NHK showcases 8K
January 9, 2015
By Chris Forrester
At the upcoming Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, public broadcaster NHK has confirmed it will conduct live 8K test transmissions. Sapporo was the venue for the 1972 Winter Olympics and NHK says that it will mount 8K cameras and equipment at the Festival in order to capture the huge number of snow and ice sculptures for which the event is world famous.
The screenings will take place at the Sapporo Station from February 5th – 11th, and where some 2 million Japanese are expected to visit to see the more than 200 special ice sculptures that feature up the town’s High Street and in an adjacent park.
NHK says that the works of art will be shown in an experimental series of 8K transmissions on two screens, one a giant 135” display, as well as an 85” screen. Viewers will also be shown clips from last year’s Sochi Olympics also captured in 8K as well as some other recently captured NHK programming in 8K.
NHK adds that this will be the first time that wireless transmission has been used and is a major trial ahead of full 8K broadcasting due to start in 2016.