NHK develops 8K slo-mo camera
February 11, 2022
By Chris Forrester
The research division of Japan’s public broadcaster NHK has developed an 8K camera unit that can capture and record at 240 frames/second and thus suitable for slow-motion work.
NHK’s STRL (Science & Technology Research) is the division which has masterminded the development of 8K Ultra-HD technology, and says the new camera system will bring new viewing experiences and achieve production results not previously possible.
NHK STRL says: “High-speed imaging captures more frames per second so that fast-moving subjects can be portrayed smoothly, or so fast motions can be analysed. BS4K and BS8K broadcast at 60 frames/s, so to produce smooth slow-motion video in a TV programme (mainly for sports programmes), the video must be captured at an even higher frame rate”.
NHK added that there are technologies that use specialised cameras and other equipment to perform high-speed imaging at up to 10,000 frames/s or more, but they are constrained to lower resolution and several seconds of recording time.