The Consumer Electronics Association announced on October 17, 2012, that "Ultra High Definition", or "Ultra HD", would be used for displays that have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or wider and at least one digital input capable of carrying and presenting native video at a minimum resolution of 3840 × 2160.[5][6] In 2015, the Ultra HD Forum was created to bring together the end-to-end video production ecosystem to ensure interoperability and produce industry guidelines so that adoption of ultra-high-definition television could accelerate. From just 30 in Q3 2015, the forum published a list up to 55 commercial services available around the world offering 4K resolution.[7]
The "UHD Alliance", an industry consortium of content creators, distributors, and hardware manufacturers, announced during a Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 press conference its "Ultra HD Premium" specification, which defines resolution, bit depth, color gamut, high dynamic range (HDR) performance required for Ultra HD (UHDTV) content and displays to carry their Ultra HD Premium logo.[b]
Alternative terms
Ultra-high-definition television is also known as Ultra HD, UHD, UHDTV, and 4K.[13][14][15][16][17] In Japan, 8K UHDTV will be known as Super Hi-Vision since Hi-Vision was the term used in Japan for HDTV.[18][19] In the consumer electronics market companies had previously only used the term 4K at the 2012 CES but that had changed to "Ultra HD" during CES 2013.[16][17] "Ultra HD" was selected by the Consumer Electronics Association after extensive consumer research, as the term has also been established with the introduction of "Ultra HD Blu-ray".[20]
UHDTV-1 is 3840 pixels wide by 2160 pixels tall (8.3 megapixels), which is four times as many pixels as the 1920 × 1080 (2.07 megapixels) of current 1080pHDTV (full HDTV).
Also known as 2160p, and 4K UHD. Although roughly similar in resolution to 4K digital cinema formats, it should not be confused with other 4K resolutions such as the 4096 × 2160DCI 4K/Cinema 4K. The total number of pixels of RGB stripe type is 8.3 megapixels.
UHDTV-2 is 7680 pixels wide by 4320 pixels tall (33.18 megapixels), also referred to as 4320p and 8K UHD, which is sixteen times as many pixels as current 1080pHDTV, which brings it closer to the detail level of 15/70 mm IMAX.[14][23][24]NHK advertises the 8K UHDTV format with 22.2 surround sound as Super Hi-Vision, which can be broadcast with H.264 codecs.[25]
Color space, dynamic range, frame rate and resolution/aliasing
The human visual system has a limited ability to discern improvements in resolution when picture elements are already small enough or distant enough from the viewer. At some home viewing distances and current TV sizes, HD resolution is near the limits of resolution for the eye and increasing resolution to 4K has little perceptual impact, if consumers are beyond the critical distance (Lechner distance) to appreciate the differences in pixel count between 4K and HD. One exception is that even if resolution surpasses the resolving ability of the human eye, there is still an improvement in the way the image appears due to higher resolutions reducing spatial aliasing.
UHDTV provides other image enhancements in addition to pixel density. Specifically, dynamic range and color are greatly enhanced, and these impact saturation and contrast differences that are readily resolved greatly improve the experience of 4KTV compared to HDTV. UHDTV allows the future use of the new Rec. 2020 (UHDTV) color space which can reproduce colors that cannot be shown with the current Rec. 709 (HDTV) color space.[18]
In terms of CIE 1931 color space, the Rec. 2020 color space covers 75.8%, compared to coverage by the DCI-P3digital cinema reference projector color space of just 53.6%, 52.1% by Adobe RGB color space, while the Rec. 709 color space covers only 35.9%.[18] UHDTV's increases in dynamic range allow not only brighter highlights but also increased detail in the greyscale. UHDTV also allows for frame rates up to 120 frames per second (fps).[15][26]
UHDTV potentially allows Rec. 2020, higher dynamic range, and higher frame rates to work on HD services without increasing resolution to 4K, providing improved quality without as high of an increase in bandwidth demand.
History
2001–2005
Prototype camera head (2006)Prototype camera head (2009)
The first displays capable of displaying 4K content appeared in 2001, as the IBM T220/T221 LCD monitors.
NHK researchers built a UHDTV prototype which they demonstrated in 2003.[27] They used an array of 16 HDTV recorders with a total capacity of almost 3.5TB that could capture up to 18 minutes of test footage.[27] The camera itself was built with four 2.5-inch (64mm)CCDs, each with a resolution of only 3840 × 2048.[27] Using two CCDs for green and one each for red and blue, they then used a spatial pixel offset method to bring it to 7680 × 4320.[27][c] Subsequently, an improved and more compact system was built using CMOS image sensor technology[28] and the CMOS image sensor system was demonstrated at Expo 2005, Aichi, Japan, the NAB 2006 and NAB 2007 conferences, Las Vegas, at IBC 2006 and IBC 2008,[29]Amsterdam, Netherlands, and CES 2009. A review of the NAB 2006 demo was published in a broadcast engineering e-newsletter.[30] Individuals at NHK and elsewhere projected that the timeframe for UHDTV to be available in domestic homes varied between 2015 and 2020 but Japan was to get it in the 2016 time frame.[31]
On December 31, 2006, NHK demonstrated a live relay of their annual Kōhaku Uta Gassen over IP from Tokyo to a 450in (11m) screen in Osaka. Using a codec developed by NHK, the video was compressed from 24Gbit/s to 180–600Mbit/s and the audio was compressed from 28Mbit/s to 7–28Mbit/s.[33] Uncompressed, a 20-minute broadcast would require roughly 4TB of storage.
The SMPTE first released Standard 2036 for UHDTV in 2007.[34] UHDTV was defined as having two levels, called UHDTV1 (3840 × 2160) and UHDTV2 (7680 × 4320).[34][35]
In May 2007, the NHK did an indoor demonstration at the NHK Open House in which a UHDTV signal (7680 × 4320 at 60fps) was compressed to a 250Mbit/s MPEG2 stream.[36] The signal was input to a 300MHz wide band modulator and broadcast using a 500MHz QPSK modulation.[36] This "on the air" transmission had a very limited range (less than 2 meters), but shows the feasibility of a satellite transmission in the 36,000km orbit.[36]
In 2008, Aptina Imaging announced the introduction of a new CMOS image sensor specifically designed for the NHK UHDTV project.[37] During IBC 2008 Japan's NHK, Italy's RAI, BSkyB, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic Corporation, Sharp Corporation, and Toshiba (with various partners) demonstrated the first ever public live transmission of UHDTV, from London to the conference site in Amsterdam.[38][39]
On June 9, 2010, Panasonic announced that its professional plasma display lineup would include an 152-inch (3.9m) plasma display with 4K resolution. At the time of announcement, it was the largest 4K display and the largest television.[40]
On September 29, 2010, the NHK partnered up and recorded The Charlatans live in the UK in the UHDTV format, before broadcasting over the internet to Japan.[41]
2011
On May 19, 2011, Sharp in collaboration with NHK demonstrated a direct-view 85in (220cm) LCD display capable of 7680 × 4320 pixels at 10 bits per channel.[42] It was the first direct-view Super Hi-Vision-compatible display released.[43]
Before 2011, UHDTV allowed for frame rates of 24, 25, 50, and 60fps.[35] In an ITU-R meeting during 2011, an additional frame rate was added to UHDTV of 120fps.[44]
2012
On February 23, 2012, NHK announced that with Shizuoka University they had developed an 8K sensor that can shoot video at 120fps.[45][46][47]
In April 2012, Panasonic, in collaboration with NHK announced a 145in (370cm) display (7680 × 4320 at 60fps), which has 33.2 million 0.417mm square pixels.[48]
In April 2012, the four major South Korean terrestrial broadcasters (KBS, MBC, SBS, and EBS) announced that in the future, they would begin test broadcasts of UHDTV on channel 66 in Seoul.[49][50] At the time of the announcement, the UHDTV technical details had not yet been decided.[49][50]LG Electronics and Samsung are also involved in UHDTV test broadcasts.[50]
In May 2012, NHK showed the world's first ultra-high-definition shoulder-mount camera.[51] By reducing the size and weight of the camera, the portability had been improved, making it more maneuverable than previous prototypes, so it could be used in a wide variety of shooting situations.[51] The single-chip sensor uses a Bayer color-filter array, where only one color component is acquired per pixel.[51] Researchers at NHK also developed a high-quality up-converter, which estimates the other two color components to convert the output into full resolution video.[51]
Also in May 2012, NHK showed the ultra-high-definition imaging system it has developed in conjunction with Shizuoka University, which outputs 33.2-megapixel video at 120fps with a color depth of 12bits per component.[52][53] As ultra-high-definition broadcasts at full resolution are designed for large, wall-sized displays, there is a possibility that fast-moving subjects may not be clear when shot at 60fps, so the option of 120fps has been standardized for these situations.[52] To handle the sensor output of approximately 4 billion pixels per second with a data rate as high as 51.2Gbit/s, a faster analog-to-digital converter has been developed to process the data from the pixels, and then a high-speed output circuit distributes the resulting digital signals into 96 parallel channels.[52] This 1.5in (38mm) CMOS sensor is smaller and uses less power when compared to conventional ultra-high-definition sensors, and it is also the world's first to support the full specifications of the ultra-high-definition standard.[52]
During the 2012 Summer Olympics in Great Britain, the format was publicly showcased by the world's largest broadcaster, the BBC,[54] which set up 15-meter-wide screens in London, Glasgow, and Bradford to allow viewers to see the Games in ultra-high definition.[55][56]
On May 31, 2012,[57] Sony released the VPL-VW1000ES 4K 3D Projector,[58] the world's first consumer-prosumer projector using the 4K UHDTV system, with the shutter-glasses stereoscopic 3D technology priced at US$24,999.99.[59][60]
On August 22, 2012, LG announced the world's first 3D UHDTV using the 4K system.[61]
On September 15, 2012, David Wood, Deputy Director of the EBU Technology and Development Department (who chairs the ITU working group that created Rec.2020), told The Hollywood Reporter that South Korea plans to begin test broadcasts of 4K UHDTV next year.[63][64][65] Wood also said that many broadcasters have the opinion that going from HDTV to 8K UHDTV is too much of a leap and that it would be better to start with 4K UHDTV.[63] In the same article, Masakazu Iwaki, NHK Research senior manager, said that the NHK plan to go with 8K UHDTV is for economic reasons since directly going to 8K UHDTV would avoid an additional transition from 4K UHDTV to 8K UHDTV.[63]
On October 18, 2012, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced that it had been unanimously agreed by the CEA's Board of Industry Leaders that the term "Ultra High-Definition", or "Ultra HD", would be used for displays that have a resolution of at least 8 megapixels with a vertical resolution of at least 2,160 pixels and a horizontal resolution of at least 3,840 pixels.[66][67][68][69] The Ultra HD label also requires the display to have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or wider and to have at least one digital input that can carry and present a native video signal of 3840 × 2160 without having to rely on a video scaler.[66][67][68][69] Sony announced they would market their 4K products as 4K Ultra High-Definition (4K UHD).[70]
On October 23, 2012, Ortus Technology Co., Ltd announced the development of the world's smallest 3840 × 2160 pixel LCD panel with a size of 9.6in (24cm) and a pixel density of 458px/in.[71][72][73] The LCD panel is designed for medical equipment and professional video equipment.[71][72][73]
On October 25, 2012, LG Electronics began selling the first flat panel Ultra HD display in the United States with a resolution of 3840 × 2160.[74][75][76] The LG 84LM9600 is an 84in (210cm) flat panel LED-backlit LCD display with a price of US$19,999 though the retail store was selling it for US$16,999.[74][75][76]
On November 30, 2012, Red Digital Cinema Camera Company announced that they were taking pre-orders for the US$1,450 REDRAY 4K Cinema Player, which can output 4K resolution to a single 4K display or to four 1080p displays arranged in any configuration via four HDMI1.4 connections.[80][81] Video output can be DCI 4K (4096 × 2160), 4K Ultra HD, 1080p, and 720p at frame rates of up to 60fps with a color depth of up to 12bpc with 4:2:2 chroma subsampling.[80] Audio output can be up to 7.1 channels.[80] Content is distributed online using the ODEMAX video service.[80] External storage can be connected using eSATA, Ethernet, USB, or a Secure Digital memory card.[80]
2013
On January 6, 2013, the NHK announced that Super Hi-Vision satellite broadcasts could begin in Japan in 2016.[82]
On January 7, 2013, Eutelsat announced the first dedicated 4K Ultra HD channel.[83][84][85][86]Ateme uplinks the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC channel to the Eutelsat 10A satellite.[83][84][85][86] The 4K Ultra HD channel has a frame rate of 50fps and is encoded at 40Mbit/s.[83][84][85][86] The channel started transmission on January 8, 2013.[83][84][85][86] On the same day Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs announced that mobile devices capable of playing and recording 4K Ultra HD video would be released in 2013[needs update] using the Snapdragon 800 chip.[87][88][89]
On January 8, 2013, Broadcom announced the BCM7445, an Ultra HD decoding chip capable of decoding High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) at up to 4096 × 2160 at 60fps.[90][91][92][93] The BCM7445 is a 28nm ARM architecture chip capable of 21,000 DhrystoneMIPS with volume production estimated for the middle of 2014.[90][91][92][93] On the same day THX announced the "THX 4K Certification" program for Ultra HD displays.[94][95][96] The certification involves up to 600 tests and the goal of the program is so that "content viewed on a THX Certified Ultra HD display meets the most exacting video standards achievable in a consumer television today".[94][95][96]
On January 14, 2013, Blu-ray Disc Association president Andy Parsons stated that a task force created three months ago is studying an extension to the Blu-ray Disc specification that would add support for 4K Ultra HD video.[97][98]
On January 25, 2013, the BBC announced that the BBC Natural History Unit would produce Survival—the first wildlife TV series recorded in 4K resolution. This was announced after the BBC had experimented with 8K during the London Olympics.[99][100]
On January 27, 2013, Asahi Shimbun reported that 4K Ultra HD satellite broadcasts would start in Japan with the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[100][101][102] Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications decided on this move to stimulate demand for 4K Ultra HD TVs.[100][101][102]
On February 21, 2013, Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 would support 4K resolution output for photos and videos but wouldn't render games at that resolution.[103][104]
On April 11, 2013, Bulb TV created by Canadian entrepreneur Evan Kosiner became the first broadcaster to provide a 4K linear channel and VOD content to cable and satellite companies in North America.[109][110][111][112] The channel is licensed by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission to provide educational content.[113]
On April 19, 2013, SES announced the first Ultra HD transmission using the HEVC standard.[114][115][116] The transmission had a resolution of 3840 × 2160 and a bit rate of 20Mbit/s.[114][115][116]
On May 9, 2013, NHK and Mitsubishi Electric announced that they had jointly developed the first HEVC encoder for 8K Ultra HD TV, which is also called Super Hi-Vision (SHV).[117][118][119][120] The HEVC encoder supports the Main 10 profile at Level 6.1 allowing it to encode 10bpc video with a resolution of 7680 × 4320 at 60fps.[117][118][119][120] The HEVC encoder has 17 3G-SDI inputs and uses 17 boards for parallel processing with each board encoding a row of 7680 × 256 pixels to allow for real time video encoding.[117][118][119][120] The HEVC encoder is compliant with draft 4 of the HEVC standard and has a maximum bit rate of 340Mbit/s.[121] The HEVC encoder was shown at the NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories Open House 2013 that took place from May 30 to June 2.[117][119][122] At the NHK Open House 2013 the HEVC encoder used a bit rate of 85Mbit/s, which gives a compression ratio of 350∶1.[123][124]
On May 21, 2013, Microsoft announced the Xbox One, which supports 4K resolution (3840 × 2160) video output and 7.1 surround sound.[125][126][127] Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing and strategy for Microsoft, has stated that there is no hardware restriction that would prevent Xbox One games from running at 4K resolution.[126]
On May 30, 2013, Eye IO announced that their encoding technology was licensed by Sony Pictures Entertainment to deliver 4K Ultra HD video.[128][129] Eye IO encodes their video assets at 3840 × 2160 and includes support for the xvYCC color space.[128][129]
In mid-2013, a Chinese television manufacturer produced the first 50-inch UHD television set costing less than $1,000.[130]
On June 11, 2013, Comcast announced that they had demonstrated the first public U.S.-based delivery of 4K Ultra HD video at the 2013 NCTA show.[131][132] The demonstration included segments from Oblivion, Defiance, and nature content sent over a DOCSIS 3.0 network.[132]
On June 13, 2013, ESPN announced that they would end the broadcast of the ESPN 3D channel by the end of that year and would "...experiment with things like UHDTV."[133]
On June 26, 2013, Sharp announced the LC-70UD1U, which is a 70in (180cm) 4K Ultra HD TV.[134][135] The LC-70UD1U is the world's first TV with THX 4K certification.[134][135]
On July 2, 2013, Jimmy Kimmel Live! recorded in 4K Ultra HD a performance by musical guest Karmin, and the video clip was used as demonstration material at Sony stores.[136]
On July 3, 2013, Sony announced the release of their 4K Ultra HD Media Player with a price of US$7.99 for rentals and US$29.99 for purchases.[137][138] The 4K Ultra HD Media Player only worked with Sony's 4K Ultra HD TVs.[138]
On July 15, 2013, the CTA published CTA-861-F, a standard that applies to interfaces such as DVI, HDMI, and LVDS.[139] The CTA-861-F standard adds support for several Ultra HD video formats and additional color spaces.[139]
On September 2, 2013 Acer announced the first smartphone, dubbed Liquid S2, capable of recording 4K video.[140]
On September 4, 2013, the HDMI Forum released the HDMI 2.0 specification, which supports 4K resolution at 60fps.[141] On the same day, Panasonic announced the Panasonic TC-L65WT600—the first 4K TV to support 4K resolution at 60FPS.[142][143] The Panasonic TC-L65WT600 has a 65in (170cm) screen, support for DisplayPort1.2a, support for HDMI2.0, an expected ship date of October, and a suggested retail price of US$5,999.[142][143]
On September 12–17, 2013,[144] at the 2013 IBC Conference in Amsterdam, Nagra introduced an Ultra HD User Interface called Project Ultra based on HTML5, which works with OpenTV 5.[145]
On October 4, 2013, DigitalEurope announced the requirements for their UHD logo in Europe.[146] The DigitalEurope UHD logo requires that the display support a resolution of at least 3840 × 2160, a 16∶9 aspect ratio, the Rec. 709 (HDTV) color space, 8bpc color depth, a frame rate of 24, 25, 30, 50, or 60fps, and at least 2-channel audio.[146]
On October 29, 2013, Elemental Technologies announced support for real-time 4K Ultra HD HEVC video processing. Elemental provided live video streaming of the 2013 Osaka Marathon on October 27, 2013, in a workflow designed by K-Opticom, a telecommunications operator in Japan. Live coverage of the race in 4K Ultra HD was available to viewers at the International Exhibition Center in Osaka. This transmission of 4K Ultra HD HEVC video in real-time was an industry-first.[147]
On November 28, 2013, Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi chief Dmitri Chernyshenko stated that the 2014 Olympic Winter Games would be shot in 8K Super Hi-Vision.[148]
On December 25, 2013, YouTube added a "2160p 4K" option to its videoplayer. Previously, a visitor had to select the "original" setting in the video quality menu to watch a video in 4K resolution. With the new setting, YouTube users can much more easily identify and play 4K videos.[149]
On December 30, 2013, Samsung announced availability of its 110in (280cm) Ultra HDTV for custom orders, making this the world's largest Ultra HDTV so far.[150]
2014
On January 22, 2014, European Southern Observatory became the first scientific organization to deliver Ultra HD footage at regular intervals.[151]
On May 6, 2014, France announced[152] DVB-T2 tests in Paris for Ultra HD HEVC broadcast with objectives to replace by 2020 the current DVB-TMPEG4 HD national broadcast.
On May 26, 2014, satellite operator Eutelsat announced[153] the launch of Europe's first Ultra HD demo channel in HEVC, broadcasting at 50fps. The channel is available on the Hot Bird satellites and can be watched by viewers with 4K TVs equipped with DVB-S2 demodulators and HEVC decoders.
On June 24, 2014, the CEA updated the guidelines for Ultra High-Definition and released guidelines for Connected Ultra High-Definition, adding support for internet video delivered with HEVC.[156][157] The CEA is developing a UHD logo for voluntary use by companies that make products that meet CEA guidelines.[156][157] The CEA also clarified that "Ultra High-Definition", "Ultra HD", or "UHD" can be used with other modifiers and gave an example with "Ultra High-Definition TV 4K".[156][157]
On July 15, 2014, Researchers from the University of Essex both captured and delivered its graduation ceremonies in 4K UHDTV over the internet using H.264 in realtime.[158][159] The 4K video stream was published at 8Mbit/s and 14Mbit/s for all its 11 ceremonies, with people viewing in from countries such as Cyprus, Bulgaria, Germany, Australia, UK, and others.
On September 4, 2014, Canon Inc. announced that a firmware upgrade would add Rec. 2020 color space support to their EOS C500 and EOS C500 PL camera models and their DP-V3010 4K display.[160][161]
On September 4, 2014, Microsoft announced a firmware update for the Microsoft Lumia1020, 930, Icon, and 1520 phones that adds 4K video recording. The update was later released by the individual phone carriers over the following weeks and months after the announcement.[162]
On September 5, 2014, DigitalEurope released an Ultra HD logo for companies that meet their technical requirements.[165][166][167]
On September 11, 2014, satellite operator SES announced the first Ultra HD conditional access-protected broadcast using DVB standards at the IBC show in Amsterdam. The demonstration used a Samsung Ultra HD TV, with a standard Kudelski SmarDTV CI Plus conditional access module, to decrypt a full 3840 × 2160 pixel CAS-protected Ultra HD signal in HEVC broadcast via an SES Astra satellite at 19.2°E.[168]
On November 19, 2014, rock band Linkin Park's concert at Berlin's O2 World Arena was broadcast live in Ultra HD via an Astra 19.2°E satellite. The broadcast was encoded in the UHD 4K standard with the HEVC codec (50fps and a 10bpc color depth), and was a joint enterprise of satellite owner SES, SES Platform Services (later MX1, now part of SES Video) and Samsung.[169]
2015
Indian satellite pay TV provider Tata Sky launched UHD service and UHD Set Top Box on 9 January 2015. The service is 4K at 50fps and price of the UHD box is ₹5900 for existing SD/HD customers and ₹6400 for new customers. The Cricket World Cup 2015 was telecast live in 4K for free to those who own Tata Sky's UHD 4K STB.
In May 2015, France Télévisions broadcast matches from Roland Garros live in Ultra HD via the EUTELSAT 5 West A satellite in the HEVC standard. The channel "France TV Sport Ultra HD" was available via the Fransat platform for viewers in France.[170]
In May 2015, satellite operator SES announced that Europe's first free-to-air Ultra HD channel (from Germany's pearl.tv shopping channel) would launch in September 2015, broadcast in native Ultra HD via the Astra 19.2°E satellite position.[171]
In June 2015, SES launched its first Ultra HD demonstration channel for cable operators and content distributors in North America to prepare their systems and test their networks for Ultra HD delivery. The channel is broadcast from the SES-3 satellite at 103°W.[172]
In June 2015, SPI International previewed its "4K FunBox UHD" Ultra HD channel on the HOT BIRD 4K1 channel, in advance of its commercial launch on Eutelsat's HOT BIRD satellites in the autumn.[173]
In July 2015, German HD satellite broadcaster HD+ and TV equipment manufacturer TechniSat announced an Ultra HD TV set with integrated decryption for reception of existing HD+ channels (available in the Autumn) and a new Ultra HD demonstration channel due to begin broadcasting in September.[174]
On 2 August 2015, The FA Community Shield in England was broadcast in Ultra HD by broadcast company BT Sport, becoming the first live football game shown in Ultra HD on the world's first commercial Ultra HD channel. The match was shown on Europe's first Ultra HD channel, BT Sport Ultra HD where selected live English Premier League and European Champions League matches were broadcast.[175]
Fashion One 4K launched on September 2, 2015 becoming the first global Ultra HD TV channel. Reaching nearly 370 million households across the World, the fashion, lifestyle and entertainment network broadcasts via satellite from Measat at 91.5°E (for Asia Pacific, Middle East, Australia) and from SES satellites Astra 19.2°E (for Europe), SES-3 at 103°W (for North America), NSS-806 at 47.5°W (for South America).[176]
In September 2015, Eutelsat presented new consumer research, conducted by TNS and GfK, on Ultra HD and screen sales in key TV markets. The study looked at consumer exposure to Ultra HD, perceived benefits and willingness to invest in equipment and content. GfK predicts a 200% increase in Ultra HD screen sales from June to December 2015, with sales expected to reach five million by the end of the year. GfK also forecasts that Ultra HD screens in 2020 will represent more than 70% of total sales across Europe and almost 60% in the Middle East and North Africa.[177]
On 2 September 2015, Sony unveiled the Xperia Z5 Premium; the first smartphone with a 4K display.[178]
On 9 September 2015, Apple Inc. announced that their new smartphone the iPhone 6S could record video in 4K.[179]
On 6 October 2015, Microsoft unveiled the latest version of their Microsoft Surface Book laptop with a display of "over 6 million pixels" and their new phones the Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL, which, aside from 4K video recording that their predecessors included, feature a display of "over 5 million pixels".[180]
On 8 December 2015, the ceremony of the opening of the Holy Door in Vatican City, which marked the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy in the Roman Catholic church, was the first worldwide Ultra HD broadcast via satellite.[181] The event was produced by the Vatican Television Center with the support of Eutelsat, Sony, Globecast and DBW Communication. The team did some advanced experimentation with 4K/High Dynamic Range live images and in particular using technology developed by the BBC's R&D division and Japan's public broadcaster NHK in terms of Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) signals.[182]
2016
The "UHD Alliance", an industry consortium of content creators, distributors, and hardware manufacturers, announced Monday on January 11, 2016 during CES 2016 press conference its "Ultra HD Premium" specification, which defines resolution, bit depth, color gamut, high dynamic range (HDR) performance required for Ultra HD (UHDTV) content and displays to carry their Ultra HD Premium logo.[8][9][10][11][12]
On April 2, 2016, Ultra-high-definition television demo channel UHD1 broadcast the Le Corsaire ballet in Ultra HD live from the Vienna State Opera. The programme was produced by Astra satellite owner, SES in collaboration with European culture channel ARTE, and transmitted free-to-air, available to anyone with reception of the Astra 19.2°E satellites and an ultra HD screen equipped with an HEVC decoder.[183]
As of April 2016, The NPD Group reported that 6 million 4K UHD televisions had been sold.[184]
In May 2016, Modern Times Group, owner of the Viasat DTH platform announced the launch of Viasat Ultra HD, the first UHD channel for the Nordic region. The channel features selected live sport events especially produced in Ultra HD and launch in the autumn via the SES-5 satellite at 5°E. Viasat is also launching an Ultra HD set-top box from Samsung and a TV-module that enables existing UHD TVs to display the channel.[185] Satellite operator, SES said that the launch of Viasat Ultra HD brings the number of UHD channels (including test channels and regional versions) carried on SES satellites to 24, or 46% of all UHD channels broadcast via satellite worldwide.[186] In August 2016, Sky announced that 4K broadcasts would begin via their new Sky Q 2TB box. The opening match of the 2016-17 Premier League between Hull City and Leicester City on Sky Sports was the first 4K transmission.[187]
2017
On 29 September 2017, BSAT-4a, dedicated for UHDTV programming and was also claimed "the world's first 8K satellite", was launched from the Guiana Space Centre aboard Ariane 5 rocket. BSAT-4a would be used for 2020 Summer Olympics held in Japan.[188]
Additionally, in September 2017, Kaleidescape, a manufacturer of home-theater movie players and servers made 4K UHD movies compatible with their movie store, and with their movie players.[189]
In December 2017, Qualcomm announced that their Snapdragon 845 chipset and Spectra 280 Image Signal Processor would be the first phone SoC to record video in UHD Premium.[190]
2018
In April 2018, RTL started broadcasting its own UHD channel in Germany. First available at Astra 19.2°E, the Channel shows UHD productions, Formula 1, Football and Deutschland sucht den Superstar.
Satellite operator SES broadcast an 8K television signal via its satellite system for the first time in May 2018. The 8K demonstration content, with a resolution of 7680 × 4320 pixels, a frame rate of 60fps, and 10bpc color depth, was encoded in HEVC and transmitted at a rate of 80Mbit/s via the Astra 3B satellite during SES's Industry Days conference in Luxembourg.[191]
In June 2018, fuboTV broadcast the 2018 FIFA World Cup live in 4K and HDR10 becoming the first OTT streaming service to do so.[192] Quarter, Semi and Final matches were available on many popular streaming devices including Apple TV, Chromecast Ultra, Fire TV, Roku and Android TVs. Content was streamed at 60 frames per second using HLS and DASH. Video was sent in fragmented MP4 containers delivering HEVC encoded video.
On December 1, 2018, NHK launched BS8K, a broadcast channel transmitting at 8K resolution.[193][194][195]
2019
In February 25, 2019 at the event of 2019 Mobile World Congress, Sony announced the Xperia 1, the first smartphone featuring a ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio 4KHDROLED display (with a resolution of 3840 × 1644), which would be released on May 30, 2019.[196]
In May 2019, for the first time in Europe, 8K demonstration content was received via satellite without the need for a separate external receiver or decoder. At the 2019 SES Industry Days conference at Betzdorf, Luxembourg broadcast quality 8K content (with a resolution of 7680 × 4320 pixels at 50fps) was encoded using a Spin Digital HEVC encoder (at a bit rate of 70Mbit/s), uplinked to a single 33MHz transponder on SES' Astra 28.2°E satellites and the downlink received and displayed on a Samsung82in (210cm) Q950RB production model TV.[197]
DVB approved the Standard TS 101 154 V2.1.1, published (07/2014) in the DVB Blue Book A157 Specification for the use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcasting Applications based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream, which was published by ETSI in the following months.
On August 30, 2013, the scenarios for 4K-UHDTV service were described in the Report "TTAR 07.0011: A Study on the UHDTV Service Scenarios and its Considerations".
On May 22, 2014, the technical report "TTAR-07.0013: Terrestrial 4K UHDTV Broadcasting Service" was published.
On October 13, 2014, an interim standard – "TTAI.KO-07.0123: Transmission and Reception for Terrestrial UHDTV Broadcasting Service" – was published based on HEVC encoding, with MPEG 2 TS, and DVB-T2 serving as the standards.
On June 24, 2016, a standard – "TTAK.KO-07.0127: Transmission and Reception for Terrestrial UHDTV Broadcasting Service" – was published based on HEVC encoding, with MMTP/ROUTE IP, and ATSC 3.0 serving as the standards.
↑ The resulting lines in the image alternate between pixels from the green-1 and red CCDs, and pixels from the blue and green-2 CCDs.
Related Research Articles
HD-MAC was a broadcast television standard proposed by the European Commission in 1986, as part of Eureka 95 project. It belongs to the MAC - Multiplexed Analogue Components standard family. It is an early attempt by the EEC to provide High-definition television (HDTV) in Europe. It is a complex mix of analogue signal, multiplexed with digital sound, and assistance data for decoding (DATV). The video signal was encoded with a modified D2-MAC encoder.
NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories, headquartered in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, is responsible for technical research at NHK, Japan's public broadcaster.
High-definition video is video of higher resolution and quality than standard-definition. While there is no standardized meaning for high-definition, generally any video image with considerably more than 480 vertical scan lines or 576 vertical lines (Europe) is considered high-definition. 480 scan lines is generally the minimum even though the majority of systems greatly exceed that. Images of standard resolution captured at rates faster than normal, by a high-speed camera may be considered high-definition in some contexts. Some television series shot on high-definition video are made to look as if they have been shot on film, a technique which is often known as filmizing.
1080p is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen vertically; the p stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The term usually assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a resolution of 2.1 megapixels. It is often marketed as Full HD or FHD, to contrast 1080p with 720p resolution screens. Although 1080p is sometimes referred to as 2K resolution, other sources differentiate between 1080p and (true) 2K resolution.
1440p is a family of video display resolutions that have a resolution of 1440 pixels along one side. In a display with a landscape orientation, 1440p refers to the vertical resolution. The p stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The 1440 pixel vertical resolution is double the vertical resolution of 720p, and one-third more than 1080p. QHD or WQHD is the designation for a commonly used display resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixels in a 16:9 aspect ratio. As a graphics display resolution between 1080p and 4K, Quad HD is often used in smartphone displays, and for computer and console gaming.
High-definition television (HDTV) describes a television or video system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since at least 1933; in more recent times, it refers to the generation following standard-definition television (SDTV). It is the standard video format used in most broadcasts: terrestrial broadcast television, cable television, satellite television.
"21:9" is a consumer electronics (CE) marketing term to describe the ultrawide aspect ratio of 64:27, designed to show films recorded in CinemaScope and equivalent modern anamorphic formats. The main benefit of this screen aspect ratio is a constant display height when displaying other content with a lesser aspect ratio.
4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 3840 × 2160 with a 16:9 aspect ratio is the dominant 4K standard, whereas the movie projection industry uses 4096 × 2160.
8K resolution refers to an image or display resolution with a width of approximately 8,000 pixels. 8K UHD is the highest resolution defined in the Rec. 2020 (UHDTV) standard.
A display resolution standard is a commonly used width and height dimension of an electronic visual display device, measured in pixels. This information is used for electronic devices such as a computer monitor. Certain combinations of width and height are standardized and typically given a name and an initialism which is descriptive of its dimensions.
ITU-R Recommendation BT.2020, more commonly known by the abbreviations Rec. 2020 or BT.2020, defines various aspects of ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV) with standard dynamic range (SDR) and wide color gamut (WCG), including picture resolutions, frame rates with progressive scan, bit depths, color primaries, RGB and luma-chroma color representations, chroma subsamplings, and an opto-electronic transfer function. The first version of Rec. 2020 was posted on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) website on August 23, 2012, and two further editions have been published since then.
The Samsung Galaxy S series is a line of Android-based smartphones and tablet computers produced by Samsung Electronics. In conjunction with the foldable Galaxy Z series, the series serves as Samsung's flagship smartphone lineup, and is the high-end line of the wider Samsung Galaxy family of Android devices.
High Efficiency Video Coding implementations and products covers the implementations and products of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC).
The hybrid log–gamma (HLG) transfer function is a transfer function jointly developed by the BBC and NHK for high dynamic range (HDR) display. It is backward compatible with the transfer function of SDR. It was approved as ARIB STD-B67 by the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB). It is also defined in ATSC 3.0, Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) UHD-1 Phase 2, and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Rec. 2100.
Ultra HD Forum is an organization whose goal is to help solve the real world hurdles in deploying Ultra HD video and thus to help promote UHD deployment. The Ultra HD Forum will help navigate amongst the standards related to high dynamic range (HDR), high frame rate (HFR), next generation audio (NGA), and wide color gamut (WCG). The Ultra HD Forum is an industry organisation that is complementary to the UHD Alliance, covering different aspects of the UHD ecosystem.
ITU-R Recommendation BT.2100, more commonly known by the abbreviations Rec. 2100 or BT.2100, introduced high-dynamic-range television (HDR-TV) by recommending the use of the perceptual quantizer or hybrid log–gamma (HLG) transfer functions instead of the traditional "gamma" previously used for SDR-TV.
High-dynamic-range television (HDR-TV) is a technology that uses high dynamic range (HDR) to improve the quality of display signals. It is contrasted with the retroactively-named standard dynamic range (SDR). HDR changes the way the luminance and colors of videos and images are represented in the signal, and allows brighter and more detailed highlight representation, darker and more detailed shadows, and more intense colors.
32K resolution refers to a display resolution of approximately 32,000 pixels horizontally. A resolution of 30720 × 17280 for an aspect ratio of 16:9 is speculated to be standardized. This doubles the pixel count of 16K in each dimension, for a total of 530.8 megapixels, 4 times as many pixels as the 16K resolution. It has 16 times as many pixels as 8K resolution, 64 times as many pixels as 4K resolution, 256 times the pixels as Full HD or 1080p resolution, and 576 times the pixels as HD or 720p resolution
NHK BS8K is a satellite television broadcasting service offered by NHK. Launched on 1 December 2018, it is the world's first television channel to broadcast in 8K resolution.
↑ Winslow, George (September 16, 2013). "IBC: Nagra Demoes Project Ultra". broadcastingcable.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014. OpenTV
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
