Resolutions with approximate width of 8,000 pixels
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Comparison chartExample 8K footage from the International Space Station (Select "WebM source" from the menu to view.)
8K resolution refers to an image or display resolution with a width of approximately 8,000 pixels. 8K UHD (7680 × 4320) is the highest resolution defined in the Rec. 2020 (UHDTV) standard.[1]
8K display resolution is the successor to 4K resolution. TV manufacturers pushed to make 4K a new standard by 2017. At CES 2012, the first prototype 8K TVs were unveiled by Japanese electronics corporation Sharp.[2] The feasibility of a fast transition to this new standard is questionable in view of the absence of broadcasting resources.[3][4] In 2018, Strategy Analytics predicted that 8K-ready devices will still only account for 3% of UHD TVs by 2023 with global sales of 11 million units a year.[5] However, TV manufacturers remain optimistic as the 4K market grew much faster than expected, with actual sales exceeding projections nearly six-fold in 2016.[6]
In 2013, a transmission network's capability to carry HDTV resolution was limited by internet speeds and relied on satellite broadcast to transmit the high data rates. The demand is expected to drive the adoption of video compression standards and to place significant pressure on physical communication networks in the near future.[7]
As of 2018[update], few cameras had the capability to shoot video in 8K, NHK being one of the few companies to have created a small broadcasting camera with an 8K image sensor.[8] By 2018, Red Digital Cinema camera company had delivered three 8K cameras in both a Full Frame sensor and Super 35 sensor.[9]
The term "8K" is generic and refers to any resolution with a horizontal pixel count of approximately 8,000. Several different 8K resolutions have been standardized by various organizations.
History
Astro Design 8K camera being displayed at the 2013 NAB ShowNHK and Hitachi demonstrating their 8K camera at the 2013 NAB Show
Japan's public broadcaster NHK was the first to start research and development of 4320p resolution in 1995 and the format was first displayed in 2005.[10] The format was standardized by SMPTE in October 2007.[11] The interface was standardized by SMPTE in August 2010 and recommended as the international standard for television by ITU-R in 2012.[12] Followed by public displays at electronics shows and screenings of 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and public viewings in February 2014 and the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in June 2014 using HEVC with partners AstroDesign and Ikegami Electronics.[13][14][15]
On January 6, 2015, the MHL Consortium announced the release of the superMHL specification which will support 8K resolution at 120fps, 48-bit video, the Rec. 2020 color space, high dynamic range support, a 32-pin reversible superMHL connector, and power charging of up to 40 watts.[16][17][18]
On March 1, 2016, The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) unveiled DisplayPort 1.4, a new format that allows the use of 8K resolution (7680 × 4320) at 60Hz with HDRR and 32 audio channels through USB-C.[19]
On January 4, 2017, the HDMI Forum announced HDMI 2.1 featuring support for 8K video with HDR, which will be "released early in Q2 2017".[20]
8K Association Formed at CES 2019 to Help Develop 8K Ecosystem.[21]
In early February 2020, Samsung Electronics announced during their Unpacked event that their Samsung Galaxy S20 can video record in 8K, which uses 600MB of storage per minute.[22]
First cameras
On April 6, 2013, Astrodesign Inc. announced the AH-4800, capable of recording 8K resolution.[citation needed]
In April 2015, it was announced by Red that their newly unveiled Red Weapon VV is also capable of recording 8K footage.[23]
In October 2016, they announced two additional 8K cameras, Red Weapon 8K S35 and Red Epic-W 8K S35.[24] The Red Weapon Dragon VV has been discontinued as of October 7, 2017[update], when Red unveiled the Red Weapon Monstro VV, their fourth camera capable of shooting 8K, with additional improvements in dynamic range and noise reduction, among other features.[25]
Mobile phone cameras
In May 2019, mobile phone vendors started releasing the first mobile phones with 8K video recording capabilities, such as the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 3 series.[26]
This is enabled by the sufficient resolution of image sensors used in mobile phones, and by the sufficient chipset performance. However, mobile phones with up to 5K (2880p) or 6K (3240p) video cameras have never been released.
In 2007, the original 65mm negative of the 1992 film Baraka was re-scanned at 8K with a film scanner built specifically for the job at FotoKem Laboratories, and used to remaster the 2008 Blu-ray release. Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert described the Blu-ray release as "the finest video disc I have ever viewed or ever imagined."[27] A similar 8K scan/4K intermediate digital restoration of Lawrence of Arabia was made for Blu-ray and theatrical re-release during 2012 by Sony Pictures to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary.[28][29] According to Grover Crisp, executive VP of restoration at Sony Pictures, the new 8K scan has such high resolution that when examined, showed a series of fine concentric lines in a pattern "reminiscent of a fingerprint" near the top of the frame. This was caused by the film emulsion melting and cracking in the desert heat during production. Sony had to hire a third party to minimize or eliminate the rippling artifacts in the new restored version.[28]
On May 17, 2013, the Franklin Institute premiered To Space and Back, an 8K×8K, 60fps, 3D video running approximately 25 minutes. During its first run at the Fels Planetarium it was played at 4K, 60 fps.[30]
In November 2013, NHK screened the experimental-drama short film "The Chorus" at Tokyo Film Festival which was filmed in 8K and 22.2 sound format.[31]
On May 1, 2015, an 8K abstract computer animation was screened at the Filmatic Festival at the University of California, San Diego. The work was created as an assignment in the VIS 40/ICAM 40 Introduction to Computing in the Arts class taught at UCSD by Associate Teaching Professor Brett Stalbaum during the winter quarter of 2015, with each student producing three hundred 8192 × 4800 pixel frames. The work's music soundtrack was composed by Mark Matamoros.[32][33]
On January 6, 2016, director James Gunn stated that the 2017 film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 would be the first feature film to be shot in 8K, using the Red Weapon 8K VV.[34]
Broadcasting
Japanese public broadcaster NHK began research and development on 8K in 1995, having spent over $1 billion on R&D since then.[10][35] Codenamed Super Hi-Vision (named after its old Hi-Vision analog HDTV system), NHK also was simultaneously working on the development of 22.2 channel surround sound audio. The world's first 8K television was unveiled by Sharp at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2012.[36] Experimental transmissions of the resolution were tested with the 2012 Summer Olympics, and at the Cannes Film Festival showcasing Beauties À La Carte, a 27-minute short showcased publicly on a 220" screen, with a three-year roadmap that entails the launch of 8K test broadcasting in 2016, with plans to roll out full 8K services by 2018, and in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics,[37] which were delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The specification for an 8K Blu-ray format was also completed by the Blu-ray Disc Association for use in Japan by December 2017.[38] On December 1, 2018, NHK launched BS8K, a broadcast channel transmitting at 8K resolution.[39][40][41]
Sony announced that the PlayStation 5 would support 8K graphics.[43] Microsoft then announced its Xbox Series X with 8K graphic support, released in November 2020.[44] The GeForce RTX 3090, released in September 2020 at an MSRP of $1499,[45] was marketed by Nvidia as the first graphics card capable of 8K 60fps HDR gaming, recording, and streaming with ShadowPlay on PCs.[46][47] However, only its successor, the GeForce RTX 4090, is often regarded as the first graphics card to achieve playable frame rates at 8K in many modern titles.[48][49]
This is the resolution of the UHDTV2 format defined in SMPTE ST 2036–1,[50][51] as well as the 8K UHDTV format defined in ITU-RBT.2020.[52] It was also chosen by the DVB project as the resolution for their 8K broadcasting standard, UHD-2.[53] It has 33.2 million total pixels, and is double the linear resolution of 4K UHD (four times as many total pixels), three times the linear resolution of 1440p (nine times as many total pixels), four times the linear resolution of 1080p (16 times as many total pixels), and six times the linear resolution of 720p (36 times as many total pixels).
Dell UltraSharp 32 Ultra HD 8K Monitor (UP3218K) (CES 2017)[63][64]
BOE 8K 13.3 inch Narrow Bezel Laptop Display at CITE 2018[65]
8K VR Headset
Pimax Vision 8K X, made up of two 3840 × 2160 screens @ 90Hz, started Crowdfunding in October 2017, with the product released and shipped in September 2020.[66]
Cameras
Astrodesign AH-4800, 1.7-inch CMOS camera capable of recording in 8K resolution. Unveiled by on April 6, 2013.
RED Weapon Vista Vision 35MM 8K (8192 × 4320) at 60fps in full-sensor mode, or up to 75fps in a scope (2.40∶1) frame format. The camera has a 40.96mm × 21.6mm sensor based on the previous generation Dragon sensor. Unveiled at NAB 2015, released end of 2015.
RED DSMC2 Helium with an S35MM 8K 29.9mm × 15.77mm 35.4 megapixel CMOS sensor—up to 60fps at 8K (8192 × 4320) and 75 fps at 8K 2.4∶1 (8192 × 3456) with a dynamic range of 16.5+ stops; limited release July 2016, general release October 2016.
RED Epic-W with an S35MM 8K 29.9mm × 15.77mm 35.4 megapixel CMOS Helium sensor—up to 30fps at 8K (8192 × 4320) with a dynamic range of 16.5+ stops; release date: October 2016.
RED DSMC2 Monstro 8K VV[67]40.96mm × 21.60mm 35.4 megapixel CMOS "wider than full frame" Monstro sensor—up to 60fps at 8K (8192 × 4320) and 75fps at 8K 2.4∶1 (8192 × 3456) with a dynamic range of 17+ stops; release date: October 2017.
Ikegami S35MM SHK-810 8K broadcast camera. Unveiled at NAB 2015.
Hitachi S35MM SK-UHD8060 broadcast camera Unveiled at NAB 2015.
Hitachi S35MM SK-UHD8000 broadcast camera. Production version of the SK-UHD8060.
Canon Cinema EOS System S35MM 8K camera. Unveiled September, 2015.
Panavision DXL 35MM 8K 60fps and HDR Digital Cinematography Camera (Vista Vision Sensor). May 2016
Demo of Sharp 8K cameraSharp S35MM 8C-B60A 8K Professional broadcast Camcorder[68] Nov 2017
Cinemartin Fran 8K VV Global Shutter, announced on May 8, 2018, starting sales in fall 2018. Company went to bankruptcy on April 1, 2019, and camera is no longer available. It never reached production stage, only prototype.[69]
Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K, originally 110fps in 8K,[70] since September 2020 firmware update up to 120fps for DCI, 16:9 and 6:5 Anamorphic aspect ratio modes and up to 160fps for 2.4:1 aspect ratio mode.[71]
Sony's PlayStation 5, while capable of outputting 8K, such resolutions are currently not available due to Sony’s native 4K cap, went on sale November 2020.[73]
See also
2K resolution – digital video formats with a horizontal resolution of around 2,000 pixels
4K resolution – digital video formats with a horizontal resolution of around 4000 pixels
5K resolution – digital video formats with a horizontal resolution of around 5000 pixels, aimed at non-television computer monitor usage
10K resolution – digital video formats with a horizontal resolution of around 10,000 pixels, aimed at non-television computer monitor usage
16K resolution – digital video formats with a horizontal resolution of around 16,000 pixels
^ abRob Sabin (December 20, 2011). "Home Theater: Hollywood, The 4K Way". HomeTheater.com Ultimate Tech. Source Interlink Media. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
