



Also known as Ultra HDTV, 8K, or just plain 7680 x 4320, Super Hi-Vision is NHK's proposed future high-definition TV format. To give you an idea of what those names and numbers amount to, a "Full HD" 1080p picture would take up just a sixteenth of a Super Hi-Vision screen. Last month the broadcaster demonstrated the format running on the world's largest plasma TV, a 145-inch behemoth from Panasonic that would entirely cover many living room walls. Viewing Super Hi-Vision content on the screen is a surreal experience — any closer than six feet or so and it's almost too much information to take in. Like sitting in the front row at an IMAX movie, you constantly have to look around the display and actively watch for where the camera's focus lies.

Mesmerizingly beautiful from every position

Less disorientating are the 85-inch LCD panels from Sharp running at the same resolution and which produce a mesmerizingly beautiful picture from every position. 85 inches is a much more realistic proposition for home TV, and the limits of 1080p do start to become apparent at around that size.

If you're already satisfied with 1080p or the size of your set, though, there's still benefit to be found for you in Super Hi-Vision. NHK displayed a touchscreen interface that lets you remotely pinch, zoom, and pan around the picture — you can zoom into an 8K image up to 16x and still get the same clarity as 1080p. The demonstration featured a wide-angle shot of an ice rink, and it was possible to zoom in and track individual figure skaters as easily as finding a Starbucks on Google Maps.

Super Hi-Vision has been successfully broadcast at 184Mbps using a dual-channel terrestrial signal, and NHK also demonstrated an IP transmission system that employs eight hardware H.264 encoders for use at live events. This will be put to the test during this year's Olympic Games in London, with NHK and the BBC collaborating on public Super Hi-Vision screens to be set up in Japan, the UK, and the US.





The format supports up to 22.2-channel surround audio, and NHK is working on ways to produce content complex enough to justify such a system. These range from a single-point microphone that can capture audio from 22 directions to a "reverberation device" that can control 3D sound. It's difficult to imagine significant uptake of 22.2 sound in the home, but it's pretty amazing to actually hear.