan Broadcasting Corporation, better known as NHK.
Super Hi-Vision offers a resolution of 7680 by 4320 pixels at 120 frames per second. Smaller frame rates such as 25 fps are also included, but only progressive frame rates are allowed. Just like the current HDTV standard, there"s also a smaller format included in the specification which has a 3840 by 2160 resolution. What kind of audio specification will be used together with the ultra high definition material has not been decided yet, but the NHK is supporting 22.2 surround sound. However there is more work to be done on how to transmit and store the 8K video.
According to documents published by the ITU, the standard was made for use at home as in public spaces such as cinemas and big venues. At the 2012 Olympic games, NHK showed off the technology and developed three special cameras to shoot the 8K video. In 2020 NHK plans to begin it"s first experimental broadcasts in 8K format.
Several Japanese electronic makers already have some 4K devices on the market. LG will start the sale of a 84 inch television for about $22,000 very soon and Sony and JVC have some 4k projectors on the market, which are used by digital cinema cameras.