New at NAB: From 4K to 8K capture

The majority of content production is still HD and the industry is several years from delivering 4K to the home as standard, but NAB has proved there’s an unrelenting march toward Ultra High Definition - and 8K UHD at that.

UHD display sales have now passed that of HD for the first time, according to research firm IHS Markit, selling at a similar rate as the uplift from standard definition to HD resolutions.

Globally, there are now 142 4K channels on air with IHS forecasting that by 2022 40% of Western European homes will own at least one UHD display. A bump in sales is predicted around next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

In a move that it said demonstrates the industry’s 4K UHD maturity, the Ultra HD Forum (UHDF) - a coalition which includes Dolby, Fox, Huawei and Technicolor – updated its official guidelines to encompass high dynamic range, high frame rate delivery, and next generation audio.

The forum noted the development of 8K as “a…