8K Buzz Becomes Reality in Japan; Inter BEE 2018 Highlights 12Gbps, VR and Next-Gen Replay By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Friday, December 14, 2018 - 10:55 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
The InterBEE trade show in Japan, the Japanese equivalent of NAB, is always a unique show for those involved in the broadcast and production industry. It is squarely focused on the needs of the Japanese broadcast industry and that makes it an interesting mix of a commitment to known technologies (one of the big themes this year was 12 Gig SDI) and a commitment to the future with (another big theme was 8K which is now a reality for consumers in Japan).
The NHK booth at Inter BEE featured a countdown to the launch of NHK's 8K service.
Let's start with the big news of the official launch of 8K broadcasts (as well as 4K) via satellite. The 8K signal, called BS8K, requires 100 Mbps of bandwidth to be delivered and the broadcasts are available 12 hours a day. That 12 hours, like the early years of HD here in the U.S., will comprise a mix of original full resolution material as well as upconverted material (audio is in 22.2-channel Surround Sound). Highlights so far include an 8K broadcast of 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as a live broadcast from the Vatican on Dec. 2. NHK also continues to roll out 8K production units that can be deployed around Japan and the goal is to have five in operation by the time the 2020 Tokyo Olympics begin.
Eutelsat is a key partner in the delivery efforts, and NHK relied on DVB-S2X modulation, in 16APSK, and HEVC encoding for the Vatican live shot. The images were shot at 60 frames per second in BT2020 colour space, with 10 bits of colour depth and high dynamic range HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), combined with 22.2 channel audio.
Sony's booth at Inter BEE featured a massive 8K video wall.
The launch garnered mixed headlines and it will be some time before it will garner large audiences. The consumer electronics industry will most likely roll out a number of 8K sets at CES (Sharp is currently selling a 70-inch set for about $12,000) and the 8K receiver tacks on an extra $2,000 to the cost. Of course, anyone suffering sticker shock at those prices should consider that 4K sets were at that level only a few years ago so prices could fall within a couple of years.
SVG has discussed the production of 8K over the years and since the 2012 London Olympics the format has made some serious strides that are worth keeping in mind. For example, in 2012 recording the events for replay required 36 Panasonic P2 decks to be slaved together. Today that, thankfully is not the case.
And yes, the camera signals each are still a massive 48 Gbps but the number of cameras involved in the production continues to grow and their features, like slow-motion replay, also continue to expand.
NHK is currently the only broadcaster on the planet to commit to 8K and it is worth remembering that when people ask why? that NHK was committed to 8K before 4K was even a legitimate format. So, the why was simple: there was (and still is) a belief that 4K did not offer enough of a difference in terms of picture quality from 1080p to make it a worthwhile step. But 8K opened up a number of new applications like live broadcast to cinema screens and also would provide a signal that could support massive screens that measure more than 120 inches diagonal.
NHK's commitment, however, is enough to have a number of manufactures on the show floor at InterBEE displaying 8K production systems. Sony, Ikegami, Astrodesign, For.A, and others rolled out various 8K capable production components. And there actually is a practical application for an 8K camera today. It could be mounted within a stadium and capture a wide shot of the entire field of play and then allow for 1080p segments to be extracted and broadcast, allowing a single camera to do the work of multiple cameras and never miss a moment. And, of course, if 4K can turn the corner as a production format there could eventually be a need for 8K cameras to serve in the role of virtual zoom cameras so that a full 4K image can be extracted (similar to the role 4K cameras in extracting full HD images for replay).
The other big story at the show was products that supported 12 Gbps transport. 12 Gbps capable products were found in a number of booths and for many Japanese production professionals the familiarity with SDI architecture makes 12 Gbps more compelling than IP.
Advances in Next-Gen Replay
One of the highlights on the Canon stand this year was a next-generation version of the company's take on the 360-degree replay systems that take video from multiple cameras mounted around a stadium, synthesize it, and then allow for a replay from virtually any angle along with the ability to zoom in and move between players and objects.
It's called Free Viewpoint and it has made some strides since last year. Canon offered a quick demo of footage from rugby matches that were captured with 100 cameras mounted around the upper level of the stadium. The latest demo was impressive as the large number of cameras gave plenty of additional picture information to enhance the quality of the view. The problem? It still takes a long time to synthesize all of the data but the Canon team hopes they cut the processing time down greatly by the time the 2020 Olympics begin. Here's a YouTube clip of last year's version for a sense of what will eventually be offered (the new version, however, is more photorealistic).
Another cool technology demonstration was courtesy of Tokyo Broadcasting Systems (TBS). It was called Virtual Grabber and was designed to bring the VR environment to the world of technical directing. An operator outfitted with VR goggles and VR pointer hand controls was able to cut a show by looking at a virtual monitor wall and pointing an
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
08/09/2026
Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a multi-year agreement with A E...
08/09/2026
Spectra Logic today announced the availability of Media Insight, a new capabilit...
08/09/2026
Rogers Communications and Quebecor have announced a 12-year sublicensing agreement for French-language national NHL games beginning with the 2026-27 season. TVA...
08/09/2026
Skyline Communications and Bridge Technologies will demonstrate two integrations...
08/09/2026
Boland Communications will make the European debut of its 4K55HDR7SNB 55-inch super-narrow-bezel monitor at IBC2026 (Stand 12.C57, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Ateme and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) have announced a collaboration comb...
08/09/2026
Haivision has joined the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme as part of t...
08/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced price reductions on its PYXIS 6K and Cinema Camera 6K models, effective immediately through Blackmagic Design resellers worldwid...
08/09/2026
AI-Media will demonstrate its LEXI Suite at IBC2026 (Booth 5.C34, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin and Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) have announced the first live deploymen...
08/09/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate story-centric media workflows at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), connecting newsroom production, content ma...
08/09/2026
M2A Media and Ateme have announced a partnership integrating Ateme's video processing solutions into M2A Media's MediaToAnywhere platform for live sport...
08/09/2026
Ikegami will exhibit at IBC2026 (Stand 12.A31, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), including a Day 1 introduction of new cameras in the UNICAM XE series. Additiona...
08/09/2026
Broadcast industry analysts will be gathering plenty of insights at the 2026 IBC Show this weekend in Amsterdam, but Caretta Research has offered up some though...
08/09/2026
SENSHI and DAZN have announced a global broadcast partnership that will bring SENSHI's live events free to viewers in more than 200 markets. The partnership...
08/09/2026
New architecture built with Evertz will bring 4K HDR to Monday Night Football, N...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
The Airport Chaplain takes off as SBS's biggest launch of 2026
8 September, 2026
Media releases
1.67 million viewers on National Total TV to date
Best...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Mo-Sys, the world-leading developer of virtual production, camera robotics and image tracking technology, has completed a business restructuring, which has incl...
08/09/2026
New York, September 8, 2026 The TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure developed by Telef nica's Audiovisual Services area re...
08/09/2026
Expanded Riyadh operation brings Asharq and Thmanyah services together on a resilient on-premises Pebble platform.
Pebble, the leading automation, content mana...
08/09/2026
Techex, a pioneering leader in live video workflows, will showcase its broadest software feature set to date at IBC 2026 (Stand 2.B45), extending its lead in so...
08/09/2026
Visitors to Grass Valley's booth at IBC2026 will be introduced to new Framelight X capabilities that connect content acquisition, management, editing and pu...
08/09/2026
BCNEXXT will showcase the latest evolution of Vipe at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B09), introducing a series of innovations designed to deliver higher-quality audience exp...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), a leading innovator in advanced ad insertion technologies, to...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics and augmented and virtual production, is announcing a major package of enhancements to its Suite 7 soft...
08/09/2026
Big Blue Marble is supporting TDF, French infrastructure and network operator, broadcasting Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and radio services, as a techno...
08/09/2026
Agents work inside a single production environment, from incoming wire copy to a live studio show...
08/09/2026
Building on their strategic partnership, Ceeblue and Layercake make the unthinkable possible: scalable sub-second streaming over standard DRM, SSAI, and CDN wor...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is completing the environment for fast-paced broadcast production wi...
08/09/2026
A SaaS portfolio built to work together, helping operators grow audiences, monetise smarter and run leaner, on their own terms
At IBC 2026 (stand 1.B49) Synam...
08/09/2026
Accedo, global provider of video streaming software and services, has been selected by PlayOn Sports, a national leader in high school sports technology, to exp...
08/09/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, is enabling The Associated Press to take global newsgathering to the next stage with intelligent connectivity and ...
08/09/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced the latest evolution of it...
08/09/2026
Compact, power-efficient X Platform performance brings broadcast-grade reliability and ultra-low latency to space-constrained remote production (REMI) workflows...
08/09/2026
Zixi, the leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Kiloview, a leading provider of professional IP video encoding and decoding solutions, t...
08/09/2026
Collaboration gives content owners scalable CDN capacity and broadcasters enhanced flexibility, including for C-band transition planning
Quortex today announce...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Telos Alliance and Pluxbox Announce Dynamic Media Facility Integration Partnersh...
08/09/2026
J nger Audio Showcases Industry-First S-ADM Cloud Workflow at IBC 2026
Search
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's ...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...
08/09/2026
Documentary thriller simulating a Russian attack on UK soil will culminate in a live final episode reuniting the playersTuesday 8 September 2026
Trailer releas...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to host next t...
08/09/2026
Wuppertal September 8, 2026
Riedel Introduces New OnAir Headset PlatformRiedel Communications today announced the launch of its new OnAir headset platform, a...
8K Buzz Becomes Reality in Japan; Inter BEE 2018 Highlights 12Gbps, VR and Next-Gen Replay By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
