NHK to use London 2012 content in NAB 8K video demo

Japanese public broadcaster NHK has announced plans to present the latest version of its Super Hi-Vision system at this year’s NAB Show, which takes place in Las Vegas from 6-11 April. The system will be featured in the NAB Labs Futures Park, a new section of the 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.

NHK’s Super Hi-Vision demonstration will incorporate a presentation theatre 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, while its multichannel audio capabilities will deliver immersion into a 3D sound space for viewers located anywhere within a large viewing area. Besides the presentation in the theatre, 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.