Move aside Ultra HD 4K, Japan is once again stepping into the future ahead of everyone else with NHK launching the first 8K Super Hi-Vision TV channel.
While most people would be happy to get decent Full HD TV, and some can already glimpse the enhancements of Ultra HD 4K content using services like Netflix and Amazon (and the upcoming 4K blu-ray discs, which risk becoming obsolete as soon as they come out) in Japan they already have a Super Hi-Vision 8K channel with regular broadcasts.
Just like Ultra HD quadrupled the number of pixels of Full HD, Super Hi-Vision 8K once again quadruples the number of pixels of Ultra HD, meaning we're talking about images with 7680x4320 pixels, at up to 120Hz, 12bits color, and 22.2 audio channels! That's well above what even high-end cinemas have these days.
The problem, besides the lack of content (even though the upcoming Rio Olympic Games will provide a steady stream of 8K transmissions), is that you can't get a TV with such resolution yet. That's why NHK will be scattering 8K viewing stations across the country, so people can see the next big step forward in video quality.
I've watched a Super Hi-Vision demo a few years back, and can attest it truly is amazing. We're no longer looking at a screen but a "window" presenting us life-like images. If all goes according to plan, 8K TVs and projectors should be coming to market by 2018, and movie studios will surely try their best to make us buy - again - the movies they've already sold us on VHS tape, DVD discs, blu-ray, digital download, and 4K blu-ray. Just... don't fall for it; at least not until they present us Super Hi-Vision 16K... ;P
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